WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?
On January 16, 2001, Asian Health Services suffered a great loss. Mr. Hong Yee, the father of one of our board members was struck by a car at the corner of 8th Street and Webster and died four hours later. In response to this tragic incident, AHS, along with the help of AHS high school youth leaders, conducted their own pedestrian safety assessment at major intersections of Oakland Chinatown in March 2001.
Compelling data gathered by these high school students indicate that the time given to pedestrians to cross major intersections in Oakland Chinatown failed to meet walking speeds recommended for the elderly. Together, with the cooperation and support of the City's Traffic Engineering Department, a new pedestrian crossing called a "scramble" system was implemented on 8th Street and Webster on April 29, 2002 to improve the safety of pedestrians who cross this intersection.
With over 24% of Oakland Chinatown's residents 65 years of age and over, senior pedestrians no longer find themselves stranded in the middle of an intersection, unable to reach the other side of the street in time before the light changes. The AHS youth developed a fact sheet describing in greater detail these types of pedestrian safety problems. For more information, ask Julia Liou, Jennifer Lee, or Stefanie Nakamoto.
Some facts about pedestrian safety in Chinatown Oakland
On January 16, 2001, Asian Health Services suffered a great loss. Mr. Hong Yee, the father of one of our board members was struck by a car at the corner of 8th Street and Webster and died four hours later. In response to this tragic incident, AHS, along with the help of AHS high school youth leaders, conducted their own pedestrian safety assessment at major intersections of Oakland Chinatown in March 2001.
Compelling data gathered by these high school students indicate that the time given to pedestrians to cross major intersections in Oakland Chinatown failed to meet walking speeds recommended for the elderly. Together, with the cooperation and support of the City's Traffic Engineering Department, a new pedestrian crossing called a "scramble" system was implemented on 8th Street and Webster on April 29, 2002 to improve the safety of pedestrians who cross this intersection.
With over 24% of Oakland Chinatown's residents 65 years of age and over, senior pedestrians no longer find themselves stranded in the middle of an intersection, unable to reach the other side of the street in time before the light changes. The AHS youth developed a fact sheet describing in greater detail these types of pedestrian safety problems. For more information, ask Julia Liou, Jennifer Lee, or Stefanie Nakamoto.
Some facts about pedestrian safety in Chinatown Oakland
- Oakland Chinatown has the highest concentration of pedestrian and vehicle collisions in the City of Oakland.
A
once common site on 8th Street and Webster:
Pedestrians had to maneuver around cars making wide turns into pedestrian walkways.
- With over 20,000 shoppers, tourists, and residents stroll along the streets of Oakland Chinatown every weekend, Oakland Chinatown is one of the most dangerous areas for pedestrians in the City of Oakland.
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Not only is Chinatown a major pedestrian area with a heavy population
density, but it is also a major thoroughfare for vehicles.
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The presence of a multitude of commercial businesses, local residents,
senior centers and schools in combination with heavy traffic often results
in the manifestation of pedestrian/vehicle/bicycle conflicts.
-
Consequently, Oakland Chinatown's low-income community of immigrants and
seniors has suffered from unusually high pedestrian injuries and fatalities.
About Our
Pedestrian Safety Mural
CHINATOWN CROSSROADS
Walking into Safety: A Pedestrian Safety Mural
(Acrylic mural on canvas, 4 feet tall by 12 feet wide)
This mural highlights the troubling issue of pedestrian safety in Oakland Chinatown. Oakland Chinatown has the highest concentration of vehicle and pedestrian accidents in the City of Oakland. In advocating this problem to the public, we intend to make the streets safer for all of us!
Rayna Young, Jacqueline Troung, Lai Fin Saechao, Wedny Kung, Gar-Yin Lee, Michael Lok, Chris Louie, Stephanie Yeung, Diana Lee, Melanie Sung, Thu Tang, Peno Din, Sharon Hoang, Kim Phung Le, with Lead Artist Christine Wong and Asian Health Services 2002.
Walking into Safety: A Pedestrian Safety Mural
(Acrylic mural on canvas, 4 feet tall by 12 feet wide)
This mural highlights the troubling issue of pedestrian safety in Oakland Chinatown. Oakland Chinatown has the highest concentration of vehicle and pedestrian accidents in the City of Oakland. In advocating this problem to the public, we intend to make the streets safer for all of us!
Rayna Young, Jacqueline Troung, Lai Fin Saechao, Wedny Kung, Gar-Yin Lee, Michael Lok, Chris Louie, Stephanie Yeung, Diana Lee, Melanie Sung, Thu Tang, Peno Din, Sharon Hoang, Kim Phung Le, with Lead Artist Christine Wong and Asian Health Services 2002.