Vision Zero or Zero Vision: when will Berkeley fix its unsafe streets?

By Andy Gillin Mar 7, 2016

On February 2nd, Megan Schwarzman was run over by a car while bicycling along Fulton Street near Bancroft Way. Meghan was hit by Berwick Haynes, who was arrested on... Read More

Where should a second Transbay Tube go?

By Andy Gillin Mar 2, 2016

There is a growing consensus that building a second Transbay Tube is critical to the Bay Area’s future. Transbay ridership has skyrocketed in recent years – MTC’s ongoing Core... Read More

Illegal parking continues to plague Oakland’s buffered bike lanes

By Andy Gillin Feb 23, 2016

Oakland’s new buffered bike lanes continue to experience frequent blockages due to illegal double parking. Robert Prinz of Bike East Bay recently posted a video of Webster Street in... Read More

Oakland’s initial ‘Plan Downtown’ concepts fall short of equity and sustainability goals

By Andy Gillin Feb 17, 2016

The Bay Area is in desperate need of housing, especially affordable housing in walkable and bikeable neighborhoods located near transit. Downtown Oakland presents a tremendous opportunity to achieve measurable... Read More

Oakland pedestrian enforcement operation includes jaywalking tickets, provides fashion tips

By Andy Gillin Jan 29, 2016

The Oakland Police Department issued a press release on Wednesday announcing a pedestrian safety enforcement operation on Monday, February 1st. The press release notes increasing rates of pedestrian collisions... Read More

Downtown Oakland needs accessible & walkable public spaces

By Andy Gillin Jan 25, 2016

What kinds of open spaces does Oakland need? The City recently posed this question via Twitter as a part of its ongoing Downtown Specific Plan efforts. The Downtown Plan... Read More

Tonight: help Bike East Bay improve dangerous roundabout design

By Andy Gillin Jan 14, 2016

Tonight (Thursday January 14th) at 7:00 PM, the Lafayette Circulation Commission will review a dangerous double-wide roundabout proposal at the intersection of Pleasant Hill Road and Olympic Boulevard, two... Read More

Increased commuter benefits a boon for Bay Area commuters

By Andy Gillin Jan 11, 2016

Transit riders across the country received a big boost in commuter benefits thanks to Congress’ new spending bill. The bill increased pre-tax transit benefits to $255 per month, matching... Read More

Oakland awarded $4.7 million for traffic calming improvements

By Andy Gillin Dec 22, 2015

Oakland continues to have tremendous success in winning grant money for complete streets projects. Following nine million in grant awards from the Active Transportation Program (ATP) for redesigns of... Read More

How can Oakland fix Grand Avenue?

By Andy Gillin Dec 18, 2015

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 Oakland... Read More

San Francisco’s proposed bike-yield law continues to roll forward

By Andy Gillin Dec 10, 2015

Several weeks ago we wrote about a proposed bill that would make San Francisco the largest U.S. city to adopt a stop-as-yield law for cyclists. Earlier this week San... Read More

Support TransForm on ‘Giving Tuesday’

By Andy Gillin Dec 1, 2015

Today is “Giving Tuesday.” It might not generate the same amount of fanfare as Black Friday or Cyber Monday, but for the past three years, Giving Tuesday has... Read More

Tragedy strikes horrific Page Mill-280 Interchange near Palo Alto

By Andy Gillin Nov 6, 2015

On Tuesday morning, Jeffrey Donnelly of Palo Alto was tragically killed while riding a bicycle on Page Mill Road near I-280. Riding along a popular recreational cycling route, Donnelly... Read More

Rebuilding a highway for imaginary traffic: Oakland’s Lakeside “Green Streets” project

By Andy Gillin Sep 29, 2015

Should Downtown Oakland be a great place to drive, or a great place to walk and bike? As Downtown lies on the cusp of rebirth and growth, these divergent... Read More

New pedestrian safety banners target San Francisco’s most dangerous streets

By Andy Gillin Sep 17, 2015

As of yesterday, pedestrian safety banners are now flying in SoMa. The banners, proclaiming “Slow Down!” and followed with either “We live here” or “I live here” are part... Read More

BART closures highlight need for BART-Transbay Terminal connection

By Andy Gillin Sep 8, 2015

BART’s recent weekend closures of the Transbay Tube were happily uneventful: thanks to advanced warning and frequent replacement “bus bridge” service, the closure did not appear to significantly increase... Read More

Study shows making streets safer is the best way to encourage cycling

By Andy Gillin Sep 4, 2015

A recent study conducted by the University of Bath, Department of Psychology, has concluded that, improving street safety for cyclists is more effective than information campaigns when it comes... Read More

The I-80 Smart Corridor’s dumb approach to San Pablo Avenue

By Andy Gillin Aug 10, 2015

If you’ve recently traveled along I-80 in the East Bay, you may have noticed new electronic signage and metering lights. Caltrans is currently putting the finishing touches on the... Read More

Photos from the 2015 Summer Intro to Careers in Law Program

By Andy Gillin Aug 3, 2015

For the past three summers GJEL has hosted high school students for a week long “Introduction to Careers in Law.” Over the course of the week students are exposed... Read More

Engineers behaving badly: Oakland’s pedestrian signal fail

By Andy Gillin Jul 28, 2015

Oakland has a lot of strange, poorly-designed pedestrian signals, but we think we’ve found the worst example in the City at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Euclid Avenue.... Read More

Survey: most Temescal shoppers don’t drive

By Andy Gillin Jul 23, 2015

The City of Oakland, in partnership with UC Berkeley, recently conducted a survey of shoppers in Temescal along a controversial segment of Telegraph Avenue to better understand the travel... Read More

What is a protected intersection?

By Andy Gillin Jul 20, 2015

As protected bike lanes become more common across the U.S., the way in which we design intersections is also evolving. American cities are on the cusp of implementing the... Read More

Bay Bridge contraflow bus lane and bike/ped path should be considered together

By Andy Gillin Jul 9, 2015

Over the past few months, a proposal to build a contraflow bus lane on the Bay Bridge has gained momentum among key transportation agencies such as the Metropolitan Transportation... Read More

The worst bike lane in the world?

By Andy Gillin Jul 7, 2015

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, straddling... Read More

CHP tickets 168 Alameda drivers in less than 4 hours for not yielding to pedestrians

By Andy Gillin Jul 1, 2015

Stanley Roberts’ People Behaving Badly recently highlighted CHP efforts to ticket Alameda drivers on Webster Street who failed to yield to pedestrians at marked crosswalks. In just 3.5 hours,... Read More

Oakland’s new pedestrian signal policy: a half-step forward

By Andy Gillin Jun 22, 2015

The City of Oakland recently unveiled a new pedestrian signal policy intended to streamline the implementation of more pedestrian-friendly intersections. We’ve written at length about how Oakland’s implementation of... Read More

$6.2 Million Wrongful Death Settlement for Motorcycle Accident | GJEL

By Andy Gillin Jun 11, 2015

$6.225 million for family of motorcyclist killed in collision with farm tractor Read More

New technologies designed to improve bike safety

By Andy Gillin Jun 5, 2015

As long as bikes and cars share the same roads there’s inevitably going to be conflict. As much as we’d love to see protected bike lanes become more ubiquitous,... Read More

Oakland proposes parking-protected bike lanes on 20th street

By Andy Gillin May 22, 2015

Big news from Oakland’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee last night: Walk Oakland Bike Oakland tweeted that the City is planning to install parking-protected bicycle lanes (cycle tracks) on... Read More

Mandatory helmet law gutted. Now what?

By Andy Gillin May 1, 2015

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 the... Read More

GJEL Legal Dictionary

By Andy Gillin Apr 30, 2015

Below you will find the GJEL Personal Injury Legal Dictionary sorted in alphabetical order. These are common terms you might see used in a personal injury case. [lwptoc title=”List... Read More

Stanislaus County plans to expand freeways in the name of safety and air quality

By Andy Gillin Mar 10, 2015

For decades, California regions built freeways to enable the growth of new suburbs farther and farther afield. In response to the negative environmental effects of suburban sprawl, California enacted... Read More

Uptown Oakland bike station opens: when will infrastructure catch up?

By Andy Gillin Mar 5, 2015

At long last, the Uptown Bike Station opened this week adjacent to BART’s 19th Street Station. The Bike Station offers free, secure bike parking between the hours of 7... Read More

Illegally parked cars clogging new Oakland bike lanes

By Andy Gillin Jan 30, 2015

A striking video was posted to the Bike East Bay Facebook page on Tuesday depicting illegally parked cars clogging Oakland’s new buffered bike lane along Broadway. The video, submitted... Read More

The perils of driving in Los Angeles rain

By Andy Gillin Jan 12, 2015

Los Angeles is famous for freaking out when it rains. Recently, Noah Deneau, an electrical engineer from Austin, Texas, graphically illustrated the effect of rain on the rate of... Read More

Christmas and New Year’s among most dangerous days to drive

By Andy Gillin Dec 23, 2014

It should come as no surprise that the holidays are one of the most dangerous times to head out on the road. Not only are more people driving–some estimates suggest... Read More

Bakersfield plans to bulldoze a neighborhood and build a freeway

By Andy Gillin Nov 25, 2014

During the height of California’s highway boom from the 1950s through the 1970s, Caltrans bulldozed through hundreds of neighborhoods to construct freeways. The economic and environmental toll on these... Read More

Signal timing: a critical element of safe, livable streets

By Andy Gillin Nov 7, 2014

For the vast majority of people, signal timing is not an exciting subject. Apart from traffic engineers and a select group of superwonks, few people pay attention to or... Read More

12-foot lanes don’t improve safety. So why do we keep building them?

By Andy Gillin Oct 15, 2014

Lane widths might seem like a boring, esoteric aspect of traffic engineering, but they really matter for creating safe, livable streets. Noted city planner and urban designer Jeff Speck... Read More

Oaklavia highlights need for better bicycle infrastructure around Lake Merritt

By Andy Gillin Oct 2, 2014

Oakland recently hosted Oaklavia, an open streets event that invites people to walk, bike, dance, play, and socialize in the streets. It’s a terrific, if underappreciated event... Read More

Governor Brown vetoes SB 1151, a bipartisan school zone safety bill

By Andy Gillin Sep 22, 2014

Last Friday, Governor Brown vetoed SB 1151, a bill that would have increased traffic fines in school zones and used these funds for active transportation investments. The bill had... Read More

‘Three Feet for Safety Act’ now in effect

By Andy Gillin Sep 19, 2014

By now you’ve probably already heard that the Three Feet for Safety Act went into effect on Tuesday. The bill, which was finally signed by Governor Brown last year,... Read More

Buy a bike, get a helmet: now through August 31st at select local bike shops

By Andy Gillin Aug 18, 2014

Starting Monday, August 18th, we’re partnering with five local bike shops to promote safety and provide free helmets with every kid’s bike sold. Bike safety is a cause that’s... Read More

Pedestrians dying at disproportionate rates in America’s poorer neighborhoods

By Andy Gillin Aug 7, 2014

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: street safety is about equity. Streets designed for speeding cars are inherently designed dangerously, leaving people who do not drive... Read More

What is the cost of traffic crashes?

By Andy Gillin Jul 21, 2014

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 24... Read More

Cycle Tracks still need traffic calming: a case study of Shoreline Boulevard in Mountain View

By Andy Gillin Jul 14, 2014

Proposals for Cycle Tracks are emerging throughout the Bay Area, and that is generally good news for bicycle safety. But as the saying goes, the devil is in the... Read More

East Bay Greenway construction delayed

By Andy Gillin Jul 10, 2014

Construction on the much-anticipated first segment of the East Bay Greenway has stalled due to delays from unexpected levels of soil contamination. The 0.5 mile, $3.56 million project was... Read More

Could Strava be good tool for planning and policymaking?

By Andy Gillin Jul 2, 2014

A key challenge in planning, funding, and implementing bicycle and pedestrian projects is the lack of good data to guide policymaking. As Janie Nham notes on the NRDC Switchboard,... Read More

Los Angeles hires Seleta Reynolds: what it means for walking and biking in SoCal

By Andy Gillin Jun 27, 2014

LADOT GM nominee Seleta Reynolds (right) with former New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan (left) In case there was any doubt, Los Angeles has officially joined the livable... Read More

Five major bike gaps in the Bay Area

By Andy Gillin Jun 19, 2014

As Bay Area cities redesign their streets to better accommodate safe bicycling, key gaps in the region’s infrastructure become ever more apparent. Much of the growth in bicycling over... Read More

Why are fire departments opposing safer street designs?

By Andy Gillin Jun 16, 2014

As San Francisco develops safer street designs to better accommodate people walking and biking, an unlikely opposition group has emerged: the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD). SFFD has vocally... Read More

When sharrows aren’t enough

By Andy Gillin Jun 12, 2014

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 in... Read More

‘Every Bicyclist Counts’ underscores need for increased commitment to bike safety

By Andy Gillin Jun 3, 2014

In discussions of street safety there is a tendency to view traffic fatalities as isolated incidents or just another statistic. It’s important to reinforce the human element of these... Read More

Are bike helmet laws sexist? Aussie woman says yes.

By Andy Gillin May 30, 2014

There’s long been a heated debate surrounding mandatory helmet laws, but up until now sexism hadn’t really been one of the talking points. However, a recent complaint from an... Read More

‘Dangerous by Design’ report reiterates link between speeding and pedestrian deaths

By Andy Gillin May 29, 2014

As we’ve examined previously both here and here, the Dangerous by Design 2014 report contains a wealth of valuable information on the pedestrian safety crisis in the United States.... Read More

How dangerous is your street?

By Andy Gillin May 27, 2014

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 the... Read More

The hypocrisy of San Francisco’s selective traffic law enforcement

By Andy Gillin May 15, 2014

Street safety depends on the fair enforcement of traffic laws, but enforcement is not always fair. The juxtaposition of two stories over the past week illustrates the incongruent enforcement... Read More

Is Berkeley falling behind in the race for safe streets?

By Andy Gillin May 5, 2014

The City of Berkeley is a well-known leader in environmentalism, social justice, and public health. Given that active transportation plays an integral role in each of these fields, it’s... Read More

Oakland’s Telegraph Avenue Complete Streets Plan: Building a Safer Street

By Andy Gillin Apr 24, 2014

Telegraph Avenue is one of Oakland’s key transportation corridors, linking Downtown Oakland with Downtown Berkeley. It serves thousands of transit riders, drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians every day, and also... Read More

Are bike accidents treated differently than car accidents?

By Andy Gillin Apr 18, 2014

Bicycle accidents and auto accidents, technically, are treated identically under California law. The rules of determining who is at fault are the same. Practically Are They Treated Different? As... Read More

What is a Cycle Track?

By Andy Gillin Apr 14, 2014

Recently we discussed the ongoing battle between California cities and Caltrans over street design, most notably cycle tracks. As it turns out, Caltrans just announced its official endorsement of... Read More

Is traffic violence sufficiently prosecuted?

By Andy Gillin Apr 9, 2014

A year ago, 17 year old Hanren Chang was hit and killed by a drunk driver while crossing Sloat Boulevard in San Francisco. Hanren, a student at Lowell High... Read More

#ReplaceBikeWithCar Satirizes Anti-Bike Rhetoric

By Andy Gillin Apr 7, 2014

The rise of bicycling and the expansion of bike lanes can at times provoke strong negative reactions in people, whether it’s at public meetings, newspaper comment boards, or casual... Read More

Cities battle Caltrans over street design

By Andy Gillin Apr 2, 2014

As cities across California seek to build safer, healthier, greener “complete streets,” many have come into conflict with Caltrans over what constitutes an acceptable (and legally defensible) design. This... Read More

Pedestrian accident settlement against AC Transit

By Andy Gillin Nov 9, 2013

$20.452 Million dollars received for a young woman hit by an AC Transit Bus. The largest recovery by an individual against a bus company in California History. Read More

$7.5 Million Dollars Recovered For a Big-rig collision in The Central Valley

By Andy Gillin Nov 9, 2013

$7.5 million recovered in trial for a family involved in a big-rig accident in the Central Valley. Read More

Is driving with Google Glass a ticketable offense?

By Andy Gillin Oct 31, 2013

As technology continues to become even more integrated into our everyday lives, existing laws can become fuzzy when it comes to how emerging technologies should be treated. Case in... Read More

Georgia lawmakers backpedal on bill requiring cyclists to register bikes and obtain license

By Andy Gillin Oct 7, 2013

A recent piece of legislation proposed by Georgia Representative Carl Rogers requiring cyclists to register their bike with the state (and obtain a license) managed to inspire enough vitriol... Read More

Texting While Driving: It’s Worse Than You Think

By Andy Gillin Sep 10, 2013

We all intuitively understand that texting while driving is dangerous – but a look at the statistics shows just how frighteningly dangerous (and pervasive) texting while driving is. According... Read More

Required viewing for drivers everywhere: ‘From One Second to the Next’

By Andy Gillin Aug 14, 2013

Famed director Werner Herzog’s powerful new documentary about texting and driving has already reached more than 1.5 million views on YouTube and is bringing even more attention to the... Read More

Inaugural summer internship program proves successful

By Andy Gillin Aug 8, 2013

16 students from 13 different high schools came together to participate in our summer internship designed to expose young adults to a potential career in law. The internship was... Read More

Law schools grow increasingly desperate as applications continue to decline

By Andy Gillin Jul 23, 2013

With the overall number of applicants to accredited law schools down 34 percent from their peak in 2010, schools are doing whatever they can to keep attendance up and... Read More

‘Foldable Helmet’ aims to make bike safety more portable than ever

By Andy Gillin Jul 10, 2013

One of the most common objections to wearing a bike helmet is that it’s simply not portable. Once you’ve arrived at your destination and chained your bike to the... Read More

Quick video tips for urban cycling

By Andy Gillin Jun 21, 2013

The team at Grist has put together a nice little video of “biking basics for folks who’ve always wanted to ride, but didn’t dare.” Although a lot of the... Read More

S.F. challenged to reduce bike fatalities, ramp up safety efforts

By Andy Gillin Jun 14, 2013

A report released earlier this week is urging San Francisco’s mayor and Board of Supervisors to increase efforts to reduce bike fatalities, calling for an ultimate goal of “zero... Read More

Medical cannabis creating uncertainty in state DUI laws

By Andy Gillin Jun 3, 2013

Two states have legalized cannabis and 17 states (18 including Washington, D.C.) have legalized medical cannabis. As the nation slowly shifts towards decriminalization, numerous questions arise on how to... Read More

New studies reiterate texting while driving is unsafe

By Andy Gillin May 7, 2013

Recently released studies have confirmed what we already know, but too often ignore: texting and driving is not a safe combination. Even though you’re 23 times more likely to... Read More

Introduction to Careers in Law

By Andy Gillin Apr 19, 2013

Introduction to Careers in Law There will not be a program in 2023. Building on the success of previous summer programs, GJEL Accident Attorneys will once again be hosting... Read More

Creative cycling attire tricks surrounding drivers into obeying the law

By Andy Gillin Apr 16, 2013

Cyclists across the pond have come up with a creative way to make sure surrounding motorists treat their safety with the appropriate amount of respect. By wearing reflective gear... Read More

And the unhappiest job in America is…

By Andy Gillin Apr 3, 2013

After compiling over 65,000 company reviews during 2012 and evaluating multiple factors that influence an employee’s job satisfaction, CareerBliss released their list of the happiest and unhappiest jobs in... Read More

Robert Redford is too cool for speed limits

By Andy Gillin Mar 25, 2013

As proof that it’s not just young celebrities who can be terrible role models, 76-year-old screen icon Robert Redford recently boasted he drives at speeds in excess of 120... Read More

18-year-old required to refrain from saying ‘bingo’ for 6-month period

By Andy Gillin Mar 20, 2013

Much like you can’t yell “fire” in a crowded movie theater, it would appear yelling “bingo” in a crowded bingo hall is also off the table. Earlier this week... Read More

How much of an inconvenience to pedestrians are construction sites?

By Andy Gillin Mar 13, 2013

Much like most major cities, in Seattle there are currently a number of construction projects underway. Old buildings have been demolished to give way to new apartment complexes, office... Read More

Cyclist faces felony vehicular manslaughter charge after killing 71-year-old pedestrian

By Andy Gillin Mar 12, 2013

Although the widely reported accident took place almost a year ago, the San Francisco cyclist who collided with 71-year-old Sutchi Hui on March 29, 2012 has recently been order... Read More

Motorcycle lane-splitting in California to remain unrestricted for the foreseeable future

By Andy Gillin Mar 1, 2013

A California Senate bill proposing restrictions on motorcycle lane splitting was placed on hold this week pending a safety study currently being conducted by UC-Berkeley. The bill, which would... Read More

National Law Journal releases annual list of “go-to law schools”

By Andy Gillin Feb 28, 2013

The National Law Journal released its annual list of the Top 50 Go-To Law Schools, with the University of Pennsylvania topping the list for the second consecutive year. Using... Read More

National Safety Council reports increase in traffic fatalities for the first time since 2005

By Andy Gillin Feb 25, 2013

According to a preliminary report from the National Safety Council, the number of traffic fatalities during 2012 increased by 5 percent over the previous year. This marks the first... Read More

What’s the true measure of a city’s walkability?

By Andy Gillin Feb 22, 2013

Despite offering a good starting point, there’s still plenty of information missing when you look at the Walkscore of a specific location. As has been pointed out plenty of... Read More

Victim of ‘right hook’ bicycle accident

By Andy Gillin Feb 21, 2013

$325,000 to victim of 'right hook' bicycle accident Read More

Cyclist struck by car while riding at night

By Andy Gillin Feb 21, 2013

$300,000 for cyclist struck by car while riding at night Read More

Woman injured in car vs. bicycle accident

By Andy Gillin Feb 21, 2013

$225,000 for woman injured in car vs. bicycle accident Read More

Cyclist ‘doored’ by exiting motorist

By Andy Gillin Feb 21, 2013

$195,000 for cyclist 'doored' by exiting motorist Read More

Cyclist struck while riding on the shoulder

By Andy Gillin Feb 21, 2013

$180,000 for cyclist struck while riding on the shoulder Read More

Cyclist who collided with low hanging tree branch

By Andy Gillin Feb 21, 2013

$110,000 for cyclist who collided with low hanging tree branch Read More

Injured cyclist

By Andy Gillin Feb 21, 2013

$100,000 for injured cyclist Read More

Don’t Drive Drowsy: Tips to Avoid Driving While Fatigued

By Andy Gillin Feb 20, 2013

When it comes to making poor decisions behind the wheel, drunk driving and distracted driving get the bulk of the attention, but numbers show drivers impaired by fatigue account... Read More

Nevada bill seeks to ban pedestrians from using cell phones while crossing the street

By Andy Gillin Feb 15, 2013

Distracted driving is a serious threat to street safety, but what about distracted walking? A new bill in Nevada would make it illegal for pedestrians to text, enter data,... Read More

The debate about whether cyclists should be required to wear helmets rages on

By Andy Gillin Feb 14, 2013

It may seem counterintuitive, but despite near unanimous support for the use of helmets, many cycling advocates disagree with the notion that helmet usage should be required by law.... Read More

…And that’s why you don’t mouth off in court

By Andy Gillin Feb 7, 2013

Earlier this week, Florida teen Penelope Soto got international attention when a video of her mouthing off to Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat started making the rounds online. In... Read More

Does jaywalking enforcement encourage ‘victim blaming’ mentality when it comes to pedestrian deaths?

By Andy Gillin Feb 1, 2013

An article from the DC Area blog “Greater Greater Washington” posed an interesting question about whether a recent pedestrian enforcement campaign is essentially “blaming the victim” by targeting the... Read More