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OAKLAND – While Berkeley leaders are pushing for a new tax to fund pedestrian safety measures this November, Assemblywoman Wilma Chan, D-Oakland, announced Wednesday the kick-off of an effort in neighboring Oakland to make streets safer for pedestrians. 

Forty pedestrians have been fatally injured by cars since 1996 in Oakland. In Berkeley, two fatalities have resulted this year from vehicles striking people.  

Chan’s announcement comes a day after a Washington D.C.-based pedestrian group, the Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) released a report that lauded Oakland, along with San Jose and San Francisco, for their efforts to make streets safer for pedestrians. 

The STPP report ranked Oakland 29th out of the 58 most pedestrian- endangering California cities with more than 100,000 residents. To the surprise and reprehension of many, the report ranked Berkeley as the second safest California city with more than 100,000 residents, after Irvine.  

Chan said her pedestrian campaign is meant to complement the program started by county Supervisor Nate Miley when he was an Oakland councilmember. The program includes community education, street improvements and support from city officials and residents. 

The five-year report found on average some 600 pedestrians and more than 100 bicyclists are killed on California streets and roads each year. These fatalities account for one out of every four traffic-related deaths each year, the report said. 

The report also suggests that pedestrian deaths in the state are on the rise, jumping 5 percent from 2000 to 2001, from 689 to 721 deaths.  

Curbing those numbers is the focus of the pedestrian safety education campaign, which will urge motorists to acknowledge posted speed limits and includes a “Walk a Child to School Day” in Oakland on Oct. 2.  

The information will be presented by Chan, who will to tour Oakland in a van to provide safety information in English, Spanish and Chinese. 

Chan has already launched a similar effort in the city of Alameda, and plans to extend the services to Piedmont later this month. 

“We hope to reduce the accident rate, raise awareness and get people involved in pedestrian safety,” said Chan, who is co-author with state Sen. Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, of Senate bill 1555, which would dedicate some $3.25 million for pedestrian and bicycle safety programs. 

The pro-pedestrian nonprofit's report lists Vallejo as the most dangerous city for pedestrians. But according to Chan, despite Oakland's standing as the 29th most dangerous city for pedestrians, there are still significant problems to address, primarily with getting the message out to the elderly and minorities. 

According to Chan, the Alameda Congestion Management Agency has found that 25 percent of pedestrians hit by cars are seniors, even though people older than 65 make up little more than 10 percent of the population. 

-Compiled with staff and wire reports