Oakland is about to expand its network of bike lanes, and business owners are once again voicing their concerns.
This time, the changes raise questions along the Grand Avenue corridor, near Lake Merritt. The pushback is already causing the city to make some adjustments.
“My staff, every single one of them got beaten up four times,” said Gerry Mogg of Modigliani Cafe.
Mogg’s critically acclaimed sandwich shop has five-star reviews. The problem, he said, is right outside his front door.
And that, he says, is why his customers will be reluctant to walk from surrounding streets or parking lots if 32 parking spaces, or about 40% of Grand’s parking spaces, are lost to the construction of new protected bike lanes.
“People don’t want to be away from their cars,” Mogg told KPIX. “If the area was properly controlled, they wouldn’t mind.”
“So here’s Cava,” said Elizabeth MacDonald of Grand Lake Veterinary Hospital as she introduced a patient. “Cava has been a customer for many years.”
For MacDonald, it’s a concern about accessibility for long-time customers or people transporting animals. And she said the corridor itself is vulnerable.
“So I think it’s no secret that a lot of small businesses in the Bay Area, brick-and-mortar businesses, are struggling a little bit right now,” she explained.
“We need to think about how we can prevent deaths on the streets,” bicycle safety advocate Ben Kaufman told city leaders in 2022. “And we are not doing our job well enough at the moment.”
Oakland began rolling out a bicycle safety plan in 2019. Advocates said the protected lanes, like the one on Telegraph Avenue, provide the most protection for cyclists and pedestrians. But these changes have a mixed reputation among entrepreneurs. And there is resistance in neighborhoods across the city.
“We’re all for bikes in the community,” Oscar Edwards said of his neighborhood in 2022. “But I just don’t think it’s a good thing for 14th Street.”
Now the discussion has arrived on Grand Avenue. Traffic planners changed the plan to reduce the parking impact, but some said it’s still too much.
“If you run out of parking, fewer people will come,” Mogg worried.
Neighbors are trying to organize and push the city to further change plans. KPIX was unable to reach anyone with the city of Oakland, but a website for the project indicates they will be gathering input from the community this summer.
Wilson Walker
