5 22-0144 Subject: 14th Street Safety Project
From: Transportation Department
Recommendation: Adopt A Resolution Approving The 14th Street Safety Project; Approving The 14th Street Safety Project Parking Management Plan; And Adopting California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Findings
"I strongly support the protected bike lanes on 14th. They should be installed as quickly as possible to make our streets safer, help the businesses on 14th, and support the return to work. We Oakland residents want the 2019 bike plan to be built it, with all the protected bike lanes built soon. I’ve spoken to several of the largest business owners on 14th and they have stated their strong support for protected bike lanes on 14th. This will make our corridor safer, and help kids and families get around safely with less fear of being hit by a car driver. We need to reduce the number of car parking spaces and car lanes in Oakland especially around 14th. Please approve this and get the protected bike lanes completed ASAP."
I strongly support the protected bike lanes on 14th. They should be installed as quickly as possible to make our streets safer, help the businesses on 14th, and support the return to work. We Oakland residents want the 2019 bike plan to be built it, with all the protected bike lanes built soon. I’ve spoken to several of the largest business owners on 14th and they have stated their strong support for protected bike lanes on 14th. This will make our corridor safer, and help kids and families get around safely with less fear of being hit by a car driver. We need to reduce the number of car parking spaces and car lanes in Oakland especially around 14th. Please approve this and get the protected bike lanes completed ASAP.
I strongly support the proposal to remove a car lane in each direction and install physically protected bike lanes in both directions. We desperately need protected bike lanes here to increase safety and help struggling local businesses on the corridor. The only part of the plan which I oppose is the increase in car parking in the neighborhood. We do not need nor want more car parking. There is already too much in the area and it is leading to a suppression of businesses in the area. OakDOT and the city of Oakland should not be increasing parking for cars. What we need are protected bike lanes, bike corrals, and bus lanes.
This project should have been delivered years ago, but I am thankful that it is finally moving forward. Please approve this project and build the protected bike lanes as soon as possible.
I like the opportunity to provide a backup infrastructure (e.g. gas prices high) and equitable infrastructure for people of all income levels to sustainably commute. For example, I worked at taco bell in High School, riding a bike to work. Today, I use it to commute, but also advocate for those who are afraid to bike.
Please support protected bike lanes on 14th St. I bike my children to and from school across downtown. Currently there isn't a single safe street to do this anywhere downtown. 14th St would finally create a much needed cycling connection between West Oakland and Lake Merrit. Please also consider quick build implementation to get a road diet on the street in advance of full construction. We've been waiting far too long for this life saving improvement. As for 13th St, why not go even farther? Narrow the street to one lane and put angled parking on both sides. That would yield more meter revenue for the city, a calmer 13th St, and less complaints about lost parking on 14th St.
I am an Oakland resident and I strongly support the full proposed 14th street safety project, including concrete-protected bikeways the entire length of the project area, and intersections protected with concrete islands. I regularly walk and bike in this area and this new project will make it safer for myself and others. I also own a car and think that these improvements will make it safer for drivers as well - speeding is dangerous for everyone!
I am very excited by this project and congratulate everyone who has contributed to its development. I worked in Downtown Oakland and the area desperately needed a safe east-to-west corridor for active transportation. There was no way to get to my job from West Oakland, East Oakland, or Grand Lake without biking in the tight and dangerous space between drivers and parked cars, or walking on the cramped sidewalks. 14th St is the perfect candidate for such a corridor and the project has been designed well, balancing the safety and mobility of all users. It should provide a wonderful gate to Downtown Oakland and I really hope it can be constructed before there are any further injuries.
I strongly support the full proposed 14th street safety project, including concrete-protected bikeways the entire length of the project area, and intersections protected with concrete islands. Living in West Oakland, 14th is a key corridor for me to get downtown, to the Lake, and to regular fitness activities near Grand Lake Theater. I no longer take 14th because it is so dangerous, between potholes and reckless drivers. Instead I go eastbound on 11th and westbound on 19th. Neither are ideal, but there's less dangerous traffic than 14th.
If we are going to align our actions with our stated values, this project is an imperative. It will allow people of all ages, incomes, and abilities to feel safe riding a bicycle or other small mobility device (scooter, electric wheelchair) downtown. This will help with emissions, transportation costs, congestion, as well as improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety. The real danger on our streets is when people drive large, heavy cars at high speeds or distracted. Businesses will benefit from more pedestrian and bicycle traffic that will stop in for a coffee or to check out artwork, and can make 14th street a destination more than a high speed corridor. When globally leading cities like Paris and London are taking much greater strides, surely Oakland can take this small step to make our streets safer, more equitable, and more community friendly.
I submitted a comment without having an account, so I do not know if my comment actually got recorded. Forgive me if this is a duplicate. I am a Berkeley resident and ride my bicycle frequently in downtown Oakland. I support improvements to 14th Street to make it safe for those who bike and walk. The street connects many downtown locations, such as 12th Street BART and Lake Merritt. I regularly ride to the post office on 13th and Alice. Many streets in downtown are one way which limit travel options. I frequently ride to 14th Street from Mandela Parkway. 14th is a wide street, which encourages car drivers to drive at high speed. I would feel much safer on this street with these improvements. More people would feel more comfortable walking and biking with these improvements in place.
As an Oakland resident, biker, and driver, I 100% support this project as it makes 14th St safer for everyone who uses it — drivers included! Thank you, OakDOT, for working to benefit the safety of all and not the desire to speed among the few.
As a d3 resident I strongly support this project. I bike everyday in downtown Oakland for work and errands and 14th is one of the more dangerous streets I use with speeding and running red lights common. We need to make Oakland a place where everyone feels comfortable getting around by walking, biking or scootering and this project will certainly help get us there.
Thank you for supporting this state-funded safety project and moving it forward to construction.
14th Street is one of the most important pieces of Oakland’s bikeway network. The completion of this project will at long last result in a bicycle connection via 14th St to the west through West Oakland, and to the east via Lake Merritt Blvd and E 12th St to Fruitvale.
The significant amount of public input and communication on this project has resulted in design improvements related to accessibility, local business needs, car parking, nightlife, and safety.
Multiple people, mostly seniors, have been hit and killed by drivers on this corridor even since the project funding was awarded. Let us expedite the construction of this facility and hopefully avoid yet another tragedy.
I strongly support approval of the 14th St Safety Project. The City's 2017 High Injury Network Analysis showed that 14th Street is one of the least-safe streets in the city for people traveling by any mode, but particularly for those traveling by bike. As someone that regularly travels by bike around the city, including to work at City Center, I concur with the dangerous nature of traveling on 14th St.
This effort is critical to improving mobility in Oakland. As it is now, there is no way to safely travel across downtown by bike in the east/west directions. Oakland, especially the flatlands, has so much potential to be one of the safest and best cities to travel by bike. The roads are flat, the weather is great year round, and we have the density to make so many trips accessible by bike, which is a cheaper and faster way to get from one place to another in and around downtown. These improvements are long overdue and will allow more people to move more easily across town. Thank you to the city staff and Council Members that have worked to see this through.
I have maintained an office at 14th & Broadway for 46 years. This area has seriously deteriorated. It is a wasteland of vacant
storefronts and empty office buildings. There is virtually no parking and no retail. Crime and homelessness are rampant.
Out of town clients have complained to me and ridiculed the street barriers, narrowed streets, confusing lane markings and i
inept traffic management in this City. The 14th Street featherbed project looks like more of the same.
To the extent this project would further reduce parking and impede access to the downtown area it should be rejected. We need
more jobs and business and less bicycles, skateboards and City Hall nonsense. This City is dying and its demise is being
accelerated by asinine public works projects.
I'm so happy to see this plan for a safer east-west street through Downtown. I currently live near the lake and I mainly bike, walk, or bus everywhere. It's tough to get anywhere by bike in the Downtown area, every potential route eventually drops you into car traffic. I find myself avoiding Downtown and instead choosing Uptown, North Oakland, or Berkeley. I don't understand the need for more street parking, there are already so many surface lots and structures around there taking up valuable space.
Nice work. Adding parking just a block away on 13th should hopefully alleviate business owners' concerns about loss of parking directly on 14th. Any reason why there are no direct crossings between the floating bus stop and the sidewalk?
As a D3 resident that regularly uses 14th Street both as a bus and bike rider, I fully support the proposed infrastructure improvements.
14th Street is a busy corridor that, as it stands right now, doesn't adequately serve non-car street users. Safety enhancements such as protected bike lanes and pedestrian paths are long overdue, and it's critical that the city moves forward with this plan to improve the lives of people who live, work, and play in Oakland.
Danielle Lee said it best:
"I strongly support the protected bike lanes on 14th. They should be installed as quickly as possible to make our streets safer, help the businesses on 14th, and support the return to work. We Oakland residents want the 2019 bike plan to be built it, with all the protected bike lanes built soon. I’ve spoken to several of the largest business owners on 14th and they have stated their strong support for protected bike lanes on 14th. This will make our corridor safer, and help kids and families get around safely with less fear of being hit by a car driver. We need to reduce the number of car parking spaces and car lanes in Oakland especially around 14th. Please approve this and get the protected bike lanes completed ASAP."
I strongly support the protected bike lanes on 14th. They should be installed as quickly as possible to make our streets safer, help the businesses on 14th, and support the return to work. We Oakland residents want the 2019 bike plan to be built it, with all the protected bike lanes built soon. I’ve spoken to several of the largest business owners on 14th and they have stated their strong support for protected bike lanes on 14th. This will make our corridor safer, and help kids and families get around safely with less fear of being hit by a car driver. We need to reduce the number of car parking spaces and car lanes in Oakland especially around 14th. Please approve this and get the protected bike lanes completed ASAP.
I strongly support the proposal to remove a car lane in each direction and install physically protected bike lanes in both directions. We desperately need protected bike lanes here to increase safety and help struggling local businesses on the corridor. The only part of the plan which I oppose is the increase in car parking in the neighborhood. We do not need nor want more car parking. There is already too much in the area and it is leading to a suppression of businesses in the area. OakDOT and the city of Oakland should not be increasing parking for cars. What we need are protected bike lanes, bike corrals, and bus lanes.
This project should have been delivered years ago, but I am thankful that it is finally moving forward. Please approve this project and build the protected bike lanes as soon as possible.
I like the opportunity to provide a backup infrastructure (e.g. gas prices high) and equitable infrastructure for people of all income levels to sustainably commute. For example, I worked at taco bell in High School, riding a bike to work. Today, I use it to commute, but also advocate for those who are afraid to bike.
Please support protected bike lanes on 14th St. I bike my children to and from school across downtown. Currently there isn't a single safe street to do this anywhere downtown. 14th St would finally create a much needed cycling connection between West Oakland and Lake Merrit. Please also consider quick build implementation to get a road diet on the street in advance of full construction. We've been waiting far too long for this life saving improvement. As for 13th St, why not go even farther? Narrow the street to one lane and put angled parking on both sides. That would yield more meter revenue for the city, a calmer 13th St, and less complaints about lost parking on 14th St.
I am an Oakland resident and I strongly support the full proposed 14th street safety project, including concrete-protected bikeways the entire length of the project area, and intersections protected with concrete islands. I regularly walk and bike in this area and this new project will make it safer for myself and others. I also own a car and think that these improvements will make it safer for drivers as well - speeding is dangerous for everyone!
I am very excited by this project and congratulate everyone who has contributed to its development. I worked in Downtown Oakland and the area desperately needed a safe east-to-west corridor for active transportation. There was no way to get to my job from West Oakland, East Oakland, or Grand Lake without biking in the tight and dangerous space between drivers and parked cars, or walking on the cramped sidewalks. 14th St is the perfect candidate for such a corridor and the project has been designed well, balancing the safety and mobility of all users. It should provide a wonderful gate to Downtown Oakland and I really hope it can be constructed before there are any further injuries.
I strongly support the full proposed 14th street safety project, including concrete-protected bikeways the entire length of the project area, and intersections protected with concrete islands. Living in West Oakland, 14th is a key corridor for me to get downtown, to the Lake, and to regular fitness activities near Grand Lake Theater. I no longer take 14th because it is so dangerous, between potholes and reckless drivers. Instead I go eastbound on 11th and westbound on 19th. Neither are ideal, but there's less dangerous traffic than 14th.
If we are going to align our actions with our stated values, this project is an imperative. It will allow people of all ages, incomes, and abilities to feel safe riding a bicycle or other small mobility device (scooter, electric wheelchair) downtown. This will help with emissions, transportation costs, congestion, as well as improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety. The real danger on our streets is when people drive large, heavy cars at high speeds or distracted. Businesses will benefit from more pedestrian and bicycle traffic that will stop in for a coffee or to check out artwork, and can make 14th street a destination more than a high speed corridor. When globally leading cities like Paris and London are taking much greater strides, surely Oakland can take this small step to make our streets safer, more equitable, and more community friendly.
I submitted a comment without having an account, so I do not know if my comment actually got recorded. Forgive me if this is a duplicate. I am a Berkeley resident and ride my bicycle frequently in downtown Oakland. I support improvements to 14th Street to make it safe for those who bike and walk. The street connects many downtown locations, such as 12th Street BART and Lake Merritt. I regularly ride to the post office on 13th and Alice. Many streets in downtown are one way which limit travel options. I frequently ride to 14th Street from Mandela Parkway. 14th is a wide street, which encourages car drivers to drive at high speed. I would feel much safer on this street with these improvements. More people would feel more comfortable walking and biking with these improvements in place.
As an Oakland resident, biker, and driver, I 100% support this project as it makes 14th St safer for everyone who uses it — drivers included! Thank you, OakDOT, for working to benefit the safety of all and not the desire to speed among the few.
As a d3 resident I strongly support this project. I bike everyday in downtown Oakland for work and errands and 14th is one of the more dangerous streets I use with speeding and running red lights common. We need to make Oakland a place where everyone feels comfortable getting around by walking, biking or scootering and this project will certainly help get us there.
Thank you for supporting this state-funded safety project and moving it forward to construction.
14th Street is one of the most important pieces of Oakland’s bikeway network. The completion of this project will at long last result in a bicycle connection via 14th St to the west through West Oakland, and to the east via Lake Merritt Blvd and E 12th St to Fruitvale.
The significant amount of public input and communication on this project has resulted in design improvements related to accessibility, local business needs, car parking, nightlife, and safety.
Multiple people, mostly seniors, have been hit and killed by drivers on this corridor even since the project funding was awarded. Let us expedite the construction of this facility and hopefully avoid yet another tragedy.
I strongly support approval of the 14th St Safety Project. The City's 2017 High Injury Network Analysis showed that 14th Street is one of the least-safe streets in the city for people traveling by any mode, but particularly for those traveling by bike. As someone that regularly travels by bike around the city, including to work at City Center, I concur with the dangerous nature of traveling on 14th St.
This effort is critical to improving mobility in Oakland. As it is now, there is no way to safely travel across downtown by bike in the east/west directions. Oakland, especially the flatlands, has so much potential to be one of the safest and best cities to travel by bike. The roads are flat, the weather is great year round, and we have the density to make so many trips accessible by bike, which is a cheaper and faster way to get from one place to another in and around downtown. These improvements are long overdue and will allow more people to move more easily across town. Thank you to the city staff and Council Members that have worked to see this through.
I have maintained an office at 14th & Broadway for 46 years. This area has seriously deteriorated. It is a wasteland of vacant
storefronts and empty office buildings. There is virtually no parking and no retail. Crime and homelessness are rampant.
Out of town clients have complained to me and ridiculed the street barriers, narrowed streets, confusing lane markings and i
inept traffic management in this City. The 14th Street featherbed project looks like more of the same.
To the extent this project would further reduce parking and impede access to the downtown area it should be rejected. We need
more jobs and business and less bicycles, skateboards and City Hall nonsense. This City is dying and its demise is being
accelerated by asinine public works projects.
I'm so happy to see this plan for a safer east-west street through Downtown. I currently live near the lake and I mainly bike, walk, or bus everywhere. It's tough to get anywhere by bike in the Downtown area, every potential route eventually drops you into car traffic. I find myself avoiding Downtown and instead choosing Uptown, North Oakland, or Berkeley. I don't understand the need for more street parking, there are already so many surface lots and structures around there taking up valuable space.
Nice work. Adding parking just a block away on 13th should hopefully alleviate business owners' concerns about loss of parking directly on 14th. Any reason why there are no direct crossings between the floating bus stop and the sidewalk?
Please make Oakland pedestrian and bike friendly! I’ve seen so many people speed on 14th st and is dangerous to our community.
The protected bike class strikes again. Peddling to them should come after homeless encampment cleanout, filling potholes, etc.
As a D3 resident that regularly uses 14th Street both as a bus and bike rider, I fully support the proposed infrastructure improvements.
14th Street is a busy corridor that, as it stands right now, doesn't adequately serve non-car street users. Safety enhancements such as protected bike lanes and pedestrian paths are long overdue, and it's critical that the city moves forward with this plan to improve the lives of people who live, work, and play in Oakland.
I wholeheartedly support bike, ped, and transit infrstructure on 14th. Here's to safer, more accessible, quieter, more pleasant streets.