I was nearly hit by a postal truck turning left from Grand onto Otis a few years ago while I walking in the crosswalk. The sun was low and blinded the driver. She turned left inches in front of me and didn't see me until I showed up in her rear view mirror. Scared us both. A left turn arrow would have avoided this near miss.

Have nearly been hit there more than once before/after soccer games too.

I hear and understand what all three of you are saying, and I agree with all of you. I go through this intersection on a daily basis.

I also realize that the City of Alameda probably can not go around the entire city, making these type of significant improvements all at once. Therefore, when I cross this particular intersection, I never cross in front of moving vehicles. I always look over my right shoulder to ensure that there aren’t any vehicles that might potentially turn left in front of me, before I step away from the curb. I also always look to my left, to ensure that no vehicles are potentially going to turn right, while I am stepping from the curb.

I do not care if I have the right-of-way once I am in the crosswalk. I never step from the curb in front of moving vehicles, and I always try to wait for a natural break in the flow of traffic, even if it means that I need to wait for an additional cycling of the lights. My safety is never worth trying to prove to a motorist that I have the right-of-way, once I am in the roadway. If I am ever hit by a vehicle, it will ruin my life, and potentially the career or life of the motorist that hits me.

If you go to almost any crosswalk in the City of Alameda, you will probably see numerous pedestrians (some with children) abruptly stepping from the curb in front of moving vehicles, acting as if they are willing to use their bodies as human shields. For what? To prove a point?

When people step out into the roadway in front of a moving vehicle, there simply isn’t any way of knowing if the motorist is a drunk driver, someone fleeing from the scene of a crime, an extremely angry person that just got into a fight with another person, a distracted driver, or someone that has other serious mental issues.

Agree, Mario. We've witnessed enough near misses as pedestrians and drivers to always know to keep our guard up while crossing. However, this intersection in particular is problematic. It intersects two main island thoroughfares, it's a bus route, and it's next to two schools and busy athletic fields. Kids are not always as vigilant as we parents are. There was a bus vs. pedestrian fatality at this very intersection a couple of years ago. I'm just hoping the city will consider this request. They don't always hear about the near misses.

Michelle: You have made some great points!

This intersection is very wide. Maybe it is a good location for a protected intersection because it has many people crossing and it has bike lanes. A protected intersection creates more safety zone for the people walking and biking https://bikeeastbay.org/protectedintersection

This issue was recategorized from Traffic Signals to Traffic Calming.

PW Admin Gail assigned this issue to Public Works Transportation Alan

The lack of the left turn signal here was responsible for the death of Mr. Sam Sause right? I cannot believe that his death has not led to more timely improvements at this intersection. Make it safe for pedestrians please.

Mr. Sam Sause was a prominent senior community member. He was wearing a reflective vest on a rainy dark night and the left turning W bus hit him anyway! We need a safer crossing for pedestrians.

Thank you for your request to improve the safety and efficiency of Alameda’s transportation system.

Requests for many transportation issues, including stop signs, curb painting, and traffic calming measures, typically require 8-12 weeks to complete before staff can develop a recommendation. These requests involve review of current plans and policies, compilation of accident and/or other history, coordinating with Alameda Police and other stakeholders, outreach to residents or others who may be affected by the proposed change, on-site data collection and analysis, and sometimes consultation with outside experts.

I will follow up with you about your request when your request is at the top of the queue. Unfortunately, due to limited funding, there is a backlog of these requests and they are being handled in the order of receipt. Due to that backlog, some requests may take six months to a year to complete the analysis and recommendation.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

There has been at least one death at this intersection, and many collisions and near hits. Please put in a protected left turn signal.

Thank you for your request to improve the safety and efficiency of Alameda’s transportation system. It has been received as #16-10-0401. Requests for many transportation issues, including stop signs, curb painting, and traffic calming measures, typically require 8-12 weeks to complete before staff can develop a recommendation. These requests involve review of current plans and policies, compilation of accident and/or other history, coordinating with Alameda Police and other stakeholders, outreach to residents or others who may be affected by the proposed change, on-site data collection and analysis, and sometimes consultation with outside experts. We will follow up with you about your request when your request is at the top of the queue. Unfortunately, due to limited funding, there is a backlog of these requests and they are being handled in the order of receipt. Due to that backlog, some requests may take six months to a year to complete the analysis and recommendation. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Thank you for your request to help make Alameda’s transportation system as safe and efficient as possible. Public Works, Alameda Police, and the City’s Transportation Planning Unit are developing a list of locations for traffic calming measures for inclusion in Alameda’s 2017-2019 budget. Given tight budget constraints, the list is being generated and prioritized based on a location’s history of reported collisions, police citations, its relationship with existing transportation plans and improvements, and suggestions from members of the public. Your suggestion, along with the 100+ we received from other members of the public, will be evaluated for inclusion in the final list, which will be posted in June 2017 at the following link under FY 2016-17 & 2017-2018 Budget. https://alamedaca.gov/finance/budgets/2012-13

Thank you for submitting this request (#16-10-0401). It has been addressed and is now closed.