Paint the curbs red: New parking law will cost Berkeley at least $1.25M

The Berkeley City Council approved a resolution Tuesday to consider allocating an initial $1.25 million to paint curbs and update infrastructure near crosswalks in compliance with California’s new “daylighting” law, which is set to begin enforcement in April, whether or not signage indicates that parking is illegal.

The state law aims to improve safety by prohibiting drivers from parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk. Tickets for a violation are set at $64 in most cases.

The $1.25 million would be used for the public works department to paint curbs, engage in educational outreach and implement preventative infrastructure. Citation revenue will become available in 2026, so improvements will be initially financed through the general fund to move forward with upgrades sooner. 

“Our city is required to cite vehicles of violation under this new state law, whether or not we have the resources to mark curbs and complete the proper outreach and education,” Councilmember Cecilia Lunaparra (District 7), who introduced the funding resolution, told Berkeleyside. “It’s an unfunded mandate, and our goal is to do the best with what we have.”

According to city council documents, Berkeley officials identified 918 priority intersections based on collision data and high pedestrian volumes. Painting these intersections is estimated to cost $800,000. Additional costs for preventative infrastructure upgrades at five intersections amount to $450,000, bringing the total to $1.25 million.

The council approved the resolution for inclusion in the June budget process, along with other funding requests. 

City will start writing parking tickets on April 1

Supporters say the daylighting law, or Assembly Bill 413, makes streets safer by increasing visibility for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians as they approach intersections, and that it will reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries. 

Though signed into law in 2023, the clause allowing enforcement and citations, even in the absence of paint or signage, went into effect on Jan. 1. Numerous parking spots will effectively become illegal, though they won’t be marked as such.

Berkeley parking enforcement officers will issue warnings to drivers who violate the law during the first three months of 2025, city officials said, then start writing tickets on April 1. Enforcement officials have already gotten started, issuing 234 warnings between Jan. 1-9 to vehicles parked within 20 feet of a crosswalk. 

City officials told Berkeleyside earlier this month that it will take years to mark all the spaces where parking will now be prohibited. Lunaparra said the city is working to improve signage at intersections so that Berkeley residents are not caught off guard by parking tickets. 

“This single and simple improvement works to dramatically enhance pedestrian safety,” Councilmember Mark Humbert, co-sponsor of the resolution, said Tuesday during the City Council meeting, the first of 2025. “It will provide the city with adequate funding to really get started as quickly as possible with this critical safety work.”

Daylighting law aligns with Berkeley’s plan to end all traffic fatalities 

Restricting parking near crosswalks has been credited with saving lives and reducing crashes in cities like San Francisco.  

Watch Berkeleyside’s video on Instagram explaining more about the daylighting law.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, more than 20% of all U.S. traffic fatalities occur at intersections. In Berkeley, more than 80% of severe and fatal traffic crashes occur in or near crosswalks, city officials said citing data from 2022.

Before AB 413 was signed into law, California was just one of a handful of states without existing daylighting laws. Efforts to comply with the legislation align with Berkeley’s Vision Zero plan, which aims to end all major traffic fatalities by 2028. 

“Every single one of the traffic fatalities that we have seen in this city is preventable, and it is especially preventable through infrastructure,” Lunaparra said. “The initiative seeks to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serious injury … by redesigning streets to give them back to the people that most use them.”