Volunteers Use Red Chalk to Protect Pedestrians and Drivers Under California’s New Law

*Strong Towns San Diego leaders Kyle Walker and Haylee Rea explain their tactical urbanism project to a local reporter. (Source:* *Strong Towns San Diego*.)

On January 1, 2025, California’s daylighting law (AB 413) went into effect, making it illegal to park within 20 feet of crosswalks. This law is an important step in making California streets safer for all users by improving visibility, thus reducing crashes and saving lives at intersections.

However, cities are struggling to implement the physical changes, such as signs and painted curbs, to inform drivers that they cannot park within 20 feet of an intersection. The city of San Diego has 16,000 intersections affected by the law, and only a fraction of them have painted red curbs or signage.

Until these physical signals are implemented at every intersection, drivers are left confused about where they're allowed to park, and the benefits of this new law cannot be fully realized. This is also causing a tidal wave of enforcement problems: Over $700,000 in fines have been issued in just five months.

Strong Towns San Diego, the city's Local Conversation, saw this struggle and asked, "What is the next smallest step we could take as citizens to help improve the safety at San Diego intersections?"

Their answer? Help the city spread awareness and mark intersections.

Volunteers from Strong Towns San Diego, led by Kyle Walker and Haylee Rea, took to the streets. Armed with rollers and powdered chalk, they began marking unpainted curbs in red. As they chalked the curbs, they also posted signs with QR codes to educate residents about this new law.

“We felt the responsibility to come out and do something about it, to help the city out,” Walker explained as he worked his way along the curb.

The chalk lines have drawn attention, sparked conversations, and given drivers a fair warning before tickets arrive. This temporary action by citizens fills a gap that would otherwise leave thousands unprotected.

This is Strong Towns in action: residents observing a local struggle, identifying the next smallest thing they can do to address it, and doing that thing immediately.

The red chalk may wash away, but the principle endures: In a strong town, people take action when safety and common sense demand it. Small actions today build safer, more resilient neighborhoods tomorrow.

If you live in California:

Don’t wait for the red paint. Remember the law: keep 20 feet back from crosswalks (roughly the length of a car).
Share the message. Tell neighbors, coworkers, and family — most people still don’t know about the law.
Organize locally. If your city isn’t marking intersections, find small ways to spread awareness — from chalk lines to flyers to direct engagement with city staff.

For leaders:

Accelerate visibility projects. Don’t just enforce laws — give people the tools to follow them.
See residents as partners. Volunteers aren’t vandals; they’re filling a civic gap. Harness that energy instead of dismissing it.
Train and deputize citizen groups like Strong Towns San Diego to use more than just chalk. Empower them with paint and rollers.