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Pedestrian safety on ballot

By John Geluardi Special to the Daily Planet
Monday August 12, 2002

Berkeley streets, considered some of the most dangerous in the state for pedestrians and bicyclists, may get safety improvements if voters agree to a new tax in November. 

Last month, the City Council approved a ballot measure to ask voters to approve a special tax expected to raise approximately $10 million over 10 years. Property taxes would increase by 1.3 cents per square foot. According to the city’s financial analysis, the annual cost for the average 1,900 square-foot homeowner would be $24.70 a year. 

In order for the new tax to become law, two-thirds of city voters must vote yes for the measure. 

Traffic improvements to increase pedestrian and bicycle safety would include pedestrian activated traffic signals, lighted pedestrian crosswalks and traffic circles. 

Opponents of the tax say that property taxes are already too high and that bicyclists and pedestrians are injured because they do “crazy stuff.” They should pay more attention to traffic, opponents say. 

According to the 2000 Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Task Force Report, Berkeley has the highest rate of pedestrian and bicycle accidents of 45 cities of similar size in the state. 

And according to the traffic division of the city’s public works department, which maintains traffic injury statistics, one pedestrian and one bicyclist have been killed by automobiles so far this year. 

District 2 Councilmember Dona Spring said pedestrian safety measures are long overdue. The city’s most dangerous intersection according to the BAPST report are at University and Shattuck avenues, within Spring’s council district. 

“We have 20 percent more cars on the streets than 20 years ago and people don’t feel safe,” she said. “If we are going to ask people to leave their cars at home and bicycle or walk to work, we have to make the streets safe for them.” 

She added that the new tax is necessary because there isn’t enough money in the public works department budget to make necessary safety improvements. 

“The public works budget is overwhelmed with fixing streets, sidewalks and maintaining the existing traffic safety systems,” Spring said. “This extra tax is only for 10 years and will give us a real shot in the arm.” 

But former chair of the city’s Budget Commission Art Goldberg helped write arguments against the measure. He said the tax is poorly thought out and unnecessary. He said there is no solid calculation of how much money the tax will raise and no clear statement about where the money is going.  

In addition, Goldberg said the real problem is not traffic management but pedestrians and bicyclists who dart out into traffic and aggressively assert their right of way.  

“I see them do crazy stuff everyday,” he said. “Pedestrians in this city assert their right of way in crosswalks all the time. They should realize they are at a disadvantage to a car.”  

Bicycle Friendly Berkeley President Dave Campbell disagreed.  

“The way to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety is to slow cars down,” he said. “It would be very bad public policy for a city the size of Berkeley, with such a high ratio of people who bike and walk, to put automobiles first.” 

Spring added that motorists are the problem and that Berkeley’s quality of life is rapidly diminishing as more cars and fewer pedestrians fill the streets.  

“All of the people I talk to say they want more pedestrian safety,” she said. “There is a constant stress always having to watch for cars.”