Updated: April 5, 2024
The City of Oakland’s Department of Transportation (OakDOT) will be constructing a two-way separated bike lane on Lakeshore Avenue from E 18th Street to El Embarcadero. The two-way separated bike lanes will be located on the lake side of Lakeshore Avenue and separated from motor vehicle traffic by a physical barrier. On-street parking along that physical barrier will provide additional separation between bicyclists and drivers. See existing and proposed cross sections here.
OakDOT is leveraging a coordination opportunity with an East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) pipeline replacement project on Lakeshore Avenue scheduled to begin in Fall 2024. Lakeshore Avenue is included in the City of Oakland’s 5-Year Paving Plan and scheduled for paving in Fiscal Year 2027. The funds allocated by the 5-Year Paving Plan in combination with the EBMUD project coordination creates an opportunity to coordinate construction of the separated bike lane project following that project, two years earlier than scheduled by the 5-Year Paving Plan.
Tell OakDOT What YOU Think
OakDOT will be speaking with community members at community meetings and pop-up events. Join us at the times and locations below:
Community Meetings
- Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (Infrastructure Subcommittee)
Thu, Mar 7 @ 3 pm - Cleveland Heights Neighborhood Council 15X
Tue, Mar 12 @ 6 pm - Measure DD Community Coalition
Mon, Mar 18 @ 7 pm
Pop-Ups by the Lake
- Across from the Cleveland Cascade
Wed, April 24 @ 4-6 pm - Landing at E 18 Street (“Lindy by the Lake”)
Wed, May 1 @ 4-6 pm - The Pergola at Lake Merritt
Sat, May 4 @ 10-12 pm - Grand Lake Farmer’s Market
Sat, May 25 @ 10-12 pm
Building for All Ages & Abilities
The urgency to advance the City's plans for separated bike lanes along Lakeshore Avenue was prompted by a tragic traffic fatality in August 2023. Four-year old Maia Correia and her father were bicycling on Lakeshore Avenue near Hanover Street when a driver opening their door into the bike lane caused them to crash. Maia suffered a head injury and in the following days succumbed to that injury at Children’s Hospital.
In immediate response to this tragedy, OakDOT developed and installed signs reminding motorists to “check for bikes” before opening car doors per California Vehicle Code 22517. The new signs along Lakeshore Ave were implemented by OakDOT's Rapid Response Program that investigates all traffic crashes fatal to pedestrians or bicyclists and seeks near-term design solutions.
“Dooring” poses a serious risk to bicyclists. As drivers and passengers, always check for bicyclists before opening a car door. Get in the habit of opening driver-side doors with your right hand. This will help you look over your left shoulder for oncoming bicyclists. As a bicyclist, always ride outside of the “door zone” – the area next to parked cars into which doors swing open. As a driver, be patient with bicyclists who are riding away from parked cars to stay clear of the door zone. Learn more about how to drive safely and considerately around bicyclists. Watch these short videos in English (https://www.youtube.com/playli...) and in Spanish (https://www.youtube.com/playli...) that were filmed around Lake Merritt by the League of American Bicyclists.
Improving Bicycling at Lake Merritt
The City of Oakland’s 2019 Bicycle Plan proposes separated bike lanes on Lakeshore Avenue along Lake Merritt. The existing bike lanes were built in 2009 along with the reconstruction of the pedestrian path at the water’s edge and the construction of a new mixed-use path adjacent to the street. These improvements were envisioned by the Lake Merritt Park Master Plan (2002) and funded by Measure DD (2002), a $198 million bond measure approved by Oakland voters to improve Oakland’s parks and water quality. At the time of the Lake Merritt Park Master Plan, the mixed-use path was intended to serve pedestrians and slower moving bicyclists, with faster cyclists using the on-street bike lanes and pedestrians using the additional path at the water’s edge. In the following years, the mixed-use path has become so popular with pedestrians that there is often no space for bicyclists. The proposed separated bike lanes will provide new space for bicyclists, reducing conflicts with drivers in the street and with pedestrians in the park.
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