To Cars on Marin Avenue: Slow Down
A family friend of Tyler De Martini, the 18-year-old skateboarder who is in critical condition after being hit by a car Monday night, put up signs asking cars on Marin Avenue to "slow down."
Photos
A small candle burned on Marin Avenue at Tulare Tuesday night, adding a flicker of light to the otherwise dark intersection.
Beside the candle sat a small planter of pink roses. Above, a note read: "Dear Tyler, we are deeply saddened by this tragedy. This should not of happened to you. We are praying for you and your family."
The small shrine and cardboard signs were put together by a family friend of Tyler De Martini, the 18-year-old who was hit by a car while skateboarding on Marin Avenue Monday night.
Cars sped past, the glow of their headlamps illuminating the other signs pitched along the roadside. One said simply, "We love Tyler" and the other — "Please Slow Down."
De Martini is in critical condition at Highland Hospital. Read the full story of Monday evening's collision here.
Do you think the intersection of Marin and Tulare Avenues is dangerous? Why? Share your experiences in the comments. Do you know Tyler? Leave your well wishes and messages to the family below.
3rdgenberkeleyan
11:09 pm on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
This implies the driver did something wrong...there is nothing to imply he was speeding this is not fair to the driver I'm sure he is devastated. the skateboarder was going down Marin in black clothes with no light how could anyone expect the driver to see the skateboarder at night? the headline should read skateboarders please use common sense...
Emily Henry
11:34 pm on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
You're right that there has been no fault assigned in this incident, and the investigation is ongoing. We will also be doing a follow-up article on skateboarding safety in Berkeley. But this is how a community member has chosen to respond to the collision that happened Monday night, by drawing attention to what locals say is a common problem here: speeding (among other issues that can make the intersection dangerous.)
3rdgenberkeleyan
3:25 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Also i drive marin almost every day and because of traffic i have never been able to go even close to the speed limit of 25 i think the perception of people who are pedestrians is that the cars are going to fast but once again it seems to "flow" at a pace below 25 mph.
dave blake
8:46 am on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Maybe the problem is unnecessary and deceptively assuring change for the sake of change. Berkeley acquiesced to the city of Albany's request to narrow Marin traffic to one lane in each direction two or three years ago. The Council claimed it would increase safety. So far there have been a death and now a critical injury in the redesigned corridor. I do not know the full traffic history, but remember no previous problems. I fear this may be another example of the council's devotion to traffic solutions that appeal to what they see as common sense, instead of well-studied ones; a few years ago they used their common sense to install yellow flags for pedestrians to carry to wave at oncoming traffic at Russell and Belrose, a "solution" withdrawn when it swiftly resulted in a horrible death in the hands of a too-confident pedestrian. The Marin decision diverted a lot of traffic to less efficient Berkeley streets such as Gilman and Cedar, and also created two prominent bike lanes, unused along the entire Berkeley stretch in this bicyclist's experience; I keep waiting for them to release usage studies to prove the value of their decision, besides improving property values along Marin.)
Zack M.
10:49 pm on Tuesday, February 21, 2012
I use the bike lane on Marin pretty regularly when coming from the northern Shattuck area. It's either that or Solano. If they wanted to improve safety, take out the parking and give protected, separated bikeways the whole length. You could still have parking on one side even.
Dave, you mention a "too-confident" pedestrian. You're partially right. Peds and other non-motorized users have to rely too much on the fact the drivers are actually paying attention, when in too many cases, they're too busy texting or talking or just zoned out to actually be with it. Yes, bikes and all other non-motorized need to be especially careful. But if all drivers respected the fact that they're in control of over a ton of high speed vehicle and paid the requisite attention, you wouldn't have problems of "too-confident" pedestrians getting hit and killed either.