Local authorities have dismantled homemade roundabouts that desperate residents had built to prevent dangerous spectacles from occurring in their California neighborhood.
Oakland’s San Antonio neighborhood has been dealing almost daily with sideshows or informal car stunt displays that occur illegally on vacant lots or busy streets.
The crisis has escalated to the point of causing despair among residents. Fed up with the city’s apparent inaction, residents took matters into their own hands, building tire barriers and makeshift roundabouts to discourage reckless driving.
“This is the worst I’ve seen in my 23 years living here… It’s much worse and more dangerous,” said Randy Duarte, a San Antonio resident. Crown 4.
“They almost killed someone,” said resident Michael Andemeskel. KTVU“There’s a school up there. Children have been run over on this street. People have had their cars hit and destroyed.”
Local authorities have dismantled homemade roundabouts that desperate residents had built to prevent dangerous spectacles from occurring in their California neighborhood.
Oakland’s San Antonio neighborhood has been dealing almost daily with sideshows or informal car stunt displays that occur illegally on vacant lots or busy streets.
To combat the chaos, residents built tire barriers and transformed three intersections into roundabouts in an effort to curb reckless driving.
“The speed bumps were bolted to the ground to make movement difficult,” Duarte said.
Self-implemented traffic calming measures appeared to be effective, according to Duarte.
“It actually made everyone stop. They think it’s a problem,” Duarte said.
But the city quickly removed the barriers, citing safety concerns.
Residents argue that the city is not doing enough to protect them.
Odelson Souza told KUTV that his 2-year-old son nearly collided with a car that was speeding on the sidewalk.
“Look, please help us,” Souza said. “Who else are we going to call? Superman?”
The city has justified the removal by calling the barriers “unauthorized hazards.”
“We as a city stand in solidarity with our community and we all want safer streets, but increasing the risk to the public by installing hazards is not the solution. The city will immediately remove these unauthorized and dangerous installations,” the city of Oakland said in a statement to KRON4.
Odelson Souza (pictured) told KUTV his 2-year-old son nearly collided with a car that was speeding down the sidewalk.
Self-implemented traffic calming measures appeared to be effective, but the city quickly removed the barriers.
Oakland residents like Heather Washington are undeterred.
“What we heard when we made inquiries about the possibility of building a roundabout is that somebody has to die first before they do anything about it… And we’re not going to wait for that to happen,” Washington said.
“The next step is to continue with the pressure and efforts on the city.”
The community is determined to continue to pressure the city for effective solutions to the ongoing sideshow crisis.