We’ve been posting on the GJEL blog for over a decade! Some of our older posts are rarely read or visited, so we’ve archived them in an attempt to serve our readers with only our most relevant and popular content.

May 24 by Andy Gillin

Is lane splitting legal in California?

Many motorcyclists (and automobile) drivers ask whether or not lane splitting in California is legal. In our state, lane splitting is a highly contentious issue that is subject to many misperceptions. Unlike in the majority of U.S. states, lane splitting is legal in California and it has been for a long time. Still, lane splitting is highly misunderstood, by both drivers and bikers.

Read More
May 24 by Andy Gillin

What if the person at fault has none or inadequate insurance?

When you are involved in an automobile accident in the state of California, whoever is at fault for the accident is responsible for paying for it. This means that if a distracted, drunk, or otherwise negligent driver crashes into you, you have the right to file a claim with that driver’s insurance company to recover compensation for your injuries. In fact, the state of California requires that every driver and vehicle owner have either insurance or “proof of financial responsibility” so that in the event they do cause a crash, they can pay for property damage and injuries sustained by others. Unfortunately, not everyone follows this law.

Read More
Apr 26 by Andy Gillin

San Jose Alcohol Related Injuries Are Up

Compared to other population centers in California, the San Jose area appears to be doing well at limiting alcohol-involved injuries, according to the California Highway Patrol’s latest report on statewide traffic collisions. If alcohol-involved injuries were distributed evenly across the state, you’d expect Santa Clara County to have 787 of them. For 2013, the latest year on record, CHP reports 609 alcohol-involved injuries in the county.

Read More
Aug 17 by Andy Gillin

“Bay Bridge Forward” to add much-needed capacity to Transbay commute

Facing crush-load BART trains, packed buses and ferries, and congested freeways, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission recently approved $40 million in near-term capacity relief. The “Bay Bridge Forward” program seeks to enhance a range of bus, carpool, and ferry solutions to maximize Transbay capacity, including:

Read More
Jul 27 by Andy Gillin

Untangling 27th Street in Oakland

As Oakland remakes key Downtown corridors such as Telegraph, Harrison, and 20th, big changes are also in store for 27th Street. Oakland recently submitted a grant application to…

Read More
May 26 by Andy Gillin

Oakland forgets to reinstall parking meters on busy stretch of Grand Avenue

Oakland’s Department of Transportation is finally taking shape, and it can’t come soon enough. In the latest example of poor attention to detail in street design, the City has neglected to reinstall parking meters on a busy stretch of Grand Avenue in the middle of one of the City’s densest neighborhoods.

Read More
Mar 28 by Andy Gillin

BART’s bond measure: aiming too low?

Over the past few weeks, BART and Los Angeles’ Metro have each made big headlines, albeit for very different reasons. In the Bay Area, BART’s ongoing mechanical problems…

Read More
Dec 18 by Andy Gillin

How can Oakland fix Grand Avenue?

Grand Avenue is broken. Like countless other streets in Oakland, the design of Grand Avenue no longer serves the people and communities that use the street. However, while…

Read More
Jul 07 by Andy Gillin

The worst bike lane in the world?

Streetsblog California recently proclaimed a new bike lane in Orinda “The Worst Bike Lane in the World.” The bike lane sits outside of our office on Camino Pablo,…

Read More
May 01 by Andy Gillin

Mandatory helmet law gutted. Now what?

Good news out of Sacramento: S.B. 192, Senator Liu’s disastrous law mandating helmets and reflective gear for bicyclists, was gutted thanks to strong backlash from bicycle advocates across…

Read More
Jul 21 by Andy Gillin

What is the cost of traffic crashes?

In discussions of traffic safety, it’s all too common to desensitize ourselves from the striking numbers of roadway crashes that occur: 32,999 fatalities, 3.9 million non-fatal injuries, and…

Read More
Jun 12 by Andy Gillin

When sharrows aren’t enough

San Francisco ambitiously seeks to expand bicycling to 20 percent of all trips by 2020. Yet, real concerns over safety remain the single greatest obstacle to expanding bicycling…

Read More
May 27 by Andy Gillin

How dangerous is your street?

Last week we looked at the Dangerous by Design report. One of the useful features is the map tool, which overlays the locations of every pedestrian fatality in…

Read More