After boy hit in crosswalk, school red curbs top of mind
The crash happened Monday at about 3 p.m., at Hopkins Street and Colusa Avenue, as King middle school was letting out.
Bike safety advocates are calling for accountability after a driver struck a child in a crosswalk outside a Berkeley middle school this week.
But the primary issue wasn't the driver behind the wheel, they say, but another driver who had parked in a nearby red zone, reducing visibility in the busy crosswalk as school let out.
More red curbs have been popping up in Berkeley and around the state, following a new "daylighting" law designed to improve crosswalk visibility and make streets safer for people on foot and bike.
Officials and witnesses said the boy who was hit Monday outside Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School was largely OK after the crash, but did require medical assessment for a possible arm injury.
According to radio traffic reviewed by The Scanner, the crash happened at about 3 p.m. on the north side of campus at Hopkins Street and Colusa Avenue.
One local resident said the driver came to a full stop at the stop sign but "couldn't see the kid coming out onto the crosswalk" because of a driver who had parked in the red zone, likely picking up a child herself.
King principal Michael Tison Yee emailed parents Monday evening to let them know what happened.
"A student was in the crosswalk with their bike when a vehicle moving at slow speed collided with him. The student is safe and was able to leave the area with their parents and will continue to be supported by the school for care," he wrote.
In his email, Tison Yee called it "an important time" to remind drivers to follow traffic rules, including that "parking illegally in red zones… can contribute to decreased visibility of pedestrians and others crossing the street."
In a message to constituents shortly before Monday's crash, Berkeley Hills Councilman Brent Blackaby said police would be "stepping up enforcement" this week as the school year started, "as they have in years past."
He said police and parking enforcement officers would be outside schools, particularly during arrival and dismissal times, to help "set the tone for safe driving behavior" as the school year kicked off.
"Their presence is aligned with each school’s bell schedule to help ensure safe traffic flow, reinforce compliance with traffic laws, and support a safe environment for students, families, and staff," he wrote.
"She really needs to be held accountable"
After Monday's crash, several parents rushed to the injured child's aid and also documented the collision scene.
According to a video of the aftermath reviewed by The Scanner, one King parent made sure to inform the driver parked in the red zone about how she had contributed to the collision.
"This is why this kid was hit by a by a car — because these cars park in the red zone where they're not supposed to. And then, when kids start to cross, nobody can see them," she said. "So let this be a lesson to everyone."
Of the driver, she added: "She really needs to be held accountable."
(According to public records, the same vehicle was ticketed in 2023 after parking at the red curb outside Rosa Parks Elementary School in West Berkeley.)
Read more about traffic safety in Berkeley.
Monday's crash has already prompted extensive discussions among King parents as well as bike safety advocates with Walk Bike Berkeley.
Some have called for "physical barriers that prevent parking in the red zones near crosswalks, especially ones like this near schools."
Others have suggested a more creative approach, such as a "mass lawn chair sit-in," to keep drivers out of the red zone.
"That intersection is the worst," one parent wrote, of Monday's crash location, in a Walk Bike Berkeley discussion group. "When my kids were swimming at King Pool I would sometimes stand near the crosswalk with my phone out. Amazing how all of a sudden all of the drivers did a better job of stopping and yielding to people crossing."
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