Sausalito should follow new law for pedestrian safety

The premise of Assembly Bill 413, California’s “daylighting” law, is simple: the 20 feet of curb in front of a crosswalk must be kept clear so drivers can see pedestrians. The law took effect Jan. 1, 2025. Yet 14 months later, walking down Sausalito’s Caledonia Street, you would hardly know this lifesaving mandate exists.

As organizer of the “Sausalito Bike Bus” cycling group, I see the danger daily: A driver cannot see a child entering the crosswalk if a massive vehicle is parked right up to the painted line.

Now, instead of ensuring compliance, it appears that the Sausalito City Council is seemingly instructing the Public Works Department to search for a way out. Some members want to study exemptions. Unfortunately, it feels like they are prioritizing a couple parking spaces over pedestrian safety.

While Sausalito leadership stalls, leaving busy streets pending further review, other jurisdictions have done the right thing. Berkeley stands out statewide, having painted curbs red at almost all of its eligible intersections. Meanwhile, crosswalks near Miller Creek Elementary School correctly have the red curbs and the Mill Valley Police Department began enforcement immediately.

Even cities with parking crunches similar to Sausalito seem to know fighting this law is a mistake. Carmel leaders considered the same tactic as Sausalito. It hired a traffic engineer to study an exemption to save downtown parking. Last month, Carmel leaders declined to proceed with the study, noting that not following the law could be harmful to the community.

Our local businesses are vital, but vibrant commercial districts thrive when people feel safe walking through them. Attempting to delay adherence to the state safety mandate endangers our most vulnerable residents.

The City Council must stop seeking workarounds and immediately implement the full 20-foot daylighting standard. A parking spot is temporary. The safety of our children is not.

— Kieran Culligan, Sausalito

Editorial cartoons provide smile even when news is sad

I read the newspaper every day. Often, bad news makes me feel disillusioned, depressed and disheartened. There are a few “good news” pieces, which help, but the world is so full of fighting, distrust, division and sadness.

Then there is the Opinion page. There they are — those wonderful editorial cartoons drawn by people who can laugh at our foibles. I can always count on that little laugh. It helps me keep my sense of humor and go out into the day with a smile.

I want to thank all the wonderfully talented humorists and thank the IJ for continuing to put them in the paper.

— Linda Albion, Woodacre

Costly Alto Tunnel proposal does not make sense for Marin

I am writing in response to the recently published letter by Warren J. Wells of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition. He responded to IJ political columnist Dick Spotswood’s commentary on the expense of the proposed Alto Tunnel project. I think Spotswood, with the larger public interest in mind, is reasonably asking that any Alto Tunnel project be subject to objective cost-benefit analysis.

Nobody has questioned that this project would have a huge cost. Spotswood cites $48.8 million from a 2017 study, with another estimate upward of $100 million. The latter seems likely to me, after adding years of inflation in engineering and construction costs, along with easement costs. Beware the adage that significant public sector projects take twice the time and cost to build.

An objective cost-benefit analysis would comprehensively estimate and weigh the hard and qualitative benefits of this connector against the costs to be incurred in planning, building and maintaining the project. Alternatives should similarly be evaluated, such as improvements to the existing bike path along Horse Hill Preserve.

Wells seemingly suggested that funding for this project should be less of a concern because it will most likely come from state and federal sources. I may be idealistic, but I think all our precious tax money should be spent wisely and carefully on projects that make reasonable sense. Additionally, at the crossroads of a new fiscal federalism, federal cutbacks are gutting state and local projects and basic services.

The stated goals of the Alto Tunnel project are laudatory – it would be a more direct connector for a multiuse pathway in Marin. Similar to the bike-lane project on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, I think this project benefits a small segment of a small segment of Marin’s population. Sometimes a project simply does not make sense.

— Mark Klender, Mill Valley