Officials ID possible improvements for intersection where Alameda Co. supervisor was killed
Even prior to Sup. Chan's death, transportation officials identified Shoreline Drive at Grand Street a "high injury intersection."
ALAMEDA, Calif. (KGO) -- The Alameda City Council will consider adopting a Vision Zero Action plan Tuesday night, aimed at making significant safety improvements to Alameda streets in the coming year. One of the intersections identified in the plan is the same one where Supervisor Wilma Chan was hit and killed last month.
Prior to the untimely death of Alameda Supervisor Wilma Chan, city transportation officials had identified the intersection of Shoreline Drive at Grand Street as a "high injury intersection."
That's based on the number and severity of accidents between 2009 and 2018.
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Last month, on Nov. 3, Alameda police say a driver hit and killed Chan at the intersection while she was walking her dog. Preliminarily, they said they believed Chan was crossing Shoreline Drive, and that the driver who hit her was driving east on Shoreline Drive.
From our SKY7 chopper, the following day, The ABC7 News I-Team observed vehicles, including a US Postal Service Truck, blow through the stop sign.
The intersection was already part of the city's Vision Zero Action Plan.
In 2015, Alameda added parking-protected bike lanes and reduced the number of travel lanes for cars on Shoreline Drive.
After Chan's death, staff from public works, transportation planning, the city manager's office and the police department met to look at the intersection.
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Alameda Senior Transportation Coordinator Lisa Foster says they found room for more improvements.
"It doesn't have the kind of crosswalk marking that is the most visible, so that is one place where we could improve the intersection," said Foster.
"We also are looking at a slight reconfiguration of the road to eliminate a left turn pocket and align the street a little bit better," Foster continued.
But it's unclear when those improvements could be made. Alameda previously ranked the corridor Chan was killed as "tier 3" or "yellow," meaning the city considers it one of the "least" dangerous of the high injury corridors.
"The high injury corridor maps provide us with important ways to prioritize our efforts, but they're not the only way," said Foster.
The City Council may also have some input. They'll vote on whether to adopt the Vision Zero Action plan Tuesday night.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan dies after struck by car while walking dog
"Something more needs to be done and I think we need to accelerate the pace at which we're doing these things," said Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft.
The Alameda Police Department tells the I-Team it is still investigating the case, waiting on forensic evidence and the finalized report from the coroner's bureau.
Meantime, an event honoring Chan is planned in Oakland at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Oakland Museum of California garden at 1000 Oak Street.
