This page is a member of the Transportation Portal.
Like to walk? This page is for you!
Here's how the State of California defines pedestrians, in California Vehicle Code Section 467:
(a) A “pedestrian” is any person who is afoot or who is using any of the following:
(1) a means of conveyance propelled by human power other than a bicycle.
(2) An electric personal assistive mobility device.
(b) “Pedestrian” includes any person who is operating a selfpropelled wheelchair, invalid tricycle, or motorized quadricycle and, by reason of physical disability, is otherwise unable to move about as a pedestrian, as specified in subdivision (a).
In California, pedestrians have the right of way at intersections and in crosswalks. Drivers in Oakland are typically pretty good about respecting crosswalks and respecting the right of way, but bicyclists are a major problem since they often run through signals without even slowing down. For most streets, if you step off the curb and wait patiently, and someone will eventually stop (or you can just start walking and the cars will figure it out...but of course, that's a more dangerous course of action). This is trickier on busy streets with a lot of traffic or multiple lanes, since you have to carefully watch to make sure that all lanes of traffic and any bicyclists stop to allow you to cross.
Oakland has lots of neat walking tours.
While it's great to walk around, you might also want to get around by bicycle or go hiking.
If you like to walk in places where there are a lot of people on the street, here are some areas with a lot of foot traffic:
Here are more pages relating to walking:
Pages tagged “walking”
