Help Oakland Name Its Own “Summer Streets”

A night scene from Oakland’s Uptown Unveiled. Photo: Living in the O

We were excited to welcome two long-time Oakland, CA, groups to the Livable Streets Community this week: Walk Oakland Bike Oakland (WOBO) and TransForm. Inspired by the success of San Francisco’s Sunday Streets, WOBO wants to launch its own East Bay version and is asking for input on what to call the event. Shannon T. writes:

So we took the “Sunday Streets” issue to the streets — literally — at last Thursday’s Uptown Unveiled! event at 19th and Telegraph, which itself provided a dramatic illustration of how sweet it is to block off the streets for community entertainment. Hundreds of Oaklanders filled the streets to enjoy performances, people-watching, and other free activities. WOBO’s table drew a stream of walkers and cyclists, and we tapped their creativity to gather suggestions for a name. Together with the ideas generated at Tuesday’s Volunteers Meeting, we’ve got quite a list.

Ideas include “Open Roads,” “Streets for People,” “Walkland” and “East Bay Easy” — leave a comment to put in your vote!

Elsewhere, PA Walks and Bikes brought up an opportunity to participate in updating the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Pedestrian Guide; Upper Manhattan residents gave the MTA their suggestions for better routes for the Bx20 bus; and a member in St. Louis Park, MN is looking for advice about a local bridge.