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Within the last month, the deaths of a senior citizen hit by a car in May on Addison Street and a 68-year-old bicyclist struck Monday on Adeline Street have fueled safety debates. Members of the city’s Commission on Aging met Wednesday to present a laundry list of concerns. 

While previous efforts to reduce pedestrian injuries have led only to moderate success, the city hopes a $1 million pedestrian safety ballot measure along with a newly reformed Office of Transportation will make crossing Berkeley streets safer. 

Peter Hillier, assistant city manager for transportation said Wednesday that the new city office has developed a number of safety measures including installing new senior crossing signs and medians at wide intersections. The office has also added high-pitched chirping devices, known as accessible pedestrian signals, to allow visually disabled residents to cross problem intersections.  

Additionally, the office is considering an experiment with new attention grabbing safety signs.  

Hillier added that City Council has shown strong support for pedestrian safety programs and will likely initiate a November ballot issue to fund the programs. “There is some good news for potential pedestrian improvements in the city of Berkeley,” he said. 

Many residents remain skeptical, however, noting that previous warnings about problem intersections have gone unheeded by the city. 

Both victims killed recently were fatally injured at intersections that have long been known by local residents as dangerous pedestrian crossings. 

Commission members including Margo Norman have said the intersection of Adeline and Oregon Streets, near the Harriet Tubman Senior Homes, is another example of the many dangerous crossing sites in Berkeley. According to Norman, the intersection is too wide and the pedestrian signals do not leave enough time for seniors to cross. 

Hillier, however, says the city has worked hard to improve the safety of this and many other intersections. 

He says that the city has worked closely with the Berkeley Police Department to combat safety issues. “We’re still active with the police department and parking enforcement officials. This has been an ongoing activity with the department,” Hillier said. 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who also attended Wednesday’s meeting, said that pedestrian safety issues can be very sensitive issues for local residents. “There are definitely a lot of problems,” Worthington said. “Residents can get very emotional these issues. They feel like they’re risking their lives crossing the street.”  

Worthington says that a pedestrian safety initiative will almost certainly be on the November ballot; however, the cost of the safety programs to the public may present a conflict.  

Initially, supporters of the program recommended $500,000 be allocated for pedestrian safety. However, an amendment by the city has raised the potential cost to $1 million. Worthington says that tax payers may not be willing to spend $1 million on the program. 

According to Hillier, the Office of Transportation hopes to present by 2003 the city and its residents with a mid- and long-range plan of what Berkeley will look like in five to 10 years. 

“I think that it’s important that the city, the commissions and the community are aware of what the priorities are as to how our traffic planning will develop,” Hillier said. 

According to Lisa Ploss, Senior Programs Administrator with the city of Berkeley, traffic and pedestrian safety issues are a top priority for the Commission on Aging. 

At Wednesday’s meeting commission members also cited the heavy flow of traffic down Alcatraz Avenue as a problem. Commission member Freida Smith said the avenue is a thoroughfare for drivers trying to get to the freeway. “It’s like those people feel like they’re on the Daytona 500 out there,” Smith said. According to Smith the avenue, which includes a senior facility near Sacramento Street, needs a greater police presence and more stop signs.  

Commission members also discussed possible BART and AC Transit fare hikes for seniors at the meeting. 

Gene Scott, a member of the Commission on Aging, said that in addition to pedestrian safety, bike safety in the city is also an important issue. According to Scott, drivers need to pay more attention, especially to the safety of children riding bikes on Berkeley streets. 

According to Hillier, the city and the police have worked together to target cyclists on sidewalks and plan to post signs downtown informing residents that riding a bicycle on city sidewalks is illegal for adults.