Join workshop to make walking, biking to Downtown schools safer

Come to an in-person workshop to talk to staff about proposed road changes near Berkeley High and Washington Elementary schools. These changes aim to increase safety for those on bikes and foot in the area.

Over the past decade, there have been more than 450 crashes within a half-mile radius of Washington Elementary School. Of those, 46 led to severe injuries. Three people died.

The key corridor is Martin Luther King Jr. Way, which separates the two schools. The proposed changes will also stretch to nearby streets.

The goal is to reduce the risks posed by motorists to passersby, nearby residents, and workers, as well as the 4,000 students and 200 staff of the two schools. The changes would:

• Increase pedestrian visibility with high visibility crosswalks and curb extensions
• Prioritize pedestrians at crosswalks by giving pedestrians a head start to cross before cars are given a green light
• Limit right turn angles and frequency using curb extensions and new signage restricting right turns on red light
• Remind drivers to yield to pedestrians with new signage

If you live, work, study, or have a student in the area, City staff would like to hear from you at the October 29 workshop.

For accessibility accommodations, contact Transportation@berkeleyca.gov.

Safety improvements on mlk Jr. way, side streets

The City plans to improve 13 intersections in Downtown Berkeley. Work will focus on five intersections with Martin Luther King Jr. Way, the main street near the two schools. Improvements on MLK Way between Center and Haste Streets include:

• Curb extensions into the street to increase pedestrian visibility to motorists. (Center Street, Allston Way, Channing Way and Haste Street)
• Traffic signal changes during commute hours to give pedestrian crossings a head-start before motorists (Center Street, Allston Way, Bancroft Way, Channing Way)
• Traffic signal change to add a protected left turn for motorists and reduce motorists’ sudden turns into crosswalks (Center Street, Allston Way, Bancroft Way)
• High visibility crosswalks increase motorist awareness of pedestrians (Center Street, Bancroft Way, Channing Way, (Haste Street)
• No right turn on red to reduce pedestrian exposure to motorists’ turns (Allston Way, Bancroft Way)

Proposed improvements for Washington Elementary include:

• McKinley Avenue outside school entrance:
  • Replacement of swing gates near the front of the school entrance
  • Raised crosswalk connecting the main campus and the western annex
• McKinley Avenue and Channing Way: A new traffic circle 

Many in the area rely on walking or biking

Nearly 60% of residents in the area near the two schools report not owning a car, according to a 2023 Census survey. This number is nearly six times higher than the Alameda County average. Walking and biking are essential to these residents’ daily lives.

These improvements are funded through a state grant to support the Safe Routes to School Program. This county program aims to empower students and their families to walk, bike, or roll to school – without need for a car. Martin Luther King Jr. Way is also identified as a high-injury corridor in the City’s Vision Zero Action Plan.

Join City staff on October 29 to learn more and give input on increasing safety for those on foot or bikes near Berkeley High and Washington Elementary schools.

Links

• October 29 workshop event webpage
  • Event Registration
• Berkeley High School/Washington Elementary Safe Routes to School project webpage
• Alameda County Safe Routes to School Program
• Vision Zero Action Plan