Getting a sma red-zone curb painted next to driveway in Berkeley?
Hello fellow parents,
We are having an issue where people parking on the street park very very close to our driveway (even a couple inches into it), making it very hard to get into and out of. Oftentimes, there is 2 or 3 cars worth of space in front of them when they do this! I see some of our neighbors have about 12-18inches of red curb painted next to their driveway, and I'd like to get that as well, to make it easier to get in and out. I don't think it would make much difference in the amount of street parking available but it would make it much easier to safely pull out of our driveway onto a very busy street.
I've tried googling, but I can't figure out who in the City of Berkeley I would talk to about getting this done. Does anyone know who I need to call/email? How do I go about this?
Thank you,
Caroline
Parent Replies
The city won't do it. We painted the red curbs ourselves as did our neighbors. We also painted parking brackets on the street to help people figure out how to park. A neighbor down the street also did this. It isn't exactly legal but the city won't come after you. The brackets and the paint have helped, but our driveway still gets blocked sometimes. No one has complained - people have even asked us how we do it.
This is handled by public works. I would contact the streets & utilities division. I am not located in Berkeley, but we had a similar issue in Alameda and the city was really responsive and amenable to painint our curb cut and the edges red.
https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/about-us/departments/public-works
CONTACT INFORMATION
Address: 1326 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94702
Phone: (510) 981-6620 TTY: (510) 981-6903 FAX: (510) 981-6480
Office Hours: Monday–Thursday, 8:30 am–12:00 pm, 1:00 pm–4:30 pm
Email: pwworks [at] ci.berkeley.ca.us (pwworks[at]CityofBerkeley[dot]info)
I'd talk to the parking enforcement office as a start. The Parking Enforcement Unit can be reached at (510) 981-5890
My neighbors who have this did it themselves. I assume it’s not allowed but it’s been years and nothing has happened to them.
I don't know how to get the curb painted, but as a short-term fix until you do, you can always get a big heavy orange traffic cone and put it right on the street next to the curb just in front of the curb cut, to make sure drivers give you that 18 inches. Especially if there is tons of space ahead (2 to 3 car lengths) for them to park. I suspect the times you get blocked are either because 1) there were more cars parked there and they tried to squeeze in on the end, or 2) people are oblivious and/or entitled. Sometimes just a big physical orange cone is enough to say "wake up! driveway here!" Good luck!
You’d call Public Works— ask for Streets Division and curb painting. If you get the run around, ask for Joy Brown, Corp Yard Manager.