In what is considered a victory for both pedestrians and bike riders in Oakland, the Safe Streets Plan is making significant changes to the landscape of the city. This is a multifaceted plan that is designed to reduce both bike and pedestrians accidents. The plan was dreamed up in 2015 and will take five years to be completed.
As construction starts, we expect the entire state to keep an eye on the project to see how it is helping. If it does in fact reduce pedestrian and bike accidents, then it is hoped that the rest of the state will consider making similar changes. Today let’s look at what it is and how it may help. If you have been injured, or have lost a loved one, to an accident, please contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 to set up your consultation.
The Purpose of the Safe Streets Program
The purpose is simple: Reducing the overall number of traffic accidents. However, the vision is actually much more complex. Those officials working on the plan say they hope to make their city more people friendly, community oriented, responsive to the needs of people who live in various neighborhoods, welcoming to everyone on the city, and encouraging of foot traffic in commercial areas.
That may seem like an awful lot to ask of a civil engineering office but they are taking cues from cities like San Francisco that have already accomplished many of the goals they want.
There Are Two Major Aspects of the Approach
The city is calling this a two-pronged approach: An ADA Transition Plan and the Downtown Specific Plan. The former was made with the goal of ensuring that the city is open and accessible for Americans with disabilities. For example, it adds new curb ramps that are up to the most modern ideals, with the rebuilding of about 1,500 miles of sidewalks to ensure they can handle both foot and mobility device traffic.
The Downtown Specific Plan has been based off of a social equity model that was created by the Institute for Sustainable Economic, Education, and Environmental Design. This part of the plan aims to create a plan that’s holistic and takes into consideration a variety of facets of society to attempt to fix the problems – not simply swap out today’s problems for more problems in the future.
The Downtown Specific Plan takes a number of factors into consideration such as mobility, cultural heritage, connectivity, affordability, and preserving neighborhoods.
What’s Next?
The plans are almost complete and soon construction will start. The goals are lofty and we will see if it actually makes a difference in the number of accidents. At The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker we’d love to see a world in which accident numbers were reduced to zero. In the meantime, we hope that anyone injured or affected by a motor vehicle accident will call us at 800-333-0000 to learn more about their rights.
