Hazard Reporting

There are at least two philosophies on how to report a bicycle hazard:

1. Report it directly to the responsible agency.

2. Fill out a web form and expect it will be reported to the right agency for you.

This page describes how to do both, so you can choose for yourself.

1. Report Directly to a City Agency

It's most efficient -- for getting the problem fixed, and also for using city staff time -- to report it directly to the correct agency. This page lists only City of Berkeley agencies. Problems outside Berkeley must be reported elsewhere.

Potholes, `mechanical' maintenance problems.
For potholes, gravel and other hazards in the street, neglected street sweeping, missing street signs (but not new street signs), broken sidewalks, broken streetlamps, clogged storm drains, etc., contact:

Public Works Department `Customer Service Desk', phone (510)644-6620, e-mail pwworks@ci.berkeley.ca.us.

Give a precise description and location, including which lane, the nearest cross street, and nearest street address if possible. Also give your name and contact information. If it's a bicycle hazard, tell them so. If it's in a bicycle lane or bicycle boulevard, tell them so. The more precise the description, the more easily they can find and fix it. My experience has been that they don't always reply, but they act on the report within a few days. If they don't, call them again. I have reported many potholes and they have been always fixed within a week, with no need to re-report.
For more info, see the city's Public Works Dept FAQ page.

Tree problems.
For trees which need pruning to correct visibility or safety problems, such as obscuring sightlines, obscuring traffic control devices, hazardous branches, etc., contact:

Parks Division, Forestry Unit, phone (510)644-6566,
e-mail trees@ci.berkeley.ca.us.

As above, give a precise description and location. If it's a bicycle hazard, tell them so. If it affects a bicycle lane or bicycle boulevard, tell them so. For more info, see the city's
Street Tree Pruning page.

Infrastructure problems, new installations, bike detector loop problems.
Hazards which go beyond straightforward maintenance problems, such as bike lanes too narrow, traffic signal wrongly timed, new signage needed, etc, must go through the Office of Transportation. Also, bicycle detector loops are handled directly by the Office of Transportation.
Contact:

Office of Transportation, Bicycle and Pedestrian Program, phone (510)981-7062, fax (510)981-7060.

2. Report Via a Web Form

For hazards anywhere in Alameda or Contra Costa Counties, use the EBBC hazard-reporting page.

Under California law (California Government Code Section 835), a public entity (city, county, etc.) is liable for injuries that occur on its property due to a dangerous condition if it received notice of the condition and if certain other circumstances are met. For more info, see the EBBC hazard information page.