"Pedestrian daylighting" (or just "daylighting") is a proven strategy to make crosswalks safer by pushing parked vehicles back away from crosswalks to improve visibility. Effective January 1, 2025, California Vehicle Code 22500(n) will go into effect, making it illegal to park, stop or stand within twenty feet on the approach side of a marked or unmarked crosswalk. This new regulation is the result of Assembly Bill 413, which was adopted by the state legislature and signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in October 2023.
What is "daylighting" and why is it important?
How does "daylighting" work?
AB 413 prohibits parking within 20 feet of an unmarked or marked crosswalk or 15 feet of any crosswalk where a curb extension or “bulb out” is present. The image below illustrates how the new regulation works. Twenty feet is about the length of one full-size parking space. The new regulation will be enforceable without any signs or red paint.
Daylighting is a proven and recommended best practice for improving traffic safety, particularly for pedestrians (see recommendations from the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) here)
How is "daylighting" being implemented in Oakland?
Improving pedestrian safety has been a top priority for OakDOT since it was established in 2017 and designing and improving crosswalks for improved pedestrian visibility has been a standard practice for many years.
Since the passage of AB 413 in 2023, project crews have been adding red curbs to support daylighting whenever possible and will continue to do so going forward.
OakDOT will continue to monitor how AB 413 is implemented across the state and, beginning in January distribute windshield flyers followed by a period of warnings before bringing a report to City Council with recommendations, including a fine amount for 22500(n), in Spring of 2025.
For additional details about the history of daylighting and to learn how San Francisco is implementing AB 413, click here.
About
The mission of the Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT) is to envision, plan, build, operate and maintain a transportation system for the City of Oakland—in partnership with local transit providers and other agencies—and to assure safe, equitable, and sustainable access and mobility for residents, businesses and visitors. In furtherance of that mission, this topic page has been developed and may be updated from time to time to better inform the community about "daylighting" and its implementation. For more information about OakDOT's mission, strategic plan and recent accomplishments, please visit this page.