NOTED PLANNER JEFF TUMLIN NAMED INTERIM HEAD OF NEW
DEPARTMENT DURING TRANSITION
Oakland, CA — Today, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf announced the
establishment of the City of Oakland’s first Department of Transportation
(DOT). This is a key milestone in the administration goal to more equitably
bring greater safety and accessibility to Oakland’s streets for the benefit of
all city residents.
The announcement followed a presentation to the City Council yesterday
outlining the new department structure, which will include some
responsibilities formerly held by Oakland Public Works, such as road
design, resurfacing and maintenance. The DOT will have a strong
planning focus on sustainable strategies that can bring needed change
quickly to city streets. The two departments will be staffed by current
employees.
“A better Oakland starts with better streets today, in every part of our city,”
said Mayor Schaaf. “We need a world-class transportation department to
take a fresh look at our streets, and provide Oakland residents with safer,
healthier and more accessible ways to get around, to and from work and
school. Equitably enhancing our streets and adding to the array of viable
transportation options in Oakland increases the vibrancy of our urban
community.”
Mayor Schaaf also announced that the transition to the new department
will be led by Jeff Tumlin, a transportation consultant and Principal and
Director of Strategy with Nelson/Nygaard, an internationally recognized
planning firm that focuses on mobility, accessibility and sustainability.
Tumlin is renowned for helping build consensus-based projects and will
manage the creation of the DOT until a director is appointed at a later
date.
“Jeff gets Oakland and understands how to get things done, and I know
that our hard-working staff who will be moving to the new department, as
well as our city residents and business people, will benefit from his years
of experience in building safer, more vibrant, and more equitable
communities,” said Mayor Schaaf.
Mayor Schaaf formed the DOT to help carry out her vision of investing
more in Oakland’s infrastructure to support quality of life in the city by
creating more vibrant community spaces, and to achieve three key city
goals:
Economic: To increase the capacity of the City to attract funds, carry out
projects and accelerate street and infrastructure maintenance, provide
new mobility alternatives, and reduce traffic congestion.
Environmental: To leverage the accelerated repair of our streets to make
them “complete streets” that increase pedestrian safety and support the
needs of drivers, transit riders and bicyclists alike. Improving all types of
transportation reduces air pollution and Oakland’s asthma rate, and is
critical to our fight against global warming.
Social Equity: The DOT will expand Oakland’s capacity to work more
actively to bring local transit agencies, private mobility companies, and
communities together to ensure that equity considerations are included
within all forms of mobility including bike sharing and car sharing. By using
better data in decision-making, including socioeconomic information,
alongside more conventional safety and traffic data, the City can improve
outcomes for all community members.
“This is such an exciting time for transportation in Oakland – our new
Department of Transportation is forming just as AC Transit breaks ground
on the bus-rapid-transit line connecting downtown Oakland with East
Oakland and downtown San Leandro, as bike sharing gets ready to
launch, and as the City develops our bond proposal to fund long-deferred
infrastructure investments and fight against displacement with affordable
housing,” said Mayor Schaaf.
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Media Contact:
Erica Terry Derryck
(510) 238-7072
ederryck@oaklandca.gov