The City of Oakland Department of Transportation’s (OakDOT) mission is to assure safe, equitable, and sustainable access and mobility for residents, businesses, and visitors. OakDOT.
OakDOT is partnering with the City Administrator’s Office to recommend environmental design interventions—including vehicle barriers—to deter vehicle-based robberies that involve deliberating crashing into storefronts. OakDOT has developed a permit mechanism to allow business and/or property owners to install vehicle barriers in the right-of-way.
To provide a mechanism for business owners to utilize the City of Oakland
(City) right-of-way to deter vehicle-based robberies that involve
deliberately crashing into storefronts, OakDOT proposes pursuing the
City’s Obstruction Permit. Typically, the
Obstruction Permit is used to accommodate construction in the right-of-way,
allowing applicants to block or obstruct the sidewalk, travel lane, or
on-street parking spaces. While Obstruction Permits are typically temporary and
for a duration of up to six months, they can be renewed/extended beyond six
months, as necessary. OakDOT recommends utilizing the Obstruction Permit
process to review and potentially approve concrete or other vehicle barriers in
the right-of-way.
On streets with relatively
wide sidewalks, a vehicle barrier may be acceptable adjacent to the curb. These
Sidewalk Obstructions that preserve a 5’-6”-wide minimum pedestrian walkway
carry a permit fee of approximately $540 per the Oakland Master
Fee Schedule. Review and potential approval of a Sidewalk Obstruction Permit
takes approximately 10-15 days.
In locations where an applicant may propose utilizing an on-street parking space, permit costs can be substantially higher to compensate for the loss of on-street parking in the neighborhood and potential on-street parking revenue. Per the Oakland Master Fee Schedule, the fee to privately occupy and obstruct an on-street metered parking space for 30 days costs approximately $1,840. Review and potential approval of a Parking Obstruction Permit takes approximately 10-15 days.
The options presented above are intended to help businesses respond quickly to security concerns.
The City of Oakland does not provide materials or design services.