Mission Statement

Envision, plan, build, operate and maintain a transportation system for the City of Oakland—in partnership with local transit providers and other agencies—and assure safe, equitable, and sustainable access and mobility for residents, businesses, and visitors.

Learn more about who we are and what we do here.

SERVICE IMPACTS &

EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS

Enhancements

Clean, Healthy, and Sustainable Neighborhoods

1. Restores a net of 6.0 FTE in FY 2021-22 and 9.0 FTE in FY 2022-23 from positions that had been frozen at the Midcycle Budget. Additional staff will greatly benefit the Department of Transportation's (DOT) ability to work on new capital projects.
   • Equity Consideration: DOT’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) prioritization tool places equity as the top consideration when determining which capital projects to fund so that Oakland’s Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities receive more capital investment in infrastructure. An increase in staffing means that DOT can better manage its delivery of infrastructure improvements to underserved Oaklanders in areas that have experienced historical disinvestment.
2. Creates a new Paint Crew of 2.0 FTE Traffic Painters, 1.0 FTE Public Works Maintenance Worker, 1.0 FTE Concrete Finisher in both years. This new Paint Crew will install permanent, long-term pedestrian, and traffic physical safety enhancements, including in areas adjacent to schools. This is due to the department identifying that ongoing pedestrian safety needs still far exceeds the available resources. For that reason, the department is pivoting to create more permanent infrastructure to advance pedestrian safety at more locations. Crash history and equity data will be used to plan which locations adjacent to schools will benefit from infrastructure improvements.
   • Equity Consideration: This reinvestment approach will maintain Crossing Guards deployed in key areas while increasing permanent safety infrastructure for pedestrians that will benefit all pedestrians who travel near schools at all times of day in the City’s priority equity communities. As such, the Paint Crew will be strategically deployed to address the need of ongoing pedestrian safety through creating permanent physical safety improvements including paint, signage, median islands, and other types of safety infrastructure for some of Oakland’s most vulnerable pedestrians, specifically BIPOC children who live and attend schools in high traffic areas.
3. Launches new in-house Sidewalk Repair Crew. Add 1.0 FTE Concrete Finisher, 2.0 FTE Public Works Maintenance Workers, and 1.0 FTE Street Maintenance Leader. Additionally, adds 1.0 FTE Construction Inspector for field support, 1.0 FTE Collections Officer (in Finance) and 1.0 FTE Administrative Analyst II for Administrative support. This crew will repair damaged/broken sidewalks to reduce injuries, improve pedestrian safety, and reduce liability and costs while enabling private property owners to obtain at cost service for sidewalk repairs.
   • Equity Consideration: This will create a positive impact for all residents with safer streets in general. The greatest benefit will be for pedestrians and residents who rely on sidewalks as their main form of transportation and who lack reliable automobile transportation. Furthermore, it will create a new service provided to property owners and businesses in need of sidewalk repairs adjacent to their property.
4. Transfers Vehicle Enforcement Unit functions from the Oakland Police Department to the Department of Transportation. Transfers the equivalent of 10.0 FTE Police Services Technician II's, adds 3.0 FTE Parking Enforcement Supervisor II's and deletes 3.0 FTE Police Officers in FY 2022-23. The function transferred will include Abandoned Auto, Scofflaw, Commercial Vehicle, and Taxi related enforcement activities. This transfer of traffic, transportation, and vehicle related functions to the Department of Transportation from the Police Department fulfills a recommendation of the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force.
   • Equity Consideration: This is part of an ongoing effort to re-allocate City resources away from Police Department and instead having departments with civilian subject matter expertise respond to community requests for services that were previously fulfilled through Police staff. In this case, the Department of Transportation will assume managing City services around various vehicle enforcement programs that Police formerly oversaw. This will improve the community relationships by reducing the visible footprint of the Police Department, while preserving police services for more critical issues.
5. Installation of Gateless Integrated Parking Garages throughout all existing City garages. New efficiencies would be achieved by streamlining parking meter and enforcement systems for both City on-street and garage parking with potential net gains of approximately $2 million annually due to reduced operational expenses and increased revenue from pre-paid parking and citations. Furthermore, the current Parking Access and Revenue Control System (PARCS) is aging and will need to be replaced soon to avoid future system failures.
   • Equity Consideration: Installing this automated garage technology may introduce additional barriers to paying for parking for un/underbanked individuals. Increased parking garage citations may disproportionately impact low-income BIPOC residents who use the garages. This negative impact will be mitigated in part through the Department of Transportation being able to funnel the savings and revenue generated from these modernized garages into transportation and infrastructure improvements in high priority neighborhoods. The new garages will terminate the need for the PARCS contract to third party garage operating companies. City parking enforcement staff will monitor garages throughout the day which may increase perceived personal safety and/or deter crime.

SIGNIFICANT BUDGETARY CHANGES

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

POSITION INFORMATION