THE CITY OF OAKLAND has released a survey for community input about safety and development improvements for Chinatown.

Oakland would like input about what changes may be needed for 10th and 7th streets, the 8th and 9th streets pair, and the Webster and Harrison streets pair, all of which are in a part of Oakland that sees dozens of collisions with pedestrians, bicyclists and other commuters each year.

The goal of the “Complete Streets Plan” is to work with residents and nonprofits to identify a set of key corridors to “complete the conceptual designs necessary to advance the project,” the city said on its website. The city wants to be able to safely accommodate new residents and visitors, it added. 

Oakland defines “Complete Streets” as streets designed and operated to support safety and mobility for all, whether they be drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists or transit passengers.  

The project addresses the creation of safer streets for what it calls disadvantaged communities in four phases.

Phase 1 was examining past planning recommendations and identifying corridors to develop. Phase 2, which is the current phase, is agreeing on the final project description.

Phase 3 will be conceptual designs for improvements to the corridors, and Phase 4 will be final designs ready for development. 

‘A central equity issue’

Chinatown is a historic central neighborhood in downtown Oakland which is bordered by Broadway, 14th Street, Fallon Street, and Interstate Highway 880. Officials say it is also home to the highest concentration of pedestrian and bicycle collisions in the city.

From 2015 to 2019, there were 137 collisions with pedestrians and 71 with bicycles, and collisions are currently trending upwards, the city said.  

Around 30 percent of Chinatown’s streets are in the city’s high-injury network — the 6 percent of Oakland streets that see 63 percent of severe and fatal crashes.

“This is a central equity issue for Oakland, as Asian Americans in the city are 3.5 times more likely to be killed while walking than Whites,” the city said.

To take the survey, go to hubs.ly/Q01_phZm0.

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.