A Milestone Victory on International Blvd
We're not done yet, but perhaps the tide has turned
Tl;dr: there’s a call to action at the bottom, please have a look!
Last Wednesday, Mayor Sheng Thao announced that the installation of the International Blvd Quick Build safety project would begin within a few weeks along the entire corridor with lane separation posts and rails. And in a brand-new development, a trial installation of speed cushions in one segment of the street will be included. This is HUGE! At the beginning of our campaign, exactly none of this was on the table. Our thanks to the Mayor and staff for this development.
In mid-June 2022, we staged our first vigil action on International Boulevard, to honor 73 year-old Emelia Martinez, killed by a driver as she crossed the street. It quickly became clear that neighborhoods all along International were suffering under terribly dangerous conditions on this central corridor. The recently opened bus-only TEMPO lane inadvertently provided an otherwise unobstructed path for speeding and reckless drivers.
AC Transit considered installing some new signs and paint stencils to better inform drivers. We insisted instead that physical infrastructure, preferably concrete lane separation curbs, and speed cushions in the roadway, be installed to prevent reckless driving.
Making the Argument
By gathering evidence on the street, TVRR created a REPORT documenting 4 repeated violations, including two directly responsible to collisions: illegal left turns and speeding. We submitted this in Fall 2022 to AC Transit and the Oakland Dept. of Transportation (OakDOT) and it clearly triggered some consideration in both agencies.
In December of that year, OakDOT requested and received ~$1.5M from City Council to extend the response from signs and paint at just a few intersections into a fuller quick build along more of the corridor. Then in June of 2023 OakDOT announced that a new design was in process that would install plastic posts on the lane lines the entire length of International Blvd, especially at intersections. This was a big win, but the cost in lives and injuries had continued.
Between January 2022 and June of 2023, nine people had been killed, a rate of one every 2 months, on International, making it the most dangerous street in Oakland. Serious injuries were many times this number. Our study had shown that speeding was the primary issue, and yet speed cushions (speed bumps that buses can go over) were not included in the design. Unacceptable.
Upping the Ante
TVRR came back with a SECOND REPORT, using mass data from Streetlight to demonstrate that dangerous speeding is rampant on International, making it clear that this was the core problem. We insisted again that speed cushions were desperately needed to save lives.
We followed more tragedies with more vigils. Now community members and business owners were coming out to meetings, speaking to the press, and joining our demands for safety. Meanwhile the rate of deadly collisions actually increased, averaging nearly one every month in 2023. The final designs were done, CalTrans signed off, and the contractor was chosen. Still no word on speed cushions. Until now.
A Turning Point
With Wednesday’s announcement, Oakland has brought AC Transit to an agreement to at least allow a trial of speed cushions on International. It’s only a few in one short segment of the road. And it follows the successful use of speed cushions on High Street, another AC Transit route. So why not the whole corridor? We can only guess.
But now the next phase starts. We need confirmation that there is commitment to the trial, and a plan in place to evaluate the results. Once speed cushions are installed, TVRR will be out, measuring their impact on vehicle speeds. AC Transit wants a six month study period. Not only can it be done much faster, we will make sure it’s done faster, because we are going to do one ourselves.
What you can do
AC Transit needs to hear from their riders that speed cushions are necessary on the entire length of International, and must be installed without any more delay. That’s it. PLEASE reach out and tell them this. Just send in an email to these addresses:
actboardmembers@actransit.org and mhursh@actransit.org, and you can CC us at tvrr@substack.com, or join the comment thread on this post.
Thank you! We’re winning, but we have more to do!