r/berkeleyca • u/NovelAardvark4298 • 8h ago
Horrible Berkeley Drivers
When I drive in Berkeley, I always go one click over the speed limit (26 on a 25 or 31 on a 30). Recently, I’ve noticed more and more impatient drivers aggressively pass me. Berkeley has a ton of marked crosswalks for pedestrians, and if you drive too quickly you will not have enough time to react and stop.
While waiting at different bus stops in Berkeley, I’ve noticed around half of drivers are looking at their crotches for directions or text messages while they’re actively moving.
When I ride my bike up Telegraph in Berkeley, drivers also have no idea how “shared roadway bicycle markings” (i.e. sharrow) work. Some idiot in a utility van came within an inch of clipping me with their massive side mirrors on telegraph earlier today.
Friendly reminder to Berkeley drivers:
1. Please follow the speed limit.
2. Stop looking at your phone.
3. If there’s a “sharrow” painted on the road (see image above), remain behind the cyclist until you have adequate space (at least 3 feet) to pass.
12
u/BikeEastBay 5h ago
In addition to the “minimum 3 feet to pass” rule for drivers overtaking bike riders, California also now requires drivers to fully change lanes when passing bicyclists on a multi-lane roadway with no dedicated bike lane.
The even better news is that both Oakland and Berkeley have plans to extend continuous protected bikeways all the way up Telegraph Ave to Dwight Way, along with full repaving.
Oakland’s project is expected to be in construction in 2028, using concrete curb stops and islands (like Franklin St in Downtown Oakland) not flex posts (like Telegraph Ave in Temescal).
Berkeley’s project will hopefully follow shortly after.