74 miles of Oakland streets will close to cars to give walkers, bicyclists exercise room during coronavirus stay-home order

Jack Tone-Riordan, 39, and son River, 6, take a walk to get fresh air on the second day of sheltering in place orders on March 18, 2020 in Oakland, Calif. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said Thursday she will temporarily banish cars from residential streets throughout the city, opening more space for pedestrians and bicyclists to use the roadways for exercise during the coronavirus stay-home order. “Because of the reduction in car traffic we will be closing off a number of streets, so that bicyclists and pedestrians can spread out and exercise and take in fresh air safely,” Schaaf said during a virtual town hall Thursday evening. The emergency measure, called “Oakland Slow Streets,” will shut out automobiles from 74 miles of streets — 10% of the roadway space in Oakland. Schaaf displayed a map during the town hall which showed the targeted streets as purple lines criss-crossing just about every neighborhood. City Council President Rebecca Kaplan and Oakland’s Department of Transportation helped plan the effort. Many questions remain unanswered about how the city will manage and enforce the closures. Before the coronavirus pandemic exploded in the Bay Area, a car-free streets movement was picking up steam in San Francisco. […]

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