7 22-0087 Subject: Update To Truck Routes And Truck Prohibited Streets Ordinance
From: Planning And Building Department
Recommendation: Adopt The Following Pieces Of Legislation:
1) An Ordinance Amending Sections 10.28.145 And 10.28.160 Of The Oakland Municipal Code To Limit Truck Parking In West Oakland; And Adopting Appropriate California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Findings; And
There are trucks parked in a residential area of West Grand almost every day, and they obstruct views for drivers trying to turn left onto West Grand to head downtown. Additionally, they deter potential commercial tenants who come to tour the empty storefronts. For safety and more small business activity, trucks should not park in the residential areas of West Grand.
These trucks are causing obstructed views while turning onto W Grand from both Myrtle St and Filbert St. They are a visual eyesore and can potentially deter clients from purchasing the retail storefronts. They must go for the safety and success of the block.
As a citizen residing along West Grand Ave., I support this legislation. We do not feel safe turning into blind intersections due to trucks impeding visibility of oncoming traffic. Cyclists are forced to weave between traffic and large trucks parked along main thoroughfares. Commercial spaces remain vacant as businesses shy away from storefronts with no adjacent street parking. Precious real public estate that could otherwise be used for parklets (parking spots converted to mini parks/dining patios), widened sidewalks for pedestrians, protected bike lanes, trees for shade, benches to encourage neighborhood walks, are instead monopolized free of charge to privately owned trucking companies. To be clear, I do not support the removal of RVs occupied by tenants who otherwise have nowhere to live; however, I do support the ban of parked unoccupied commercial vehicles such as large trucks and trailers.
I am a West Oakland resident who live along West Grand Ave, and I strongly support this Ordinance. Commercial trucks, including cabs/tractors without trailers, parked on West Grand block sightline when turning onto West Grand from side streets and are traffic hazards. Please note that the ordinance language should be revised to clarify that commercial truck tractors should be prohibited regardless of length, as tractors without trailers may be less than 22 feet. Thank you!
I support the plan. This is a great start and we should move to implement immediately! That said, what I don't see are the necessary enforcement mechanisms. I
These trucks are causing obstructed views while turning onto W Grand from both Myrtle St and Filbert St. They are a visual eyesore and can potentially deter clients from purchasing the retail storefronts. They must go for the safety and success of the block.
Strongly oppose. The area along frontage road has the densest population in West Oakland, primarily due to the dense new residential housing that's been built. The data used to analyze the truck route scenarios uses old census data that pre-dates 2019 when most of these units did not exist. We will be subjecting 1,000s of Oakland residents that are within a few hundred feet of Frontage road to additional pollution.
I am an Oakland resident, and I strongly support this proposal. The unregulated use of several streets in West Oakland as parking for commercial tractors and trailers poses a public safety concern. For example, each my morning commutes, I must make a left turn onto West Grand Ave, but my view of oncoming westbound traffic is obscured by several commercial trucks parked on the road. Drivers attempting to make this turn must inch out into the intersection, exposing them to the risk of t-bone accidents. Several collisions have occurred on West Grand as a result, and I myself have been in several near misses. Approving this legislation would reduce the number of trucks parked on West Grand, and it would improve traffic safety for all.
I strongly oppose this measure. It may divert truck pollution and traffic from other neighborhoods, but it will place the full weight on the communities adjacent to Frontage Rd. The study used outdated data and ignored that the residentially zoned area on Frontage Road has grown by 300 housing units since 2017 and 300 more units are planned. This area is home to families with young children and affordable income-based housing. This proposal would put already vulnerable communities more at risk (increased asthma, lung disease, cancer, traffic accidents, etc.). I strongly urge the committee to consider alternative solutions.
I oppose this measure. Designating Frontage Road as a truck route will directly and negatively impact the adjacent communities with noise pollution, increased traffic, and cause overall nuisance due to tractor parking near the entrances of the community.
I vividly oppose this decision. I believe it does not offer a long term solution for this ongoing problem, and the ones who will suffer from this will be the people living in the neighborhood.
All of us are supportive or reducing truck traffic within West Oakland as a whole, however, this can be accomplished without further exacerbating the problems we are experiencing with current traffic on Frontage (crashes, deaths, idling, etc). I am opposed to the current proposal to advance the designation of Frontage as a truck route because, while there are ideas around how to mitigate the effects, there is zero commitment or guarantee that any of this will actually be implemented. Further more, it seems that the Port of Oakland is called out at the party responsible for funding and implementing proposed mitigations. That's like having the fox guard the henhouse. I have no faith that the Port would actually take measures to address any of the impacts experienced by the community members who live off Frontage.
It is absolutely ridiculous to have this as a truck route rite next to heavy residential nieghborhood. You care nothing for the people who have lost there lives on this road where truckers were directly involved. It is criminal in nature. How this community has already suffered from the noice and pollution and fear for our safety for truckers that already ignore the laws in place.
I oppose Frontage road being designated a truck route. There are many residents that live right on the road and many deaths related to crashing into parked trucks, most recently on January 17th. I don’t understand how the Traffic study could come to such a short sighted solution.
The area around Frontage Road has changed from industrial to residential. In fact, after the City Council changed zoning laws in 2014 as part of the West Oakland Specific Plan, the area became the most densely populated residential area in West Oakland.
After many death related to crashing into parked trucks on the median on frontage road, multiple speeding issues,s and a lack of proper safety and preventative/calming measure, I would like to have this study redone and be more inclusive, with the representation of multiple community leads, neighbors.
I oppose Frontage Road being designated a truck route, and ask that it be removed from this report so that it can be evaluated further separately. In the alternative, I request this meeting be delay due to inadequate notice provide (Planning only gave broader community a mere 8 days notice).
As detailed more fully in this presentation (https://tinyurl.com/frntgrd), there were several serious issues with the process and traffic study as related to Frontage Road. This includes the following:
Traffic study failed to conduct an assessment of Maritime Street, and instead concluded (without any evidence) that prohibiting trucks on Frontage Road would pose "significant congestion and operation delays" to other streets.
Traffic study failed to consider population density (i.e., that the largest number of residents would be impacted with pollution and other harms if Frontage Road is designated a truck route)
The Port was given special access in this process, while residents were denied - Residents asked for equal access to the process, but were denied our request
Traffic study failed to consider health equity data at the request of the Port, which is highly improper. An email from Alicia Parker in Oakland Planning dated May 21, 2021 states "I think the Port was weary about adding the health data because it would set precedence and document the incompatibility of truck routes where people live." You can see a copy of this email in the above-linked presentation.
Commercial TRACTOR parking is a nuisance on 34th street and nearby areas in West Oakland. It makes the areas around the truck unsafe to walk at night as there is no clean visibility.
I support this. Please ensure the language in Section 10.28.145 is clear that cab/tractor parking should be prohibited even if the cab/tractor is less than 22 feet in length. The cabs/tractors are an issue more frequently than the entire truck or unattached trailers. The Adonai Toledo Trucking company parks their cab/tractors on West Grand avenue, adjacent to our residential community. This obscures the view of oncoming traffic creating a dangerous situation for residents exiting from the community. I need to edge my car into oncoming traffic in order to view traffic and evaluate the potential to turn onto West Grand. This is frightening as once I am in a position to see traffic, I am also in a position to impede it. I have often had to quickly reverse my car in order to avoid a collision, at which point I am in the same predicament of being unable to see oncoming traffic. Many of my neighbors have experienced this and one has commented “there is a 50/50 chance of being in an accident” when turning here. These cabs/tractors are here every day and night except for Thursdays, to accommodate street sweeping.
There are trucks parked in a residential area of West Grand almost every day, and they obstruct views for drivers trying to turn left onto West Grand to head downtown. Additionally, they deter potential commercial tenants who come to tour the empty storefronts. For safety and more small business activity, trucks should not park in the residential areas of West Grand.
These trucks are causing obstructed views while turning onto W Grand from both Myrtle St and Filbert St. They are a visual eyesore and can potentially deter clients from purchasing the retail storefronts. They must go for the safety and success of the block.
I support this legislation.
As a citizen residing along West Grand Ave., I support this legislation. We do not feel safe turning into blind intersections due to trucks impeding visibility of oncoming traffic. Cyclists are forced to weave between traffic and large trucks parked along main thoroughfares. Commercial spaces remain vacant as businesses shy away from storefronts with no adjacent street parking. Precious real public estate that could otherwise be used for parklets (parking spots converted to mini parks/dining patios), widened sidewalks for pedestrians, protected bike lanes, trees for shade, benches to encourage neighborhood walks, are instead monopolized free of charge to privately owned trucking companies. To be clear, I do not support the removal of RVs occupied by tenants who otherwise have nowhere to live; however, I do support the ban of parked unoccupied commercial vehicles such as large trucks and trailers.
I am a West Oakland resident who live along West Grand Ave, and I strongly support this Ordinance. Commercial trucks, including cabs/tractors without trailers, parked on West Grand block sightline when turning onto West Grand from side streets and are traffic hazards. Please note that the ordinance language should be revised to clarify that commercial truck tractors should be prohibited regardless of length, as tractors without trailers may be less than 22 feet. Thank you!
I support the plan. This is a great start and we should move to implement immediately! That said, what I don't see are the necessary enforcement mechanisms. I
These trucks are causing obstructed views while turning onto W Grand from both Myrtle St and Filbert St. They are a visual eyesore and can potentially deter clients from purchasing the retail storefronts. They must go for the safety and success of the block.
Strongly oppose. The area along frontage road has the densest population in West Oakland, primarily due to the dense new residential housing that's been built. The data used to analyze the truck route scenarios uses old census data that pre-dates 2019 when most of these units did not exist. We will be subjecting 1,000s of Oakland residents that are within a few hundred feet of Frontage road to additional pollution.
I am an Oakland resident, and I strongly support this proposal. The unregulated use of several streets in West Oakland as parking for commercial tractors and trailers poses a public safety concern. For example, each my morning commutes, I must make a left turn onto West Grand Ave, but my view of oncoming westbound traffic is obscured by several commercial trucks parked on the road. Drivers attempting to make this turn must inch out into the intersection, exposing them to the risk of t-bone accidents. Several collisions have occurred on West Grand as a result, and I myself have been in several near misses. Approving this legislation would reduce the number of trucks parked on West Grand, and it would improve traffic safety for all.
I strongly oppose this measure. It may divert truck pollution and traffic from other neighborhoods, but it will place the full weight on the communities adjacent to Frontage Rd. The study used outdated data and ignored that the residentially zoned area on Frontage Road has grown by 300 housing units since 2017 and 300 more units are planned. This area is home to families with young children and affordable income-based housing. This proposal would put already vulnerable communities more at risk (increased asthma, lung disease, cancer, traffic accidents, etc.). I strongly urge the committee to consider alternative solutions.
I oppose this measure. Designating Frontage Road as a truck route will directly and negatively impact the adjacent communities with noise pollution, increased traffic, and cause overall nuisance due to tractor parking near the entrances of the community.
I vividly oppose this decision. I believe it does not offer a long term solution for this ongoing problem, and the ones who will suffer from this will be the people living in the neighborhood.
All of us are supportive or reducing truck traffic within West Oakland as a whole, however, this can be accomplished without further exacerbating the problems we are experiencing with current traffic on Frontage (crashes, deaths, idling, etc). I am opposed to the current proposal to advance the designation of Frontage as a truck route because, while there are ideas around how to mitigate the effects, there is zero commitment or guarantee that any of this will actually be implemented. Further more, it seems that the Port of Oakland is called out at the party responsible for funding and implementing proposed mitigations. That's like having the fox guard the henhouse. I have no faith that the Port would actually take measures to address any of the impacts experienced by the community members who live off Frontage.
It is absolutely ridiculous to have this as a truck route rite next to heavy residential nieghborhood. You care nothing for the people who have lost there lives on this road where truckers were directly involved. It is criminal in nature. How this community has already suffered from the noice and pollution and fear for our safety for truckers that already ignore the laws in place.
I oppose Frontage road being designated a truck route. There are many residents that live right on the road and many deaths related to crashing into parked trucks, most recently on January 17th. I don’t understand how the Traffic study could come to such a short sighted solution.
The area around Frontage Road has changed from industrial to residential. In fact, after the City Council changed zoning laws in 2014 as part of the West Oakland Specific Plan, the area became the most densely populated residential area in West Oakland.
After many death related to crashing into parked trucks on the median on frontage road, multiple speeding issues,s and a lack of proper safety and preventative/calming measure, I would like to have this study redone and be more inclusive, with the representation of multiple community leads, neighbors.
I oppose Frontage Road being designated a truck route, and ask that it be removed from this report so that it can be evaluated further separately. In the alternative, I request this meeting be delay due to inadequate notice provide (Planning only gave broader community a mere 8 days notice).
As detailed more fully in this presentation (https://tinyurl.com/frntgrd), there were several serious issues with the process and traffic study as related to Frontage Road. This includes the following:
Traffic study failed to conduct an assessment of Maritime Street, and instead concluded (without any evidence) that prohibiting trucks on Frontage Road would pose "significant congestion and operation delays" to other streets.
Traffic study failed to consider population density (i.e., that the largest number of residents would be impacted with pollution and other harms if Frontage Road is designated a truck route)
The Port was given special access in this process, while residents were denied - Residents asked for equal access to the process, but were denied our request
Traffic study failed to consider health equity data at the request of the Port, which is highly improper. An email from Alicia Parker in Oakland Planning dated May 21, 2021 states "I think the Port was weary about adding the health data because it would set precedence and document the incompatibility of truck routes where people live." You can see a copy of this email in the above-linked presentation.
Please pass this and limit truck parking in West Oakland!
Commercial TRACTOR parking is a nuisance on 34th street and nearby areas in West Oakland. It makes the areas around the truck unsafe to walk at night as there is no clean visibility.
Please pass this legislation.
I support this. Please ensure the language in Section 10.28.145 is clear that cab/tractor parking should be prohibited even if the cab/tractor is less than 22 feet in length. The cabs/tractors are an issue more frequently than the entire truck or unattached trailers. The Adonai Toledo Trucking company parks their cab/tractors on West Grand avenue, adjacent to our residential community. This obscures the view of oncoming traffic creating a dangerous situation for residents exiting from the community. I need to edge my car into oncoming traffic in order to view traffic and evaluate the potential to turn onto West Grand. This is frightening as once I am in a position to see traffic, I am also in a position to impede it. I have often had to quickly reverse my car in order to avoid a collision, at which point I am in the same predicament of being unable to see oncoming traffic. Many of my neighbors have experienced this and one has commented “there is a 50/50 chance of being in an accident” when turning here. These cabs/tractors are here every day and night except for Thursdays, to accommodate street sweeping.