Oakland Pedestrian Safety Project: Walk Oakland!

During the late 1990s, Oakland had the second highest rate of pedestrian fatalities among California cities. The Oakland Pedestrian Safety Project was created to decrease the number of pedestrian fatalities and injuries through an education initiative and greater traffic enforcement efforts.

Community members and city staff worked side by side with the police department to send the message that pedestrians have the right-of-way at intersections. Television coverage of the efforts helped spread this message to a larger audience and enforcement officials began issuing citations for violation of pedestrian right-of-way by motorists in 20 high-risk locations in the city.

The education component of the project was targeted at the general pedestrian audience. Through support from the Oakland Heritage Alliance, a map of Oakland was created. Serving as a comprehensive guide to walking and biking in the city, the map highlights walkways, bikeways, landmarks, civic destinations such as schools and libraries, neighborhood names, historic networks of paths, major transit routes, and street grades. On the back of the map are featured bike and pedestrian safety tips, a primer on pedestrian design improvements, recommended walks, and walking tour information. Prior to the creation of the map by the Oakland Pedestrian Safety Project, a map or guide to the area did not exist for pedestrians.

To prevent pedestrian deaths and injuries in Oakland, California.

Today, pedestrian right-of-way enforcement occurs at a minimum of 20 locations annually, with an average of 30 citations issued per location to motorists violating the right-of-way of a pedestrian.

Over 18,000 maps printed were distributed to neighborhoods and community organizations, bookstores, bike shops, schools, and recreation centers. Demand for the maps has been so high that more will be printed in the future.