APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY
_________________________
CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. ______________ C.M.S.
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR OR
DESIGNEE, IN COLLABORATION WITH IMPACTED STAKHOLDERS,
TO:
1) WORK WITH COUNCIL OFFICES AND RESIDENTS TO SELECT
DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS IN EAST AND WEST OAKLAND TO
RESPOND TO COMMUNITY-IDENTIFIED TRAFFIC SAFETY CONCERNS
ON THE HIGH INJURY NETWORK, IN HIGH EQUITY PRIORITY
NEIGHBORHOODS, OR THAT IMPROVE CONDITIONS FOR
VULNERABLE POPULATIONS INCLUDING CHILDREN, SENIORS, AND
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND AUTHORIZING THE EXPENDITURE
OF ANY REMAINING DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM FISCAL YEAR
2023 – 2025 ADOPTED BUDGET TO SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION
OF COMMUNITY IDENTIFIED AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBER
APPROVED TRAFFIC SAFETY PROJECTS; AND
2) UPON SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE DEMONSTRATION
PROJECTS, PUBLISH A FRAMWORK FOR STANDARD PLANS, FOR A
COMMUNITY-LED TRAFFIC SAFETY PROGRAM, ALLOWING
BUSINESSES, SCHOOLS, AND COMMUNITY GROUPS TO APPLY FOR
PERMITS TO INSTALL TEMPORARY TRAFFIC SAFETY
DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS WITHIN THE HIGH INJURY NETWORK
AND OR SERVING LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS AND VULNERABLE
POPULATIONS ON CITY STREETS BY APRIL 1 2025, INCLUDING
RECOMMENDED DIMENSIONS, MATERIALS, AND TRAFFIC CONTROL
PLANSAND BEGIN ACCEPTING AND PROCESSING PERMITS FOR SAID PROJECTS WITH A TARGET DATE OF JULY 1 2025
WHEREAS, The City Council, in Resolution 90051, declared its intent and desire to establish a 3-year Community-Led Traffic Safety Pilot program that allows schools, businesses, and community centers to apply for encroachment permits to install removable traffic safety treatments and create traffic calming zones in city streets, and
2 WHEREAS, Resolution 90051 directed the City Administrator to prepare a report to the Public Works and Transportation Committee containing information from cities that have implemented similar community-led transportation safety programs, recommendations to Council about legislative or administrative changes needed to implement a similar program in Oakland, feedback from at least two community meetings to gauge public interest and capacity to participate in the pilot, an analysis of staffing and budget needs to sustain the pilot program, and a report on the feasibility of establishing the City of Oakland as a Vision Zero Network community; and
WHEREAS, the Oakland Department of Transportation’s (OakDOT) mission is to envision, plan, build, operate, and maintain a transportation system for the City of Oakland and to ensure safe, equitable, and sustainable access and mobility for residents, businesses, and visitors; and
WHEREAS, OakDOT is responsible for issuing permits to occupy or conduct work in the public right of way; and
WHEREAS, OakDOT, from its founding in 2016, remains committed to allocating transportation resources in a manner that centers and advances equitable outcomes for marginalized and historically underserved communities; and
WHEREAS, in 2021, OakDOT led the development of the Safe Oakland Streets Initiative (SOS), a multi-agency partnership that has among its goals preventing severe and fatal crashes and related disparities impacting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities and reports to the City Council, annually, on its accomplishments in the previous year and on goals and action items for the coming year; and
WHEREAS, in the Adopted budgets for FY 21-23 and FY 23-25, Council identified 15 Earmark projects, established the Violence Prevention Pilot and Sideshow Prevention Pilot programs, and authorized $100,000 per Council member for Council Discretionary Projects; and
WHEREAS, The High Injury Network (HIN) is defined as the 6% of City streets that account for 60% of severe and fatal crashes, and a total of 95% of the HIN is in neighborhoods rated as Medium to High Priority in the OakDOT Geographic Equity Toolkit; and
WHEREAS, Safe Oakland Streets (SOS) Annual Reports show that only 3 out of 14 Council Earmark and Discretionary projects completed by the Department were located on the High Injury Network (HIN); and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Resolution 90051, OakDOT conducted an analysis of implementing a Community Traffic Calming Pilot project, including potential, staffing needs, costs, and equity analysis after participating in two community meetings in East and West Oakland, and presented those findings at the April 23, 2024 Oakland City Council Public Works and Transportation Committee Meeting; and
3 WHEREAS, after holding two community meetings in partnership with OakDOT to produce the information for the April 23rd report, District 3 City Council staff attended additional meetings describing a potential Community-Led Traffic Calming Program. Potential demonstration projects were identified by residents in Districts 3 and 7 near schools and a senior center located along the High Injury Network;
WHEREAS, the District 3 City Council staff has continued to engage in community outreach on the Community-Led Traffic Calming Program for the City of Oakland, including attending additional community meetings in West and East Oakland and gathering input from residents, informing the recommendations captured in this resolution; and
WHEREAS, a Community Traffic Calming working group, which includes District 3 City Council staff, the Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT), and the transportation advocacy group Transport Oakland, has worked collaboratively since the information report was presented during the Public Works and Transportation Committee on April 23rd to develop next steps towards implementing a Community Traffic Calming Permit Program in the City of Oakland; and
WHEREAS, upon passage of this resolution, within 180 days and in partnership with the above working group, OakDOT will select two previously submitted traffic safety projects for implementation as demonstration community tactical projects in East and West Oakland. These projects will be developed in partnership with residents surrounding the potential demonstration project sites to implement and inform the development of the Community Traffic Calming Permit Program; and
WHEREAS, upon approval by the council member of the district where the trial demonstration projects are located, OakDOT and community members may use the remaining discretionary funds allocated to that district for traffic safety identify existing OakDOT programs that could fund the costs without returning to the Council; and
WHEREAS, upon completion of the two trial demonstration projects, the Community Traffic Calming working group, with input from residents, organizations, and transit and public safety agency stakeholders, will develop a framework for a Community Traffic Calming Permit.
This framework will prioritize equity by serving low-income Black and Brown residents and neighborhoods, focusing on schools, community centers, and businesses along the High Injury Network; and
WHEREAS, the Community Traffic Calming Permit Framework will include additional detail on the application process for the permit, guidelines for traffic control plans, approved project types, and necessary supplies and equipment published by April 2025; and
WHEREAS, upon successful completion of the two trial demonstration projects and the permit program framework, OakDOT will launch and begin accepting applications for the Community Traffic Calming Permit Program with a target date of July 1, 2025; now, therefore, be it
4 RESOLVED: That the City Council hereby authorizes the City Administrator or designee to no later than April 1, 2025, publish standard plans, including recommended dimensions, materials, and traffic control plans and by July 1, 2025, begin accepting and processing permit applications for a community-led traffic safety program, allowing businesses, schools, and community groups to apply for permits to install temporary traffic safety projects on city streets located in areas of the city identified as falling within the High Injury Network and or serving low- income residents and vulnerable populations; and
FURTHER RESOLVED: The Council recommends the OakDOT Geographic Equity Toolkit is to be developed in conjunction with a pilot project in East and West Oakland and will include input from impacted stakeholders and approval of the respective district Council member; and
FURTHER RESOLVED: The Council authorizes the City Administrator to expend any remaining discretionary Council funds from Fiscal Year 2023 – 2025 adopted budget to support the implementation of community identified in City Council member approved traffic safety projects without coming to Council; and
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City Administrator or designee is authorized to take any other necessary actions consistent with this Resolution and its basic purposes, subject to review and approval by the City Attorney’s Office.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE: AYES - FIFE, GALLO, JENKINS, KALB, KAPLAN, RAMACHANDRAN, REID, AND PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS NOES – ABSENT – ABSTENTION –
ATTEST: ASHA REED City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the City of Oakland, California
3356387v1 / FH - updated 6/12/2024