The city of Oakland added four more intersections to its "slow streets" program Friday, allowing residents to physically distance themselves while accessing essential services or going out for walks, runs and bike rides.
Traffic safety installations were added at the intersections of San Pablo Avenue and Myrtle Street, 73rd and Garfield avenues, Bancroft Avenue and Church Street and Bancroft and 73rd avenues.
At the intersection of San Pablo Avenue and Myrtle Street, the city added cones at the corners to allow for wider turning, permanent two-way crosswalk signage on the median and cones along San Pablo Avenue to close one lane at the intersection's crosswalk.
At the other three intersections, located at the Eastmont Mall, the city disabled crosswalk push buttons to reduce access to high-touch surfaces that could serve as vectors to spread the virus.
Oakland began its slow streets initiative in early April, promising a total of 74 miles of car-free streets, and has since added more than 20 miles of temporary lane and road closures throughout the city to allow residents to maintain their distance from each other and reduce the risk of spreading the virus.
The city may continue expanding street closures under the program into the summer. A full map of affected streets can be found here.
— Bay City News