Workers are putting the finishing touches on a newly revamped street in downtown Oakland, a section of 13th between Broadway and Franklin. From now on, people, not traffic, will dominate this patch of pavement.
From the project's web page:
The 13th St. Commons is a public space initiative created by members of our Downtown community that aims to support local merchants, visitors and residents by radically reimagining 13th street as a community gathering space that plays host to small business incubators, great events and social gatherings, family-friendly activations, live music concerts, and Oakland inspired programming.
The area is already being patrolled by 'ambassadors,' who are warning motorists about the new parking restrictions. It's now commercial loading on the south side of the street and passenger loading on the north side. An ambassador named Timothy told Streetsblog that next week parking control officers will start writing tickets. An opening celebration is planned for Saturday, but Timothy warned it may be delayed if it rains (probably best to check the website depending on the weather forecast)
The road is narrowed down to one lane from its previous four, so deliveries and driveway access are still possible (motorists can still reach the block's parking garage, seen below). According to the advocacy group Walk Oakland, Bike Oakland, "Uses for this block will include live music, yoga, arts and crafts fairs, and various other community supported events, as well as making the block more bike- and pedestrian-friendly."
Designers also clearly learned from Oakland's experience with lightweight planters on lower Telegraph, which were infamous for being easily moved by motorists trying to make more parking spaces. These planters are huge and heavy and should be difficult if not impossible to move. In addition, they should help keep people safe, since they seem heavy enough to deflect a car if a motorist tried to drive into the pedestrianized areas.
This is not, by the way, a city of Oakland project. It's actually built and under the control of the Downtown Oakland Association, a consortium of area landlords, although it is built with the city's blessing (and some subsidies). According to a great report from KQED, that's a bit contentious, because it's unclear how much of the space will always, truly be "public" space.
That caveat aside however, it's certainly nice to see more car-free space in downtown Oakland, that, one hopes, will be equally enjoyed by downtown workers and residents alike. It also makes for a much more inviting space than the four-lane road and traffic sewer it replaces, right near the entrance to 12th Street BART.
A couple more pictures below:
