Whether you are walking, biking, skateboarding, driving, just be more aware that you aren't the only one out there, and if it's dark, don't rely on someone else's senses...make sure you can be seen.

I question cities about their motivation to stick with design decisions made in the 60's and 70's about street lighting and lighting in public spaces. It looks like we are a culture who is fearful of villains lurking in trees. I notice Marin Avenue has lights high in the trees and nothing down at human level lighting the sidewalk surface. Intersection lighting does not illuminate the waiting areas at the corners so pedestrians wait in the dark. Why is there no lighting over the crosswalks?
It looks to be aimed at the middle of intersections. We need to get lighting back down to the street at the traditional height of around 10 feet. with little lights on the posts shining on the path at knee level. Every car has at least one headlight, but it has been a long time since I saw a pedestrian with any.
And to pedestrians: For your own self-defense, Please wear something other than all black after dark. I can't tell you how many times I have only seen you because your dog had white feet, or your Safeway bag was white. You are invisible to drivers after dark, and we ARE looking for you.

Couple of things: Certainly greater police presence as in random but frequent speed monitoring is necessary. Having a patrol officer issuing speeding tickets on a consistent but random basis could help. Improved crossing lighting at night would be helpful with the addition of reflection strips on crosswalks; breaks up thought of continuous driving down the street. On 23rd in Richmond at a busy intersection that is also a school crossing there are flashing lights across the crosswalk that are activated by a pedestrian pushing a button. These were installed to great effect after several bad incidents at that intersection re cars and kids. Marin would benefit from this technology. Just a note to Prius drivers: you can be silent and deadly. Several times I've had close calls with these cars because I had no auditory clue that they were there. Not saying at all that this was a factor in this incident; just an overall comment. Reflective clothing (flashing lights, etc) is a necessity for all pedestrians, boarders, bikers at night in this car centric culture; no judgement just reality.

It is true that lighting could be better on Marin. A skateboarder is a difficult being to scan for: they are the size and shape of a pedestrian, but they move at the speed of a car or bicycle. Even in the daytime they are hard to spot in time.

This is my neighborhood, and I use this crosswalk almost daily to get to work on Tulare @ Solano. Even during the day this is a dangerous section of Marin. I have caused two minor fender benders while crossing here- in both cases one person stopped but the car behind them did not. Berkeley police have told us it isn't their problem and that we need to bring it up to the city council. It irks me that it takes a tragedy such as this to even get looked at, and who knows if it will. My heart goes out to both families involved.

Ways to reach Albany about policy changes or enforcement that matters to you: email cityhall@albanyca.org, attn: "City Council" and/or "Traffic & Safety Commission"; speak in the public comment period before the Traffic & Safety Commission meeting (http://albany.patch.com/events/traffic-safety-commission-meeting) or council meeting. Do you have other ideas? Let us know.
@Krista: Have you thought about writing a letter to the Berkeley City Council?

Yes, the corrct approach is through Traffic and Safety. You could convince them to put a " red light runner" light at Marin and Santa Fe but only after the intersection has bee re-configured. Mayor Javandel is a traffic engineer and could advise.

I commute at least 5 days a week on Marin on my way back from Berkeley to Albany. Drivers chose Marin rather than Solano because it is less congested, but most drivers drive way too fast and do not slow down when they approach the crosswalk. I will normally turn on my emergency light if I have a tailgator behind me or if I stop for a pedestrian (to alert the cars behind me to stop and wait). At the foothill of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on Cyclotron Road (UC Berkeley dormitory), blinking lights have been installed alongside the crosswalk, so when a pedestrian is ready to cross the crosswalk, he presses a button and then when he is crossing, he will be walking between blinking lights. These lights are extremely helpful in the dark and should be installed on Marin. That was what I have been thinking (before this accident took place). We are know this is the first accident on Marin and we need to do something about it.

Resent to correct typos:
I commute at least 5 days a week on Marin on my way back from Berkeley to Albany. Drivers chose Marin rather than Solano because it is less congested, but most drivers drive way too fast and do not slow down when they approach the crosswalk. I will normally turn on my emergency light if I have a tailgator behind me or if I stop for a pedestrian (to alert the cars behind me to stop and wait). At the foothill of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on Cyclotron Road (UC Berkeley dormitory), blinking lights have been installed alongside the crosswalk, so when a pedestrian is ready to cross the crosswalk, he presses a button and then when he is crossing, he will be walking between blinking lights. These lights are extremely helpful especially in the dark and should be installed on Marin. That was what I have been thinking (before this accident took place). We all know this is NOT the first accident on Marin and we ought to do something about it. Thanks!

Traffic &Safety might not get the police report because this accident was handled in Berkeley. I would like to know if the skateboarder, Tyler De Martini, was traveling west on Marin Ave. or crossing Marin on Tulare when he and the car collided.

We can't change the geography or topography of that scene. Putting more lights there would only precipitate the wish for more lights at every intersection, and that would cost millions and take years. That is a major thoroughfare for commuters from campus and downtown Berkeley. It will continue to be. The only reasonable option is to be more cautious. Cars should slow down and be more mindful. Bicyclists should obey the traffic laws. And I regret to say I believe skaters should not use Marin Ave. It's just too dangerous; even with a helmet. Motorists expect bicyclists at this point, with bike lanes and awareness growing. Drivers do not expect skaters in the street, with no reflective clothing or safety gear. Bicyclists use lighting, reflectors, helmets and clothing to enhance their visibility. But even with these advantages, I don't think skaters should use Marin Ave.

The police have monthly statistics for number of tickets given in 2009 and 2010 at http://www.albanyca.org/index.aspx?page=26 Police Monthly Statistics. They show that many fewer moving violation tickets were written in recent months -- only about 3 per day in 2nd half of 2010, compared to 10 per day in 2009.

2009
jan 410
feb 234
mar 398
apr 350
may 342
jun 418
jul 381
aug 366
sep 573
oct 350
nov 313
dec 231

2010
jan 242
feb 151
mar 243
apr 292
may 243
jun 190
jul 112
aug 110
sep 85
oct 90
nov 84
dec 76

I suggested the lights; you can change the "perception" of the topography by intervening with many different options. We call it "Risk Analysis and Intervention". Many ways to pay ( State and Fed grants); wouldn't cost "millions"(what is a young human life worth anyway !) Crossing lights are used elsewhere for great effect (I just suggested 23rd in Richmond as a close example); check out Lawrence Berkeley Lab under fog, lights are a lifesaver !"Crossing lights" can run off of solar cells so only capital investment funds and small periodic maint is necessary (clean surface of cells; LED lights last very long time). Vox uses "should" a lot; suggestions not grounded in reality; Exactly how do we :change the "attitudes" of drivers; prevent skateboarders from using Marin ? Implies "enforcement" as an intervention with NO SKATEBOARDING signs and big fines ! Technology can alter drivers behaviour. Certain "winding" sections of Marin create a "blind alley" effect; crossing lights would be best suited there. let's come up with realistic solutions to make certain parts of Marin safer.

CITIZENS should do more for safety on Marin!
If all of us residents of Albany and North Berkeley strictly adhere to the 25mph speed limit, we will force the commuters to slow down too.
The police could also contribute by citing aggressive drivers who pass illegally or tailgate.
Last night, I drove 25 from San Pablo to the Alameda. I almost caught up to the cars ahead of me when they slowed at the gathering of people at Tulare and I think the person who was tailgating me the whole time backed off a little bit when they saw the group.
A more radical approach would be a regularly scheduled critical mass ride up Marin ;-)

Twice in the last week I have been "almost" hit by speeding cars on Marin IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, while I was in the middle of the crosswalk. Is there a law that says I cannot carry a baseball bat to protect myself ?

I am a good driver, watch carefully for bikes, pedestrians, strollers, and God knows what else, slowing down in low-light areas (I've actually had a couple of cars drive AROUND me on Marin, using the center turn lane), and I still came within a few inches of hitting a mother and young girl on the Berkeley section of Marin in early 2010. They were in a crosswalk and wearing light-colored jackets, but it was rainy and dark, and honest-to-God they were invisible until I was right in front of them. There wasn't any chance of stopping in time. What saved them was pure chance - they had proceeded far enough that they had just cleared the lane in front of me. I am even more careful now, but it's still a throw of the dice in those intersections. WE NEED MUCH BETTER LIGHTING ON MARIN!