Description
There is a dangerous intersection at Linden and 41st Streets, one block from NOCCS, a public, non-profit Kindergarten through 8th grade charter school, and just 1.5 blocks from the entrance to Emeryville's Anna Yates k-5 elementary school, at 1070 41st Street. Can you please address the need for traffic control in the form of stop sign, street light, yield sign, school signage?
41st has a curve in it, which limits sight lines drastically. For years cars have sped through Linden street as they travel westbound on 41st. Close proximity to major thoroughfares and highways I believe increases the vehicle traffic looking for a short cut to speed through. Two weeks ago a pedestrian crossing 41st street while heading South bound on Linden, after dropping off his child at NOCCS, was nearly hit by a speeding vehicle.
In addition to the proximity of two elementary schools, there is also a public park, Linden Park, at Linden and 42nd Streets, which attracts strollered children and toddlers, and older kids who ride and walk there independently of adults, just one block from the dangerous intersection. And there are basketball courts at Linden between 43rd and 44th, which attract pedestrians and cyclists. There are two churches in the area, Heart & Soul Center of Light at 1001 42nd Street at Linden, and a church at 44th and Linden, both of these institutions attract pedestrians.
41st Street between Market and Adeline also houses several commercial buildings, including a large abandoned factory surrounding the intersection at Linden. These commercial spaces contribute to the sense that vehicles can speed through with abandon.
Thank you for your attention to this safety issue.
3 Comments
Acknowledged City of Oakland (Verified Official)
Dan Jewett (Registered User)
Robert Prinz (Registered User)
I support the spirit of this request, but also feel that stop signs are the cheapest but not necessarily the best tool for real traffic calming. They tend to only apply to those who are already driving carefully and willing to stop at signs, and by overusing stop signs even careful people start to ignore them over time.
In the long term narrowing this unnecessarily wide portion of 41st Street (possibly via sidewalk extensions, diagonal parking, and rain gardens like on the Emeryville side) would force slower speeds along the entire street, not just at the intersections. Speed tables or speed humps mid-block along with traffic circles or even diverters to reduce through traffic at the intersection of 41st and Linden could also help.
Perhaps a temporary street narrowing could be implemented in the short term via just paint and plastic bollards, similar to what is currently being used at the intersection of Adeline/Lowell/53rd.