Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao announces lower speed limits in business districts

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- As part of California Pedestrian Safety Month, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao announced plans to lower the speed limits in business activity districts.

Starting on Monday, in the Fruitvale district, and 11 other business activity districts across Oakland, the speed limits are dropping in order to protect the people who live, work and rely on public transit in these areas.

The city unveiled a new speed limit sign in the Fruitvale district on Monday, just off of Fruitvale Avenue, which lowered the speed limit from 25 to 20 mph.

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Mayor Thao joined other city leaders to make this announcement.

"These lower limits will help calm our streets, reduce the number of crashes and save lives," Thao said. "But this is just one part of our efforts to reduce fatalities."

Thao says every week two Oaklanders are killed or severely injured in traffic accidents in Oakland.

"You see those cars speeding, half of them don't even have a driver's license, and we need to be able to enforce the rules that we have and yes there are certain communities of individuals that may get cited but the bottom line it's about safety for my children," Noel Gallo, an Oakland City Councilmember representing the Fruitvale district said.

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As part of the Safe Oakland Streets initiative, over the next two years, over 50 business activity district corridors, adding up to more than 25 miles across the city, will also have their speed limits lowered.

"And as part of the Pedestrian Safety Month, I also want to remind and urge drivers to please obey the speed limit and to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalks and to yield to bicyclists when you see them on our streets," Thao said.

Thao did not take any questions regarding how the lowered speed limits will be enforced, amid a police staffing shortage.

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