On January 1, 2025, California’s new “Daylighting Law” went into effect, prohibiting stopping, standing, or parking of a vehicle within 20 feet ahead of a marked or unmarked crosswalk. In response, the City of Alameda intends to expand efforts to improve intersection visibility and make changes to parking enforcement later this year.

Also known as the “Daylighting Bill to Save Lives,” Assembly Bill (AB) 413 created a new section of the California Vehicle Code (CVC) to improve safety and increase visibility of all road users to reduce the incidence and severity of collisions, particularly at intersections and crosswalks.

“Daylighting” refers to the act of removing parked cars and other visual obstructions to provide a clearer line of sight for drivers to see pedestrians, cyclists, or other vehicles crossing their path. This is typically accomplished by applying red curb paint or installing “no parking” signs at intersection approaches. However, the new law prohibits parking ahead of crosswalks regardless of whether the curb is painted red.

The City of Alameda has already made considerable progress in its daylighting policy and implementation across the island. In 2019, the City Council adopted the Policy for Improvements to Visibility (Daylighting), which authorized and provided guidance to the Public Works Department to prioritize safety by changing parking practices near intersections. The policy is enshrined as a core component of the City’s Vision Zero Action Plan, which outlines strategies to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2035.
The Plan identifies 20 percent of Alameda roadways as “High Injury Corridors,” which experienced the heaviest density of crashes over a 10-year period. In 2021 and 2022, the City daylighted multiple intersections along nine Tier 1 and Tier 2 High Injury Corridors, including Grand Street, Central Avenue, and Park Street. The City hopes to begin daylighting efforts on Tier 3 Corridors this year, according to Communications and Legislative Affairs Officer Sarah Henry. Additional intersections along arterials and collectors have been, and will continue to be, daylighted as part of repaving projects across the city.


These changes will be paired with parking enforcement and the City will issue parking citations to vehicles parked in marked prohibited areas. However, due to limited resources, enforcement of AB 413 on neighborhood local streets “will be reactive in response to resident requests” submitted through SeeClickFix or the City’s parking hotline at (510) 522-PARK, Henry said.
Furthermore, the City cannot issue citations for vehicles parked within 20 feet of crosswalks until it amends its Master Fee Schedule, which details fines for a wide assortment of violations, to include both the new CVC section created under AB 413 and a fine for violations.
City Council is expected to consider an updated Master Fee Schedule this summer. Until then, the City can only issue warnings to drivers parked too close to crosswalks.
Ken Der is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact him via [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Ken-Der.