1 Oakland Bicyclist and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC) 2024 BPAC Chair’s Report to the Public Works Committee of the Oakland City Council December 20, 2024
To the Honorable Chair of the Oakland Public Works Committee and Members of the Council, We are pleased to present the Oakland Bicyclist and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC) Annual Report to the Council. Pursuant to Ordinance 13125 this report provides a summary of the Commission’s work in 2024 and offers recommendations relating to policies, programs and projects that impact the safety and accommodation of those who walk and bike in the City of Oakland.1
Since its establishment in 2014, the Department of Transportation has made significant progress in addressing the historically poor condition of Oakland streets, developing stronger plans for expanding bike and pedestrian-focused infrastructure, advancing equity-driven transportation planning, and building a staff of talented transportation professionals. The Commission recognizes the demonstrated commitment of Department staff to building mobility systems that are safe, equitable and welcoming to bicyclists and pedestrians. However, to truly accommodate those who walk or bike in Oakland and encourage more people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to choose sustainable modes of transportation, we believe that far more must be done to improve the safety of our streets and develop bike and pedestrian facilities that are realistically low-stress for those not riding in cars or trucks.
The city continues to experience unacceptably dangerous street conditions. For years Oakland has recorded high rates of severe and fatal traffic collisions. During the past 10 years, more than 132 pedestrian and bicyclists have been killed in Oakland, while at least 619 have been severely injured. In just the past two years (from 2023-November 2024) 39 pedestrians and bicyclists have been killed on our streets. Those crashes involving fatalities are only a fraction of the thousands of collisions that have occurred. In the most recent 12-month period of data available (June 2023 through May 2024,) there were 1,911 crashes reported that resulted in some form of injury. Most fatality- and severe-injury collisions have involved speeding, red-light running, and other dangerous driver behavior encouraged by poorly designed infrastructure.
This is both a public health and an equity issue. High-injury streets and intersections have been disproportionately concentrated in historically under-resourced communities in Oakland.
Dangerous streets not only threaten health and safety, they also undermine quality of life - leading to people to less-frequently walk or bike to destinations and causing anxiety for many people using public spaces. Older Oaklanders, children and people with disabilities are especially at risk in our city. In every Commission meeting, we recognize and often discuss the circumstances of fatalities that occurred on Oakland’s streets in the preceding month. We also 1 Pursuant to Ordinance 13125 “(t)he purpose of the Bicyclist and Pedestrian Advisory Commission is to advise City Council and staff on bicyclist- and pedestrian-specific policies, projects, and programs, and on the accommodation of bicyclists and pedestrians in all transportation plans, policies, projects and programs.”
Attachment A
2 often hear concerns from members of the public about high speeds, red-light violations, reckless driving, and “sideshow” style activities throughout the city.
In this report we offer recommendations that principally urge the city to focus more resources on traffic-calming work. (See page 18 for a full list of recommendations.) The Council should make clear that traffic calming is the highest priority for the Department of Transportation and ensure that the Department has the resources necessary to significantly expand such work, including greater investments in “quick-build” infrastructure projects and programs designed to physically slow streets. However, such work depends on having sufficient staff to design and install such facilities. The persistently high vacancy rates in the Department, which have been identified as a problem for more than 5 years, not only risk the loss of previously awarded grant funds for major long-term street design and resurfacing projects, but also inhibit the delivery of critically- necessary near-term installations that would slow our streets and save lives.
The attached annual report includes the following recommendations to the Council:
1. Prioritize and resource “quick-build” speed-reduction / traffic-calming projects;
2. Remove barriers to hiring critical staff for safety work;
3. Adopt a resolution establishing the prioritization of safe streets and environmentally sustainable transportation;
4. Expand and modify the speed bump program;
5. Implement automated enforcement programs equitably and prioritize using such programs to communicate with motorists about dangerous driving;
6. Improve coordination of agencies to provide collision data and ensure public access;
7. Engage in public education and outreach regarding street safety;
8. Recognize lives lost in traffic incidents during Council meetings;
9. Prioritize projects to provide greater shoreline access for all Oaklanders, particularly throughout East Oakland.
While the city’s financial situation may necessitate some changes in city services, we urge the Council to recognize the essential role that transportation safety plays in the health and wellbeing of Oakland residents, the vitality of business districts and the economic growth of the city. Increasing the city’s commitment to safety on its roadways not only protects residents, but it will generate economic benefits. As such, it is critical that the Council avoid budget adjustments that cut or freeze positions or programs within the Department of Transportation and reject any proposal to re-combine the Department of Transportation with the Department of Public Works.
The Commission’s work in 2024 focused largely on examining many programs and projects that impact safety on Oakland’s streets, particularly for our most vulnerable street users:
• The speed bump program,
• The automated speed enforcement pilot project,
• Violence prevention work conducted by OakDOT,
• An overview of the work by the traffic engineering section, • Review of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP),
• An update on state legislation passed in 2023 impacting transportation, 3 • Discussion of proposed community-driven traffic calming legislation, • Updates on the International Boulevard Oakland-AC Transit quick-build project, • A review of the newly revised high-injury network,
• An overview of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s quick-build program,
• Update on the “Safe Oakland Streets” program, and
• A status report on the implementation of the paving plan (Measure KK).
The Commission also reviewed project proposals for many grant applications prepared by Department staff, both in the full BPAC and in the Commission’s standing Infrastructure Committee, and provided feedback as well as letters of support for many grant applications.
BPAC also serves as a key point of community engagement on transportation issues. Public participants at Commission meetings often provide valuable insights and feedback on agenda items and during the open-forum portion of the agenda, and through involvement with the Commission’s committees. The Commission has two standing committees, the Infrastructure Committee and the Legislative and Policy Committee, which each meet regularly.
We are deeply grateful to Department staff who have supported and facilitated the Commission’s work, particularly Jason Patton, Noel Pond-Danchik and Pierre Gerard, who have provided exceptional support and advice in all aspects of BPAC’s work.
We appreciate your consideration of this report and our recommendations, and urge you to reach out to the Commission for further exploration of specific transportation issues. We look forward to working with you as we strive to make the City of Oakland a great place to walk and bike for everyone.
Respectfully,
Commissioner Grey Gardner (District 2) 2024 Chair
Commissioner David Ralston (District 2) 2024 Vice Chair Commissioner Phoenix Mangrum (District 5)
Commissioner Patricia Schader, (District 7)
Commissioner Dianne Yee (District 3)
Commissioner Nick Whipps (District 6)
Commissioner Alex Frank (District 4)
Commissioner Priyanka Altman (District 1)
Commissioner Jimmy Jessup (District 1)
2024 Chair’s Report
Public Works Committee
Oakland City Council
4 Oakland Bicyclist and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC) 2024 ANNUAL REPORT
Executive Summary: The Oakland BPAC Bicyclist and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC) completed its tenth year as a city commission. We have focused our work this year largely on examining projects and programs that impact the safety of streets for individuals walking or biking. We have provided extensive input to Department of Transportation (OakDOT) staff regarding policies and project designs through at monthly full-BPAC meetings and through committees established by BPAC. Commission meetings have been held regularly and in- person on the third Thursday of the month at City Hall. The Commission this year held one special meeting at a location outside of City Hall, at the 81st Avenue Library and several Commissioners conducted community outreach at multiple community events throughout Oakland. This year’s annual Council report provides policy recommendations from the Commission, information regarding key transportation data provided to the Commission, and a summary of the Commission’s work in 2024.
Continuing Concerns About the Dangers of Oakland Streets
For many years Oakland has experienced high numbers of fatal traffic collisions relative to surrounding communities. In each the past two years (2023-2024) the city has experienced higher numbers of combined pedestrian and bicyclist deaths compared to the prior four- year period.2 Nineteen (19) pedestrian and bicyclists were lost to traffic violence in just 2024. These tragedies have deep and lasting impacts on Oakland families and communities, and most often they are predictable and preventable.
2 Current data available at https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/traffic-fatality-tracking (last accessed December 17, 2024).
5 The Commission discussed all of the fatal collisions that occurred in Oakland this year based on information provided by the Oakland Police Department to OakDOT and information obtained from Commissioners and community members.
Those who were killed in these incidents included:
• A 23-year-old pedestrian was killed on the sidewalk by a driver “doing donuts” in a hit- and-run collision at the intersection of International Boulevard and 42nd Avenue (January 1st, 2024);
• A 59-year-old pedestrian crossing the street was killed by a driver in a hit-and-run collision on San Pablo Avenue 900 feet north of 23rd Street (January 9th, 2024); • A 67-year-old, Black, female pedestrian was killed in a hit-and run crash while crossing a crosswalk on MacArthur Blvd near 90th Ave. (January 14, 2024); • A 75-year old, Asian, male pedestrian was killed in a crash with a vehicle while crossing in the crosswalk at Park Blvd and Cleveland Ave (February 28th, 2024); • A 73-year-old male pedestrian killed in a hit-and-run crash while crossing the street in the crosswalk at International Blvd and 95th Ave (February 5th, 2024); • A 60-year-old male bicyclist traveling southbound on Madison Street was killed in a crash with an AC Transit bus traveling westbound on 12th Street (February 27th, 2024); • A 78-year-old male pedestrian struck in a hit-and-run crash with a vehicle at West Grand Ave and San Pablo Ave (March 25th, 2024);
• A pedestrian killed in a hit-and-run crash with a vehicle at the intersection of 98th Ave and San Leandro St (April 1st, 2024);
• A pedestrian killed in a hit-and-run crash with a vehicle at the intersection of 75th Ave and San Leandro St (April 8th, 2024)
• A pedestrian killed in a hit-and-run crash with a vehicle on International Blvd at 102nd Ave (June 14th, 2024);
• A bicyclist crashed after hitting a pothole on Skyline Blvd and later passed away from injuries (June 6, 2024);
• A 51-year-old bicyclist killed by a motorist on 105th Ave near Nattress Way in a hit-and- run crash involving two vehicles (June 20th, 2024);
• A 68-year-old bicyclist killed by a motorist at Broadway and 27th St in a hit and run crash (July 21st, 2024);
• A 17 year-old pedestrian killed after being struck by a vehicle while crossing the street at 72nd Ave and International Blvd. One of the pedestrians hit was a 17-year-old, Hispanic, female Oakland resident who died as a result of her injuries. Another 46 year old resident was also struck by the vehicle and was injured (August 19th, 2024); • A 70-year-old pedestrian from Oakland near 98th Ave and Bancroft Ave killed by a motorist in a hit-and-run crash (August 29, 2024)
• A 44 year-old Emeryville bicyclist killed in a reportedly solo bicycle crash (October 28, 2024);
• A 55-year-old, Hispanic, unhoused Oakland resident was killed when two vehicles crashed and lost control on E 12th St near 23rd Ave (October 7th, 2024); 6 • A Black, male, bicyclist from Oakland in his 50s was killed in a hit and run crash on Hegenberger Rd near Baldwin St (November 23, 2024);
• A 68-year-old, Asian, female, Oakland pedestrian was killed while walking near Foothill Blvd and 8th Avenue (December 12, 2024);
The data and information about fatalities, however, do not fully convey the scope of the problem. In nearly the same time six-year time period (from January 1, 2019 to June 30, 2024) there were 11,661 total crashes that were reported to the statewide tracking system (SWITRS), in which 187 people were killed and 15,359 people were injured.3 Of those crashes, 1,118 (nearly 10 percent) involved a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle. Nearly one quarter (23.91%) of all crashes in this period involved “unsafe speed.” Other dangerous driving behaviors that were the common causes of crashes include unsafe turning and failure to yield.
OakDOT staff has repeatedly indicated that these crashes disproportionately impact BIPOC communities, seniors, children, and people with disabilities. According to OakDOT:4 • Black Oaklanders are 2 times as likely to be killed or severely injured and 3 times more likely to be killed or severely injured while walking compared to other Oaklanders; • 30% of streets in majority Asian census tracts fall on the City of Oakland Pedestrian High Injury Network - the highest percentage of any ethnicity; • Older Oaklanders (65+) are more than 2 times as likely to be killed in a crash compared to all other Oaklanders; the majority of senior traffic deaths occur while walking.
According to the most recent high-injury network report by OakDOT, 8 percent of Oakland’s streets account for 60 percent of severe and fatal crashes, and 95% of high-injury streets are located in Medium- to High-Priority Equity Neighborhoods.5 The following graphics depict specific aspects of Oakland’s 2024 High Injury Network, which was updated this year:
3 UC Berkeley SafeTREC, Transportation Injury Mapping System, available at https://tims.berkeley.edu/tools/query/summary.php (last accessed December 17, 2024) 4 OakDOT: Why Crashes Happen, available at https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/safe-oakland- streets#why-crashes-happen
5 High Injury Network 2024 (updated May 2024), available at https://www.oaklandca.gov/resources/high- injury-network-2024
7 8
Collision data also does not provide a complete understanding of driving practices in the city.
While many cities throughout the United States noted increases in dangerous driving behaviors during the Covid-19 shutdown period and thereafter, many Commissioners and members of the public at BPAC meetings have expressed observing increased speeds, more frequent red-light violations, and more reckless driving behaviors.
In many presentations OakDOT has emphasized the dangers caused by high speed vehicles, explaining that “Vehicles traveling at higher speeds are more likely to kill or severely injure people walking and bicycling in a crash—in collisions with vehicles travelling 20-mph, nine out of 10 pedestrians and cyclists survive, but at 40-mph, only one out of ten people survive.
Drivers traveling at higher speeds are also less likely to yield to people walking, because it takes longer to slow down.”
It does not appear that the city has a comprehensive system for systematically monitoring speeds or red-light violations for data collection purposes (except for studies on individual corridors in relation to specific infrastructure projects). There also does not appear to be a system for collecting data on “near-miss” incidents. However, we know that OakDOT receives approximately 800 traffic safety requests from community members through our 311 system each year. Available data regarding 311 requests suggests that the city has received over 1,000 calls for service for “sideshow prevention” since April 2022.6 In recent years, the Department has identified and tested many installations that can have impacts on speeds and dangerous behaviors, including those in the Pedestrian Safety Toolkit:
6 OAK 311 Service Request Map (draft), available at https://data.oaklandca.gov/Infrastructure/OAK-311- Service-Request-Map-draft-/yex2-nh8s (last accessed December 17, 2024)
9 Projects to install flex-posts and paint to narrow roadways, slow turns, more clearly identify crosswalks, and protect “daylighted” areas at intersections can significantly decrease speeds
10 and crashes. Additionally, raised crosswalks, speed humps, and high visibility crosswalks are also effective in reducing speeds and crashes. Some images of installations from Oakland and other bay area communities are included below as examples of traffic-calming efforts using paint, flex-posts, speed humps, and center-line hardening. While more permanent installations to protect pedestrians and bicyclists are generally preferred, and while not all quick-build installations may be perfect, many lower-cost and shorter-term installations such as these can have some calming influence on driving behavior.
11 12
BPAC Meetings and Activites in 2024
The BPAC holds regular in-person commission meetings on the third Thursday of each month.
The Commission held twelve meetings in 2024, with one meeting held at a remote location outside of City Hall (at the 81st Avenue library). Meetings are streamed and recorded, and viewable in real-time by members of the public.
Standing agenda items include:
• Review of recent fatal pedestrian and bicyclist crashes; • Open-forum;
• Updates from standing and ad-hoc committees of the BPAC; • and discussion of future agenda items.
The Commission’s work in 2024 focused largely on examining many of the programs and projects that impact safety on Oakland’s streets, particularly for our most vulnerable street users:
• The speed bump program,
• The automated speed enforcement pilot project,
• Violence prevention work conducted by OakDOT,
• An overview of the work by the traffic engineering section, • Review of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP),
• An update on state legislation passed in 2023 impacting transportation, • Discussion of proposed community-driven traffic calming legislation, • Updates on the International Boulevard Oakland-AC Transit quick-build project, • A review of the newly revised high-injury network,
• An overview of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s quick-build program,
• Update on the “Safe Oakland Streets” program, and
• A status report on the implementation of the paving plan (Measure KK).
Additionally, BPAC received presentations relating to:
• An update on OakDOT organizational structure and budget; • A discussion with newly appointed Director Rowan;
• Update on the San Pablo Avenue Bus and Bike Lanes Project • Bike to Work day planning and review;
• Grant proposals for submission to the MTC (RM3) Safe Routes to Transit and Bay Trail Program (SR2TBT) for 8th St Corridor Improvements;
In April 2024, BPAC sent a letter to the City Council regarding the “Urgent need to prioritize traffic calming installations to address Oakland’s dangerous streets and increasing numbers of severe and fatal traffic collisions.”
13 The Commission also reviewed project proposals for many grant applications prepared by Department staff, both in the full BPAC and in the Commission’s standing Infrastructure Committee, and provided feedback as well as letters of support for many grant applications.
BPAC provided letters of support for several OakDOT grant applications, including for the following projects:
• Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 12 Grant Applications for “Safe Oakland Streets Senior Safety Improvements” and “Safe Oakland Streets Neighborhood Bike Routes Major Crossings Safety Improvements;”
• Active Transportation Program (ATP) Grant Application for LAAMPS Phases 2&3; • Active Transportation Program (ATP) Grant Application Franklin Complete Streets Project;
• Active Transportation Program (ATP) Grant Application 73rd Avenue • Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program (CRISI) application for the Embarcadero West Rail Safety and Access Improvements project; Committee Reports
The Commission has two standing committees, which meet separately and report to the full BPAC: The Infrastructure Commitee and the Legislative and Policy Committee. Additionally, Commissioners and members of the public have been designated as liaisons to monitor other commissions’ work that may impact pedestrians and bicyclists, and assist with specific tasks relating to BPAC’s work. The “Open Forum” liaison has worked routinely to assist in the tracking and follow-up from public comments made to our commission, and the ad-hoc “Recruitment Committee” reviewed applications for open BPAC commissioner positions and advised BPAC regarding its recommendations to the Mayor relating to the candidates. The following are additional updates regarding the 2024 activities of the Committees and open-forum liaison:
Infrastructure Committee:
This committee examines Oakland street and sidewalk plans and provides detailed feedback to staff. These meetings are held every other month, or as needed, and the committee reports back to the full BPAC. Agenda materials, presentations, and schematics are distributed in advance of meetings when possible, to assist committee members with formulating questions and ideas. Committee meeting agendas and notes are available online at:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qqS46y3dWNeAxMVwU3HTwjunj-b0pwANtZix- CisiWA/
The intent of this committee is to provide space for in‐depth reviews of items that would not ordinarily be accomplished during a BPAC meeting, and especially items that help inform broader design policies and standards, which will ultimately streamline the workflow for staff.
14 In 2024, the Infrastructure Committee consisted of 4 commissioners and 3 members of the public. It is open to the public and does have public attendance.
Members:
• Dianne Yee, co-chair (commissioner)
• Robert Prinz, co-chair
• Priyanka Altman (commissioner)
• Patricia Schader (commissioner)
• Grey Gardner (commissioner)
• Brendan Pittman
• Reginald Burnette Jr
The Infrastructure Committee held six meetings in 2024 covering a total of 16 items.
Items reviewed:
Meeting Date Projects Reviewed
Council
District
January 11, 2024
Oakland Bike Plan Implementation Review &
Discussion citywide
January 11, 2024
7th St East Port of Oakland Project, Bike/Walk
Access Construction Mitigation 3
January 11, 2024 7th Street Connection Project 3
March 7, 2024
Laurel Access to Mills, Maxwell Park &
Seminary (LAMMPS) Project Update 6
March 7, 2024 Lakeshore Ave Separated Bike Lanes Project 2 May 2, 2024 Link21 NorCal rail transportation plan citywide May 2, 2024 AC Transit Board Policy 501 Update citywide May 2, 2024
Embarcadero West Rail Safety and Access
Improvements 2, 3
May 2, 2024 Transit-Supportive Design Guidelines Update citywide July 11, 2024
14th Street West Oakland Corridor Safety
Project 3
July 11, 2024 San Pablo Ave Bus & Bike Lanes Project 1, 3 September 5, 2024
Safe Routes to Transit & Bay Trail Grant
Applications Review 2, 3
September 5, 2024
Alameda County Comprehensive Investment
Plan, Grant Applications & Status Update citywide
15 September 5, 2024 Caltrans Doolittle Paving Project Review 7 November 7, 2024
Upper Telegraph Ave Complete Streets
Design 1
November 7, 2024 Curbside Bike Lane Separation Opportunities citywide In 2024, the Infrastructure Committee has been successful in working with OakDOT staff on:
• Review of proposed projects prior to submitting the applications for grant funding. • Coordination and design review of OakDOT major capital projects including LAMMPS, Embarcadero West Rail Safety and Access Improvements, the 7th Street Connection Project, and the 14th Street West Oakland Corridor Safety Project. • Coordination and review of projects and plans with other external partners including the Alameda County Transportation Commission (San Pablo Ave Bus & Bike Lanes Project), Port of Oakland (7th Street Grade Separation East project), BART (Link21) and AC Transit (Transit Supportive Design Guidelines).
Committee Recommendations:
• Coordinate with state and regional agencies to support safe, local connections. External agencies including Caltrans, Union Pacific, and others continue to delay or water down Oakland bike/walk projects. We were not aware of Caltrans’ Doolittle Paving Project and only found out through the City of Alameda.
Their project is not conforming to the City of Oakland 2019 Bike Plan to implement Class IV protected bikeways. We are not aware of any outreach that Caltrans has done to Oakland residents about this project. This project is the last bikeway gap around San Leandro Bay.
• Hire more staff to support implementation of successfully funded grant applications. Grant-funded projects need to be completed on-time to show grant funders that Oakland is capable of delivering projects and is deserving of future grant funding. More planners, engineers, contract analysts, and interns are needed to support these projects.
Legislative and Policy Committee:
Members:
• Nick Whipps, co-chair (commissioner)
• Kevin Dalley, co-chair
• David Ralston (commissioner)
• Alex Frank (commissioner)
• Caleb Jones
• Anwar Baroudi
16 The BPAC Policy and Legislative met during 2024 to discuss challenges with the completeness and accuracy of publicly-available collision data, current injury and fatality data, which is largely sourced from the UC Berkeley safeTREC SWITRS/TIMS database, based on police reports.7 The Committee has been investigating policy recommendations that would lead to greater collection and access to:
1. Coroner data
2. Oakland Fire Department and EMT data, and
3. Alameda County Public Health Data
San Francisco has made similar steps, which has improved the quality of San Francisco data.
The Committee is also looking at methods of improving tracking of 311 calls for service relating to transportation issues.
Additionally, the Committee is developing recommendations for BPAC to potentially provide input to the Oakland General Plan Update, particularly the Land Use and Transportation Element, and the upcoming revision of Oakland’s Pedestrian Plan.
Open Forum:
The Commission again in 2024 appointed several liaisons to track and monitor issues raised by the public during Open Forum. Open forum is an important function of BPAC and venue for community engagement for OakDOT, allowing members of the public to comment on items not on the regular agenda. Commissioners Patricia Schader and Jimmy Jessup served as open forum liaisons and tracked issues brought to the BPAC at its monthly meetings. Tracking of issues raised is publicly available at http://tinyurl.com/Oakland-BPAC-OpenForumTracking.
Over 230 Open Forum public comments have been made since 2015. In many instances, this could be the only opportunity for members of the public to comment on specific bicycle and pedestrian issues. Indeed, many of the comments BPAC hears deal with larger transportation issues and are not always specific to bicycle and pedestrian topics that closely relate to certain members of the community.
In 2024, Open Forum received 40 comments between January and November, made by 19 different individuals. This is nearly a 50% increase compared to 2023, when 27 Open Forum comments were made. The highest month for comments was during the May 2024 BPAC meeting, when 5 community members commented on the success of the recent Bike to Wherever Day events, among other comments.
The issue tracking sheet categorizes comments in three categories. “Announcements” denotes comments such as a recap of past events, future event announcement, or note 7 The Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) has been developed over the past ten-plus years by SafeTREC to provide free access to California crash data. Available at https://tims.berkeley.edu/ 17 of congratulation that are meant for informational purposes to staff, commissioners, and members of the public. “No Follow-Up Needed” comments typically indicate that a comment or issue is addressed or resolved to satisfaction by staff or commissioners during the meeting, or that the commenter has made or is referred to make input to the City via 311 or SeeClickFix during the Open Forum response immediately following the comment. Finally, “For Investigation,” indicates issues that the Open Forum Liaisons will endeavor to follow-up on and track to closure. Of the 40 comments made during 2023 BPAC meetings, comment categorization totals are as follows:
• Announcements: 24 (60% of all comments)
• No Follow-up Needed: 10 (25%)
• For Investigation: 6 (15%)
These figures indicate a shift of how Open Forum is being utilized by participants. in 2023, only 8 of 27 comments (30%) were "Announcements," and this percentage doubled in 2024.
Of the six actions for investigation, four have been marked as resolved from the perspective of the Open Forum Liaisons. This does not necessarily indicate that, for instance, physical infrastructure changes have been installed on-site in response to an Open Forum comment, but rather that the liaison’s role is complete, such that commenters have been connected with resources, an item is taken up by another BPAC committee, or otherwise that an action plan to address the issue has been initiated by another party.
Additionally, Open Forum can serve as a conduit to feed the future topic list for BPAC meeting agendas. Regardless of whether an item is an "Announcement,” “No Follow-Up Needed”, or “For Investigation,” the topic may be worthwhile spending time on with additional preparation and in a future meeting forum. Topics that liaisons indicated as potential items for a future agenda include the following (some of which were already incorporated into a meeting of the Commission):
• Vision 980 Project
• Community Traffic Calming Pilot update
• Downtown Oakland Specific Plan implementation
• Highway Safety Improvement Plan countermeasures and scoring 18 Challenges and Recommendations:
In 2024 Commissioners and many members of the public have expressed appreciation for the work of OakDOT staff, who in recent years have sought to secure funding and implement major street redesign projects, increase traffic calming work, and deliver significantly increased mileage of streets repaved. Nonetheless, we have observed that in many parts of the city dangerous driving continues to occur at high rates. The most immediate, effective and equitable approach to reducing those dangers is to invest more in near-term traffic-calming installations, which will require continued commitment to fully staffing the Department and providing the necessary resources to expand proactive “quick-build” traffic-calming work. The Commission respectfully provides the following recommendations to the City Council to address concerns about dangerous streets:
(1) Prioritize and resource “quick-build” speed-reduction / traffic-calming projects: While the Department has created an effective “Rapid Response” program to conduct analysis of fatal collisions and make safety improvements at locations where fatal collisions occur, it is critical to do more of this type of work on a proactive basis, particularly in locations identified on the High Injury Network and locations outside of the High Injury Network that have been identified as dangerous by members of the public. Presently, some locations identified as dangerous are the subject of grant proposals or capital improvement projects (CIP), which often take years to secure funding, design, and deliver. To make Oakland’s streets safer in the near term, we must vastly expand work designed to slow streets and make intersections safer, including installation of flex-posts to narrow roadways and “bulb-out” corners at intersections, crosswalk painting / repainting, installation of bollards and water/soil-filled barriers, “center-line hardening” and treatments (i.e. steel plates) that impede “sideshow”-style activities. Such investments are desperately needed to prevent further loss of life in areas that are known to the city to be dangerous to pedestrians and bicyclists and residents should not have to wait years for the implementation of major paving or street redesign projects to have safety measures installed. In addition to providing additional resources to develop a dedicated quick-build traffic-calming program, the Council should:
a. Prioritizing hiring for OakDOT’s Safe Streets Traffic Engineering section; b. Expand the community traffic calming pilot program to allow more projects to be undertaken on a voluntary basis by community groups;
c. Urge the development of a data-driven speed-reduction plan, which would require the collection of speed data on key, dangerous corridors; We have also repeatedly urged that speed monitoring be routinely conducted prior to- and following any installation in order to evaluate effectiveness; d. Use Council discretionary funds specifically for traffic calming projects at dangerous corridors or intersections identified on the High Injury Network; 19 e. Urge the creation of default traffic calming treatments adjacent to every school throughout the city;
(2) Remove barriers to hiring critical staff for safety work: For years OakDOT has been reportedly experienced among the highest vacancy rates of Oakland city departments - routinely over 30 percent. The lack of sufficient staff, most notably engineers and trained maintenance teams to design and install needed paving, bollards, delineators, crosswalks, lane striping, signage and more, has hindered the transformation of our roadways to “complete streets” and often impeded delivery projects that are already funded by state, regional and federal grants and bonds approved by the voters. The lack of adequate engineering staff may limit the time that staff can spend ensuring that funded paving projects include treatments identified as preferred pursuant to the adopted 2019 Bike Plan, 2017 Pedestrian Plan and other city plans. Although the Council and multiple administrations have conducted some examinations of contributing factors, the lengthy and inefficient hiring process continues to result in too many qualified applicants securing work in other entities throughout the region before an offer can be made by OakDOT. BPAC has raised the issues with staff for the city administrator’s office and expressed concern to the Council in recent years. We again urge the Council to immediately take action to streamline the hiring process, perhaps including a fast- track process for positions critical to safety such as traffic engineers and traffic maintenance staff. Additionally, a process should be modified to allow qualified individuals who have worked as interns for the department to be timely hired, perhaps on a conditional basis, prior to their official graduation from a required degree program.
(3) Adopt a resolution establishing the prioritization of safe streets and environmentally sustainable transportation to, in part, require that the safety for people walking and bicycling shall be the highest priority in any lane design / redesign project. The Council
20 should legislatively mandate that the safety of vulnerable street users, including seniors, children and individuals walking or bicycling must be prioritized in any street design, redesign, or resurfacing project.8
(4) Expand and modify the speed hump program: Speed bumps, speed humps and speed cushions can significantly reduce the speeds of vehicles, particularly when designed and constructed to meet the specific context. The department in 2024 has reportedly increased the number of speed bumps installed. The traffic engineering section does not have sufficient staff to meet the demand for bumps, largely in residential areas, and reportedly must prioritize requests. Additional staffing is needed to meet this demand and install bumps in known dangerous locations, with or without a specific request from the public. At present the program requires a resident to submit an application and official petition form with signatures from a minimum of 2/3 (67%) of the addresses on the block where the speed bump would be placed.9 Such requirements create barriers for residents in some neighborhoods and should instead be centered on safety and equity. It is our recommendation that the program allow a low-barrier request through 311 (and/or a simple online form) and prioritized to proactively address dangerous locations where vehicle speeds are determined to be excessive. (5) Automated enforcement Implementation: For several years BPAC supported the establishment of state legislation to allow automated speed enforcement (ASE) pilot projects in several cities, including Oakland, to deploy an equitable automated speed enforcement program. The Commission wrote in support for AB 645 (authorizing pilot projects in 5 California cities) and continues to support the establishment of such a program that will attempt to reduce the general speed of traffic without relying on police enforcement. Since the enactment of AB 645, we have provided input to OakDOT staff regarding its implementation, including recommending that the department to work with the selected vendor to send meaningful information about the dangers of speed to accompany warnings and violations. For several years – even before the passage of legislation to authorize a pilot project to allow automated speed enforcement in select California cities - many Commissioners have also urged that the city pilot a project to use automated “red light” violation enforcement to test whether such automated systems impact compliance with signals. The city could explore adding such capability in a select number of locations as it builds out the automated speed enforcement project. (6) Ensure coordination of agencies to provide publicly available collision data: Mandate greater sharing of real-time (non-personally identifiable) collision data presently maintained by the Oakland Police Department describing the number and locations of traffic collisions occurring in the city. Presently, OPD primarily shares information about 8 See e.g. City of Alameda Resolution No. 15648, available at https://www.alamedaca.gov/files/assets/public/v/1/departments/alameda/transportation/vision- zero/streetdesignresolution15648.pdf
9 Further information about the City of Oakland’s speed bump application requirements available at https://www.oaklandca.gov/services/apply-for-a-speed-bump 21 fatal traffic collisions, but does not appear to provide data on other collision incidents (i.e. non-injury, injury, and hit-and-run incidents) in real time. (7) Engage in public education and outreach regarding street safety: The city does not appear to engage in substantial public campaigns through social media, direct mail or other communications work to educate the public about the dangers of speeding and other dangerous driving activities. Even if such efforts are expected to have negligible impacts on the most dangerous driving, the City should use existing communications staff and resources to run campaigns that attempt to impact driving behaviors – particularly relating to speeds. Additionally, the city should encourage public members to report dangerous locations and “near-miss” incidents in Oak311.10 (8) Recognize lives lost in traffic incidents during Council meetings: Several years ago BPAC urged the Department to provide public tracking of severe and fatal traffic collisions. The Department has made such information available and maintains publicly accessible maps and data, which is updated frequently. Our commission has also for several years committed a portion of our agenda to recognizing fatal collisions or other known severe-injury incidents. We urge the Council to similarly provide time on at least a monthly basis to recognize the tragic loss of lives on our streets and provide an opportunity to discuss ongoing issues relating to traffic calming needs and efforts to address such issues.
(9) Prioritize projects to improve access to the shoreline throughout East Oakland: BPAC has repeatedly requested presentations regarding projects that may enhance access to the shoreline for bicyclists throughout East Oakland. Routes for pedestrians and bicyclists to reach the recreational areas along the shoreline, particularly in East Oakland, are few and existing routes are extremely dangerous. The Council should prioritize funding for projects that will significantly enhance the safety of routes connecting residential areas in East Oakland with the shoreline. 10 See e.g. City of Alameda “near-miss” data collection, available at https://www.alamedaca.gov/files/assets/public/v/2/departments/alameda/transportation/vision- zero/appendixc_communityreportednearmisses.pdf
22 Appendix A: Commissioners
BPAC Commissioners are appointed by the Mayor of Oakland and commissioners serve three- year terms during each appointment. Efforts are made to appoint Commissioners from each of the city’s council districts and bring a range of experience. The 2024 BPAC Commissioners are the following:
Grey Gardner, Chair (District 2): Grey is a District 2 resident living in the Eastlake / Ivy Hill area, who has served on BPAC for five years. Having commuted to work by bike for over twenty years and frequently walking throughout Oakland with a toddler, he is eager to see Oakland’s roads become increasingly safer and more comfortable for bicyclists and pedestrians. He previously served as a public defender outside of California and presently works on drug policy and criminal-justice reform issues in California and nationwide.
David Ralston, Vice Chair (District 2): David works as policy advisor for the regional Bay Area Air District focusing on local health equity land-use planning, environmental justice policy, and community engagement around designing and implementing green infrastructure. David has also worked as a strategic planner and urban economic analyst for the City of Oakland’s Redevelopment Agency helping to realize key bicycle/pedestrian projects such as Fruitvale Alive, the Laurel to Mills access project, and the San Leandro/Lisjan Creek Greenway. David enjoys working with local community and neighborhood groups as part of a larger goal to build out an accessible grassroots‐led inter‐connected citywide “green network” that reflects the culture and diversity of Oakland. David is an avid bicyclist and hiker when he is not at the Lake or relaxing at home with his family in District 2.
Phoenix Mangrum (District 5): Phoenix has been a bicyclist since the age of 4. For over 10 years he has worked as a bike mechanic and bicycle safety educator with youth and adults. The focus has been teaching bike safety through the safe routes to schools program—elementary, middle and high school students. Phoenix also teaches a bike safety class for low-income adults who need a bike for transportation.
Patricia Schader, (District 7): Patricia grew up in East Oakland and currently resides in Deep East Oakland. When she moved back to Deep East Oakland the first item that she noticed was the lack of infrastructure. As an avid cyclist and runner, for every bike ride she would have to drive somewhere to ride because of the lack of infrastructure. However, she noticed other parts of Oakland have great bike lanes, walking paths and wide sidewalks with children in other areas on bikes in the bike lanes enjoying their bikes. She joined the BPAC to advocate to improve Infrastructure in East Oakland and bring equity and equality to the underprivileged citizens and the at-risk children in East Oakland. Nick Whipps (District 6): Nick lives in District 6 and has been a member of BPAC since January 2022. He cares about Oakland bicycle & pedestrian equity and safety issues, especially in the Deep East.
Dianne Yee, Chair (District 3): Dianne is a transportation planner who grew up in the East Bay.
She attended UC San Diego where she saw that suburban land uses and limited transportation choices are unsustainable and inconvenient. She continued her studies at Portland State 23 University and earned her Master in Urban and Regional Planning. She returned to Oakland to serve her community and because the Bay Area is home.
Alex Frank, (District 4): Alex was born and raised in Oakland. His perspective includes a number of years living, walking, and riding bikes in other cities and countries around the world.
His educational background is in Economics, Public Policy, and Urban Development. He sees bicycles as one tool to help economically disadvantaged people gain a competitive edge and enjoy a fun, healthy way of getting around. His main focus is on road safety and assurance as a means to get people to try modes of transit outside of driving. His hope is this will help create more caring and thriving neighborhoods in Oakland. Through his work with the non-profit Campmobility.org he spends a great deal of time walking, riding and taking transit throughout Oakland, and East Oakland in particular. He is usually smiling and loves to meet new people, so feel free to reach out to him, or wave if you see him in your neighborhood.
Nick Whipps (District 6): Nick lives in District 6 and has been a member of BPAC since January 2022. He cares about Oakland bicycle & pedestrian equity and safety issues, especially in the Deep East.
Priyanka Altman (District 1): Priyanka Altman is an avid pedestrian and cyclist in Oakland, and joined the BPAC in 2024. She lives car free and is committed to making Oakland’s streets safer and more enjoyable for all users. When she’s not meeting with the BPAC, she serves as a board member of Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, plays violin in the Oakland Civic Orchestra, and runs with Oakland Track Club. Spot her most days strolling with her dog Molly in Adams Point and by the lake, rain or shine!
Jimmy Jessup (District 1): Jimmy joined the BPAC in March 2024. He grew up in Western Colorado, holds a Chemical Engineering degree from Rice University and a Masters in Urban Planning from Texas Southern University. His impressions and enthusiasm for meeting the needs of all transportation users is shaped by living and working in numerous European countries and American regions. He loves nothing more than a brisk morning jog or exploratory cycle ride through the city, observing the street activity as it begins to come to life.