The Department of Transportation (DOT) has a team of 16 technicians. These technicians remove about 100 abandoned automobiles per week from the right of way. 40% of these automobiles are stolen.
- What is the plan to address abandoned autos?
- What is the paving plan? Streets and potholes are very bad.
- Parking
- What are we doing about speeding? Speeding is very dangerous.
- Need public service announcements about running stop signs.
- What is the plan to stop or deter speeding downtown.
- Why are some speed bumps larger in certain areas? Are residents notified when a speed bump will be installed?
- How do we get more speed bumps.
- Can we get traffic cameras for red light runners?
- How are we deterring sideshows and doing donuts in intersections?
- Need hard separate bus lane
- Is there a plan to redesign E14th?
- Is there any reimbursement when you damage tires or rims of your car from potholes?
- In the DOT dept how many people are from Oakland and understand the inner workings of Oakland streets and culture to align the streets for safer maneuvering?
What is the plan to address abandoned autos?
What is the paving plan? Streets and potholes are very bad.
What is the schedule for filling and paving potholes?
In the fiscal year of 2024, the Department of Transportation (DOT) repaired 53k potholes. Residents should continue to report potholes to 311. Pothole filling is a temporary fix. Because of this, DOT is focused on repaving streets as the permanent solution. DOT has a 5-year paving plan that identifies when streets in the City of Oakland will be paved. A publicly available map is maintained online for community reference. Timing can be subject to change and dependent on available funding.
Paving and potholes is needed throughout East Oakland. Why is Downtown prioritized over East Oakland?
Downtown is not prioritized for paving over East Oakland. OakDOT paves the streets with the lowest PCI in high equity zones first. The initial focus is placed on arterials and collectors (bigger streets that see more traffic than smaller residential streets), which are the highest risk.
Streets still terrible, did city spend all the bond money? Why is work so slow?
Oakland used to average 10 miles of paving per year. This was the equivalent of a street paved once every 80 years. Over the past six years, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has paved 200 miles. This is the equivalent of 20 previous years. Over the past five months, DOT has paved 50 miles – the equivalent of 5 previous years. Oakland has 800 miles of streets. It will require another 15 years of paving to catch up.
Parking
Is it illegal to use orange cones without a permit to reserve parking spaces (ie in front of someone’s home)? If it is illegal, can we enforce this?
OakDOT has taken the position that we are not going to referee neighborhood squabbles related to parking.
How many parking enforcement technicians are assigned to deep East Oakland? Is it equitable?
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has about 60 parking technicians. Much of the emphasis is placed on enforcing paid parking. As a result, the coverage is determined by parking meter location. DOT has issued over 250k citations in the fiscal year of 2024. These have resulted in $15M of collected fines.
Parking is difficult in Chinatown and Downtown, affects business and customers. Can we take away yellow zones?
Street parking can be difficult to find; however, existing parking garages have unused capacity. We have implemented, and are now evaluating, a demand pricing model for parking in high-demand areas such as Chinatown and Downtown.
Can we get permit parking for residents in Chinatown and Downtown?
Chinatown and Downtown are mostly commercial parking areas, so a residential permit parking program is not currently an appropriate fit for these areas.
In the evenings there are cars parked illegally in the middle of the street, can this be resolved? (this question came up in West Oak and East Oak).
The goal of the Department of Transportation is to target these vehicles for additional ticketing. We currently do this in downtown and uptown Oakland. We plan to eventually tow the vehicles.
What are we doing about speeding? Speeding is very dangerous.
The Department of Transportation is piloting speed cameras. We are also planning to pilot slow neighborhoods. Additionally, support legislation requiring automakers to install technology that limits speed.
Need public service announcements about running stop signs.
We agree. We are evaluating a public awareness program that focuses on:
- Speeding
- Illegal parking
- Poor driver behavior
What is the plan to stop or deter speeding downtown.
In addition to Police enforcement, the Department of Transportation (DOT) will be supporting:
- Expansion of speed enforcement cameras
- Auto speed governors
- Legislation to allow simpler closing of streets to promote safety
Why are some speed bumps larger in certain areas? Are residents notified when a speed bump will be installed?
We have two applications – speed bumps and speed cushions (two different sizes). The main mechanism for installation is through a petition process. The public notified through this process.
How do we get more speed bumps.
The paving program oversees safety improvements. More funding equates to more safety improvements.
Can we get traffic cameras for red light runners?
Many traffic cameras have been removed/disappeared last few years. Why were they removed and why are we wasting funds to install new ones?
Oakland does not use red light cameras due to the cost of administration, primarily due to state requirements for using sworn officers to operate such programs. DOT is piloting the speed enforcement cameras in collaboration with the state.
How are we deterring sideshows and doing donuts in intersections?
Oakland does not use red light cameras because of the high administration cost. This is primarily due to the state requirements for using sworn officers to operate the programs. The Department of Transportation (DOT) is piloting the speed enforcement cameras with the state.
Need hard separate bus lane
Is there plan for TEMPO to have hard dividers?
We are assessing the next steps for safety along the Tempo corridor. Hard dividers are an option being discussed. Fire code compliance with hard dividers is a challenge that we are working to overcome.
Bus rapid transit (BRT) lanes have contributed to lack of cleanliness and safety. What is relationship with AC Transit?
We work closely with AC Transit to address bus rapid transit (BRT) lanes.
Is there a plan to redesign E14th?
No. We need to shift our focus away from “redesign” and address what can actually be funded and built.
Is there any reimbursement when you damage tires or rims of your car from potholes?
The city has a claims process to address this matter.
In the DOT dept how many people are from Oakland and understand the inner workings of Oakland streets and culture to align the streets for safer maneuvering?
The Oakland culture is amazing and unique. The majority of team members live in Oakland. Many are from Oakland originally. And many have worked in Oakland for most of their careers. The challenges we face are similar in nature to most car-centric mid to large sized cities in the US.
Posted: September 24th, 2024 5:02 PM
Last Updated: September 27th, 2024 2:12 PM