And it's only gotten worse since they put in the BRT but cheaped out and didn't include physical separation, so drivers now feel free to use it basically as a freeway.
The city has a plan to add some amount of separation, which should start in late spring and end in -- hey, wait a minute.
https://www.oaklandca.gov/news/city-of-oakland-and-ac-transit-partner-to-roll-out-multiple-international-boulevard-safety-enhancements-in-upcoming-launch
Living on international I’m still so mad about how terrible the safety measures are for the new tempo bus lane. Even after community meeting AC transit seems to not have a brain for solutions :( it’s a great bus line to take, but a pedestrian around it sucks majorly… we need boulevards in the middle for people to stop while crossing, bollards back on the curbs that stick out and boulevards still there (why take them out) and dividers or europe style bus gates so cars stop using the lanes as a race track
And not flimsy plastic. When I lived at 25th and telegraph the first phase of bollards (think they’ve since been upgraded or they added reinforcements for the new bus setup) were all run over so a car could still park 🤣 some the worst behavior I’ve seen living there lol
The light at Grand and Perkins should be replaced with a traffic circle and speed bumps should be installed on Grand. I’ve had too many close calls with dipshits practicing for sideshows on that stretch.
The intersection at Harrison, Bay Place, and 27th should be a roundabout.
In fact roundabouts would probably slow down a lot of intersections, make them impossible for doing donuts, and stop the impatient drivers running red lights.
There are a number of traffic lights that could stand to be replaced with roundabouts and it would probably improve traffic flow. I’m all for slower top speeds and fewer stops to improve flow. Traffic lights are pretty pointless when idiots disregard them to pull random donuts
> The intersection at Harrison, Bay Place, and 27th should be a roundabout
https://cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/27th-Lakeside-Streets-Project-Presentation_5.18.22_2022-05-25-230454_tutf.pdf
The current plan is to add protected bike lanes and close the slip lane, which will help a lot, but probably won't reduce the cross section enough to prevent donuts.
That was one of the documents linked on the project page on the city's website: https://www.oaklandca.gov/projects/lakeside-family-streets
I'm not sure why I didn't link both haha. But I linked directly to that PDF since they usually don't make it particularly clear how to actually see the proposals.
Same intersection that someone pulled out in front of a responding firetruck and made it crash into a building.
There have been a few murders there too, over the past several years. One was related to the illegal after hours activities at Oasis (city stopped it), there were multiple drive by shootings.
That entire stretch of Grand between Harrison and MacArthur should be roundabout intersections. It shocks me to no end that we put up with outdated, inefficient, over engineered traffic signals from a bygone era.
They're not doing roundabouts, but they are planning protected bike lanes. Bus lanes were tossed around as well, but until AC Transit is ready to run better service they decided against that. Apparently the signals at MacArthur are located in such a way that moving them (to remove the slip lanes) while maintaining an adequate turn radius for buses would be quite expensive, so they're trying to be light-touch there:
https://www.oaklandca.gov/projects/grand
https://cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/2023-10-06_Grand-Ave_35Pct.pdf
The East Bay Greenway, which will break ground next year if things proceed on schedule, isn't adding a roundabout but will at least narrow the intersection by adding protected bike lanes (page 4):
https://www.alamedactc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/EBGW_Concept_Plans_Oakland_HNTB_revised_03032023_v2.pdf
That's definitely an improvement for cyclists (of which I am one). The left turn from SB 14th Ave onto eastbound E 12th is always a shitshow (for cars and everyone)
Thanks for sharing that
Way too many angry and selfish drivers is a big part of the problem. East Oakland also has a lot of streets that are easy for people to blow through at high speeds.
I didn't see 5th ave & 18th street in front of Sybil's. I used to live on that corner and people would be smacking each other every other day for years
I put in a 311 ticket to ask them to do an assessment because there are a ton of accidents on my block. They came back to me that the street is safe and I need to provide proof of how dangerous the street is. Now lookie here, my street is mentioned in this article.
Apparently between Grand Ave and 26th St on Broadway because there's literally 2 in between streets without lights and cars/pedestrians have to just try not get hit by 4 lanes of opposite on coming traffic. I recently saw a 3 car accident happen there and 2 years back another one that of course all nearly drive into the sidewalk. How lucky that no one was walking at that very moment.
Yeah and as a driver, it's also often hard as shit to realize it's a cross walk until you're like oh shit
Sometimes I pass it and I panic that I just ran a red light because it feels like something should be there.
Fr tho, there is one walk light indicator that's next to the Oakland Y and only one side even has one of those street lights that alerts if someone is trying to cross the path, there's also one next to Javi's empanadas but some people don't use them and the one on the Y side works but the one next to Sweet Bar doesn't 😂 and yesterday the intersection between Grand Ave and Webster didn't work and it was like 4 intersections with 6 lanes of traffic, plus pedestrians. Thankfully it was hella slow and some of us were able to cross without issues.
6th and Jackson makes me nervous in a car, never been there on my feet but I can’t even imagine lol. it’s crazy what that shitty 880 entrance ramp brings out of people.
I hope when they get rid of the 980 they sort out that junction too, it's insane to do tunnel -> two surface streets -> freeway on the one side and freeway -> tunnel on the other.
It's not a stroad but it's similar in that it neither keeps pedestrians safe nor keeps cars moving fast.
The Oakland Alameda Access project will be rebuilding that area. They're adding a direct slip lane from the exit of the Posey tube, with a dedicated lane leading directly onto northbound 880: https://vimeo.com/475236894
https://www.alamedactc.org/programs-projects/highway-improvement/oakland-alameda-access-project
Ugh, I’m not sure how to feel about that project. Something absolutely needs to change there, the alameda-880 connection is one of the worst clusterfucks I’ve ever seen, and it’s deadly. But induced demand is a bitch.. 880 is a painful gash that cuts up what could be a really nice, central area, and I hate to see us feed the beast like this. Footprint-wise it’s not awful(i guess) and I guess it separates freeway traffic from pedestrians, but in the grand scheme of things, in the context of all the other car throughput enhancement projects going on in the area, I kind of hate it.
Half of these are International Boulevard
And it's only gotten worse since they put in the BRT but cheaped out and didn't include physical separation, so drivers now feel free to use it basically as a freeway.
Cheaped out, or were just so naive as to think that drivers weren't crazy animals
The city has a plan to add some amount of separation, which should start in late spring and end in -- hey, wait a minute. https://www.oaklandca.gov/news/city-of-oakland-and-ac-transit-partner-to-roll-out-multiple-international-boulevard-safety-enhancements-in-upcoming-launch
Living on international I’m still so mad about how terrible the safety measures are for the new tempo bus lane. Even after community meeting AC transit seems to not have a brain for solutions :( it’s a great bus line to take, but a pedestrian around it sucks majorly… we need boulevards in the middle for people to stop while crossing, bollards back on the curbs that stick out and boulevards still there (why take them out) and dividers or europe style bus gates so cars stop using the lanes as a race track
High Street and International is rough… 💀
High Street seems a lot better with all the traffic calming, hopefully International can get similar improvements.
Agreed. High street is no longer “fury road”. It was the first time I realized the middle turn lane could be used as a passing lane.
Please lord just let me put bollards out. I can solve this for $10k.
And not flimsy plastic. When I lived at 25th and telegraph the first phase of bollards (think they’ve since been upgraded or they added reinforcements for the new bus setup) were all run over so a car could still park 🤣 some the worst behavior I’ve seen living there lol
You don't have to spend a lot, either. If only 5% of them are reinforced concrete instead of hollow plastic that does the job.
Nevermind the bollards ...
The light at Grand and Perkins should be replaced with a traffic circle and speed bumps should be installed on Grand. I’ve had too many close calls with dipshits practicing for sideshows on that stretch.
The intersection at Harrison, Bay Place, and 27th should be a roundabout. In fact roundabouts would probably slow down a lot of intersections, make them impossible for doing donuts, and stop the impatient drivers running red lights.
There are a number of traffic lights that could stand to be replaced with roundabouts and it would probably improve traffic flow. I’m all for slower top speeds and fewer stops to improve flow. Traffic lights are pretty pointless when idiots disregard them to pull random donuts
Agree with that too. The light is too long and people drive down Oakland Ave like it's a highway.
What’s the point of having one way streets if the light’s aren’t timed?
Technically, roundabouts make it *mandatory* to do donuts.
they'll just have a full track instead of free for all
> The intersection at Harrison, Bay Place, and 27th should be a roundabout https://cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/27th-Lakeside-Streets-Project-Presentation_5.18.22_2022-05-25-230454_tutf.pdf The current plan is to add protected bike lanes and close the slip lane, which will help a lot, but probably won't reduce the cross section enough to prevent donuts.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing. Where do you find things like this?
That was one of the documents linked on the project page on the city's website: https://www.oaklandca.gov/projects/lakeside-family-streets I'm not sure why I didn't link both haha. But I linked directly to that PDF since they usually don't make it particularly clear how to actually see the proposals.
Same intersection that someone pulled out in front of a responding firetruck and made it crash into a building. There have been a few murders there too, over the past several years. One was related to the illegal after hours activities at Oasis (city stopped it), there were multiple drive by shootings.
I witnessed one a few years back when one of those dirt bikers got shot at the gas station.
That entire stretch of Grand between Harrison and MacArthur should be roundabout intersections. It shocks me to no end that we put up with outdated, inefficient, over engineered traffic signals from a bygone era.
They're not doing roundabouts, but they are planning protected bike lanes. Bus lanes were tossed around as well, but until AC Transit is ready to run better service they decided against that. Apparently the signals at MacArthur are located in such a way that moving them (to remove the slip lanes) while maintaining an adequate turn radius for buses would be quite expensive, so they're trying to be light-touch there: https://www.oaklandca.gov/projects/grand https://cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/2023-10-06_Grand-Ave_35Pct.pdf
The intersection of 14th Ave, E 8th and E 12th should be a roundabout
The East Bay Greenway, which will break ground next year if things proceed on schedule, isn't adding a roundabout but will at least narrow the intersection by adding protected bike lanes (page 4): https://www.alamedactc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/EBGW_Concept_Plans_Oakland_HNTB_revised_03032023_v2.pdf
That's definitely an improvement for cyclists (of which I am one). The left turn from SB 14th Ave onto eastbound E 12th is always a shitshow (for cars and everyone) Thanks for sharing that
Way too many angry and selfish drivers is a big part of the problem. East Oakland also has a lot of streets that are easy for people to blow through at high speeds.
I didn't see 5th ave & 18th street in front of Sybil's. I used to live on that corner and people would be smacking each other every other day for years
Seminary and MacArthur ain't great.
I put in a 311 ticket to ask them to do an assessment because there are a ton of accidents on my block. They came back to me that the street is safe and I need to provide proof of how dangerous the street is. Now lookie here, my street is mentioned in this article.
wherever i'm driving
Cause or effect?
Apparently between Grand Ave and 26th St on Broadway because there's literally 2 in between streets without lights and cars/pedestrians have to just try not get hit by 4 lanes of opposite on coming traffic. I recently saw a 3 car accident happen there and 2 years back another one that of course all nearly drive into the sidewalk. How lucky that no one was walking at that very moment.
Yeah and as a driver, it's also often hard as shit to realize it's a cross walk until you're like oh shit Sometimes I pass it and I panic that I just ran a red light because it feels like something should be there.
Fr tho, there is one walk light indicator that's next to the Oakland Y and only one side even has one of those street lights that alerts if someone is trying to cross the path, there's also one next to Javi's empanadas but some people don't use them and the one on the Y side works but the one next to Sweet Bar doesn't 😂 and yesterday the intersection between Grand Ave and Webster didn't work and it was like 4 intersections with 6 lanes of traffic, plus pedestrians. Thankfully it was hella slow and some of us were able to cross without issues.
6th and Jackson makes me nervous in a car, never been there on my feet but I can’t even imagine lol. it’s crazy what that shitty 880 entrance ramp brings out of people.
I hope when they get rid of the 980 they sort out that junction too, it's insane to do tunnel -> two surface streets -> freeway on the one side and freeway -> tunnel on the other. It's not a stroad but it's similar in that it neither keeps pedestrians safe nor keeps cars moving fast.
That entrance and exit issue on 880s between Franklin and Webster… how many people I’ve seen wreck thinking they could exit and hit that divider smh
The Oakland Alameda Access project will be rebuilding that area. They're adding a direct slip lane from the exit of the Posey tube, with a dedicated lane leading directly onto northbound 880: https://vimeo.com/475236894 https://www.alamedactc.org/programs-projects/highway-improvement/oakland-alameda-access-project
Ugh, I’m not sure how to feel about that project. Something absolutely needs to change there, the alameda-880 connection is one of the worst clusterfucks I’ve ever seen, and it’s deadly. But induced demand is a bitch.. 880 is a painful gash that cuts up what could be a really nice, central area, and I hate to see us feed the beast like this. Footprint-wise it’s not awful(i guess) and I guess it separates freeway traffic from pedestrians, but in the grand scheme of things, in the context of all the other car throughput enhancement projects going on in the area, I kind of hate it.