Oakland Mayor Offers ‘Thoughts and Prayers’ After Driver Kills Three People on International Blvd
Three people were killed and several others were injured when a driver went onto the sidewalk at International and 85th Street in East Oakland on Saturday night (more on ABC7).
The mayor’s statement? The usual “thoughts and prayers,” albeit not literally this time:
Oakland is mourning the lives lost in last night’s tragic crash at International Boulevard and 85th Avenue in East Oakland. Our hearts are with the victims, their families, loved ones, and all of those impacted.
Thank you to the Oakland Police Department, Oakland Fire Department, and our first responders.
Streetsblog has requested elaboration from the city on what, if anything, is on offer beyond sympathies. Either way, it’s clear that Oakland, and many other cities, despite their ‘Vision Zero’ pledges, have decided that it’s not important to prevent such crashes. Or at least not as important as facilitating an unimpeded flow of motor vehicles.
“The driver was recklessly speeding on 85th past Highland and lost control when turning into International,” said Traffic Violence Rapid Response’s Bryan Culbertson and District 7 Bicyclist & Pedestrian Advisory Commissioner Tonya Love in a joint statement. “It should not have been possible for anyone to speed this fast here, especially on a residential street next to a school.”
Love and Culbertson want to see more traffic circles. In Streetsblog’s view, that’s a great start. In addition, the corners need concrete blocks and obstacles. Oakland has plenty of funds for this when it comes to deterring encampments, such as with this recent installation in Jack London Square:
Concrete can and does save lives when used to keep vulnerable road users safe. In the picture below in Brooklyn, a heavy, powerful Cyber Truck driver hit a concrete and steel pedestrian refuge device that disabled the car. The car was damaged, pedestrians were not.
Ironically, citizens of Oakland’s San Antonio neighborhood seem to know how to do this better than the professionals. Back in 2024, OakDOT removed citizen installations that were capable of stopping such drivers before they kill.
Because as much as we all appreciate the plastic posts that helped improve things on International, it’s not enough. Nor are the curbs/protected intersections in Chinatown or the protected bike lanes on 14th, which take way too long to get approved and installed.
Safety obstacles such as concrete blocks, planters, or even well-marked tires, as was the case in San Antonio, force motorists to put down their cell phones and drive the speed limit. They’re cheap and easy to install. Does this mean that occasionally an otherwise competent driver will have a brain fart and damage a fender? Sometimes. Does it mean egregiously reckless drivers will get seriously injured as a result of their own speeding, as happened with the driver pictured above? Sometimes. But it’s either that or the wholesale slaughter continues, as happened Saturday night in East Oakland.
“Neighbors have been expressing concerns about speeding for a long time, including at recent community forums about the community-led traffic calming effort at 85th and A Street,” said Culbertson and Love. “The City of Oakland should prioritize working with neighbors to rapidly calm 85th to safe speeds to prevent future tragedies.”
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