OaklandDOT<\/a><\/p>\nThat objection also nixed the protected bike lanes. The adjacent 14th Street project, meanwhile, is nearly complete and rideable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fire department\u00a0is uniquely\u00a0aware of the crisis of speeding vehicles and the impact of reckless driving on our streets in that we respond\u00a0to all of them,\u201d said Michael Hunt, a spokesperson for OFD. \u201cHowever, fire code absolutely plays a role in street design and that\u2019s where coordination between OFD and DOT is so critical.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Senior described it in the KTVU report, the pedestrian tried to get out of the driver\u2019s way by running to the right of the car\u2019s direction of travel. But the driver veered right too, perhaps in a miscalculated attempt to avoid the pedestrian. This is extremely unlikely to have happened if the protected bike lane had been built, because there wouldn\u2019t be enough space.<\/p>\n
Moreover, \u201cI can\u2019t definitely say what could have prevented this crash, but the more significant traffic calming from the cycletrack version would make speeding much harder,\u201d said Prinz.<\/p>\n
\u201cOFD\u2019s requirement of 26-foot-wide clearance on Lakeside means faster cars and more injuries and deaths,\u201d wrote Kevin Dalley, an advocate with Transport Oakland who specializes in fire department issues. \u201cOFD responds to substantially more vehicle crashes than fires.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hunt stressed that the fire department knows better than anyone that there\u2019s a street safety crisis. He stressed the importance of OFD and DOT working together to assure streets are safe and the fire department and emergency services have the space they need.<\/p>\n
Streetsblog also reached out to Oakland DOT and will update this post.<\/p>\n
An Oakland DOT official sent the following note shortly after this post published: \u201cOakDOT and Oakland\u2019s emergency response departments routinely collaborate to identify solutions that allow for advancing traffic safety goals while supporting and ensuring emergency vehicle response. This is an integrated, standard element of the street project design process.\u201c<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-from-2026-10-05-12-29-16.png\")
<\/a>KTVU\u2019s Andre Senior witnessed the crash. Click for their full report<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-from-2026-10-05-12-40-55.png\")
A look at what was planned for this stretch of Lakeside. Image: