"City officials had until recently said the north end of Telegraph Avenue, where the craft market has been held for more than four decades, would no longer be available for street festivals because the road isn't wide enough for adequate fire lanes and the events block key emergency access routes. Organizer Grace Teasdale was making plans to hold this year's fair more than a mile away in South Berkeley, and bracing for a decline in attendance from both vendors and visitors."
"City spokesperson Matthai Chakko previously told Berkeleyside that shutting down the avenue would endanger public safety by slowing police and paramedic responses, and that changes in the neighborhood, such as its new apartment buildings and a street safety project that narrowed traffic lanes, had made it unsuitable for street festivals. A city report last month declared portions of Telegraph Avenue and Adeline Street would be unavailable for future street closures, citing a push by the Berkeley Fire Department to maintain 26-foot-wide fire lanes."
Berkeley granted a permit for the Telegraph Holiday Fair to return to Telegraph Avenue between Dwight Way and Bancroft Way for three weekends: Dec. 6-7, 13-14 and 20-21. City officials had recently said the north end of Telegraph Avenue would be closed to street festivals because the road lacked sufficient fire lanes and events blocked emergency access. Organizer Grace Teasdale had planned to relocate the fair more than a mile away in South Berkeley and expected lower attendance. The city previously restricted portions of Telegraph and Adeline streets citing a Berkeley Fire Department push for 26-foot-wide fire lanes, drawing pushback from street safety advocates.
Read at www.berkeleyside.org
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