A neighborhood in Oakland has turned their effort to combat illegal street races into an ongoing battle with local authorities.
Circus-like events featuring illegal and excessively noisy car stunts are common in Oakland. However, local residents frequently attempt to eliminate these gatherings.
Residents of Oakland’s San Antonio neighborhood have found that attempts to eliminate street parties frequently become circular, much like an old Infiniti performing doughnuts.
In late May, the Oakland Department of Transportation for the second time hauled away car-slowing infrastructure installed by residents at East 21st Street and 18th Avenue, a favorite sideshow intersection. This time it was a set of rubber speed bumps. Ten months earlier, it was an improvised tire islands and huge truck tires.
On both occasions, the city intervened due to concerns about potential safety hazards for individuals moving through the area. In August, a motorist who was speeding sustained serious injuries when the
car struck the tire island and flipped
During an unexpected press briefing at the stairs of City Hall on May 28—a week following the latest speed bump removals—Josh Rowan, who leads OakDOT, mentioned that the choice to take out these traffic calming measures came about due to his recent journey on a city bus. While riding Bus Line 14, he recalled nearly losing balance as the vehicle jolted over one of the unauthorized speed bumps installed around town.
City employees removed both narrow speed bumps and raised pavement markers known as Botts dots installed at the residents’ expense. Neighbors told The Oaklandside they were upset: They said the interventions had all but eliminated sideshows and other forms of dangerous driving in their neighborhood.
In an email sent after the removal to Mayor Barbara Lee, City Administrator Harold Duffy, Rowan, and Charlene Wang, the newly elected councilmember in District 2, a San Antonio resident named Michael Andemeskel, a software engineer, said he and many of his neighbors had installed the gear “after years of neglect, costing over $3,000 in materials.”
“These speed bumps worked. There have been zero sideshows at the intersections where [they] were placed,” Andemeskel wrote. “These installations were safe. They did not cause any accidents, impede bicyclists or traffic.”
The letter said that OakDOT removed the bumps without notifying the community — and that the sideshows returned within 24 hours.
“This elimination was an unnecessary squandering of both our funds and the city’s resources. It has thrown our community back into disarray,” Andemeskel stated.
The battle between the community and the transportation department ultimately led to an apparent agreement about a road solution, but the process to get there was fraught with name-calling, fear, and urgent demands.
Transportation head labels community interventions as ‘risks’
During the press conference on May 28, Rowan mentioned that he brought members of OakDOT’s engineering team to observe the speed bumps. There, they witnessed vehicles veering out of the traffic lanes to dodge these obstacles, which he characterized as “hazards.” It was then, he stated, that they decided “they needed to be removed.”
“ We felt it was too much risk for the traveling public to leave them there,” he said. “ The frustration over the sideshows is totally justified. We have numerous intersections plagued by the sideshows. But we don’t get to increase the risk to others to address one situation.”
Rowan said someone had emailed the department just that morning about the dangers of community speed bumps.
Andemeskel, who lives in San Antonio, shared with The Oaklandside, “The speed bumps are brightly colored and very noticeable, making it easy for anyone following traffic rules to spot them and pass over smoothly and calmly.” He argued that it wouldn’t be right for a single complaint to condemn the whole area to constant disturbance and fear every night.
At the meeting, Rowan stated that the junction of East 21st Street and 21st Avenue experiences the highest volume of traffic and poses significant safety risks within the region. On occasion, up to 500 individuals gather for street performances at this location. According to him, his group has obtained financial support through grants to install enhanced long-term facilities at the crossroads, incorporating both markings and structural elements. However, he emphasized that these improvements will not be implemented until after a few additional years have passed.
Rowan said at the press conference he’d returned to the area in recent weeks, and he said recent sideshows have concentrated at East 21st and 23rd Avenue. In the meantime, he said, OakDOT is designing a temporary treatment at 21st and 21st Avenue, which will resemble one at the intersection of Redwood Road and Skyline Boulevard. That intersection features
plastic bollards
In the center of the road, preventing unauthorized performances and directing vehicles to correctly execute left turns.
“I cannot simply authorize installations that fail to meet state and federal regulations,” Rowan stated.
The city will implement a new tactical urbanism initiative.
Designing an intersection,
As The Oaklandside has reported before
It demands considerable time and effort. Especially when dealing with a busy arterial road such as East 21st Street, where public transit, ambulances, and regular traffic all converge.
complexity
That’s why Rowan doesn’t tolerate any self-help methods for slowing cars like those used by Andemeskel and his neighbors in San Antonio.
If neighbors install infrastructure without obtaining explicit approval from the city, the municipality can still be held responsible if accidents resulting in severe injuries or fatalities occur there.
tactical urbanism program
Rowan has been working alongside city council members such as Carroll Fife, who propose finding a middle ground. This approach would permit residents to contribute to the development of infrastructure according to a particular plan managed by OakDOT.
At an August community gathering, following the removal of the locals’ DIY tire structure by OakDOT, Rowan informed a group of residents that they needed permission from the city for similar initiatives. He shared with them that he was collaborating with his team and council members like Fife and Nikki Fortunado Bas to develop a plan aimed at helping neighborhood organizations carry out their projects.
traffic-calming
Demonstration initiatives featuring explicit guidelines, funding limits, and lawful approvals. Participants, who might also encompass enterprises and educational institutions, could apply for 90-day periods.
encroachment permits
, allowing the city to test the effectiveness of their intervention.
Rowan mentioned that the program will be prepared for launch within the next few weeks.
When the tire incident led to a car flipping accident last August, the urgency faced by the San Antonio community started to become clear. The San Antonio Neighbors Alliance noted this growing concern.
posted
A picture of the dented car was shared on Instagram with the caption, “It’s effective! Well done on these traffic-calming measures, everyone!”
A message delivered to the City Council from a San Antonio resident, who chose to remain anonymous due to concerns about potential social media repercussions, captures the sentiments of many citizens. The letter states, “The frequency with which I am abruptly awakened by skidding tires and roaring motors cannot be quantified.” It goes on to describe instances where individuals performed doughnuts for as long as 30 minutes consecutively, resulting in large clouds of dark exhaust lingering in the atmosphere and causing breathing difficulties.
“He noted that toward the end, this occurred EVERY SINGLE NIGHT,’ adding that what began as sporadic and somewhat amusing events every few months, had intensified into an unrelenting onslaught of sound and smoke.’”
Feelings were intense during the August meeting with Rowan. A community member raised their voice, stating that if the city did not reduce street speeds officially, residents would take matters into their own hands and implement speed-reducing measures without seeking authorization.
Rowan managed to win over several individuals. Andemeskel, specifically, felt more at ease. In an email to nearby residents, he conveyed Rowan’s assurance that although their department removed the makeshift tire piles and traffic circles, the speed bumps installed on East 21st Street and 21st Avenue could stay provided they were flattened and did not interfere with bus routes or vehicle movement.
As stated by Andemeskel, the neighbors, assuming they received approval, put in extra speed bumps—up to eight for each intersection—over multiple months. They placed them first at East 21st Street and 17th Avenue in September, followed by those at East 21st Street and 21st Avenue in November.
That month, Rowan told The Oaklandside, he sent the San Antonio neighbors a letter asking them to remove all the new installations. Yet the community continued to add more speed bumps: in January at East 21st Street and 20th Avenue and in March at East 21st Street and 18th Avenue.
We made ourselves very clear in the letter; we requested all items to be taken down,” Rowan stated. “We’ve been attempting to show empathy and prevent this dispute with those individuals. So why did they fail to act upon our correspondence? And why didn’t they reply to our communication at all? The message was definitely not meant as an authorization for anything.
At his City Hall press conference on May 28, Rowan said he would have been OK if the San Antonio community had kept the infrastructure to a minimum. He described two of the tire-based traffic circles the community had added as “quite nice.”
When there were only two sites involved, I didn’t experience many issues,” he explained. “We even considered dispatching a team across East 19th to correct their alignment and set them up properly ourselves.” It wasn’t until we noticed that around four or five crossings along East 21st had also been affected that we realized immediate action was necessary.
The community establishes a due date
San Antonio neighbors met the week of May 26 to discuss what they would do. One, Lauren Blanchard, told The Oaklandside they decided to send a letter to the city demanding that OakDOT replace their unofficial speed bumps or expect another fight.
The community gave Rowan a deadline of last Friday, June 12, to have a plan in place, she said.
Blanchard stated at that time that if a resolution meeting their demands isn’t established by July 16, they will remove the speed bumps once more and ask the media to observe.
“Andemeskel stated, ‘Our timeframe is in weeks, not months or years.’ He added, ‘We are ready to employ engineers, designers, as well as contractors for this task.’”
Last week, Andemeskal informed The Oaklandside that the community had reached an accord with Rowan regarding the installation of sideshow prevention measures in their area. According to Andemeskal, this initiative would be funded partially by $1.4 million included in the recently approved budget.
sideshow prevention
The city budget includes this spending under “physical barriers in areas prone to street performances across the city,” with funds set to be distributed over the coming two years.
Rowan didn’t promptly reply to emails addressing the details of the agreement.
“Andemeskal stated, ‘We will pursue this discussion with Director Rowan. Our actions have instilled a critical sense of urgency into addressing the sideshow crisis. We trust that OakDOT will tackle this issue with the importance it warrants. Let’s ensure there are no postponements.’”
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