Oakland removes speed bumps installed by residents

Oakland removes speed bumps installed by residents fed up by sideshows

Oakland city crews have removed speed bumps installed by frustrated residents along a busy street, months after makeshift tire barriers were similarly taken away.

OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland city crews have removed speed bumps installed by residents in the San Antonio neighborhood, months after the city similarly tore down makeshift tire barriers designed to deter reckless drivers.

Residents fed up over sideshows

What they're saying:

Michael Andemeskel said he is fed up with "the massive sideshows that are happening here, which devolved into nightly sideshows that are occurring at 3 a.m., 4 a.m."

But he's also frustrated by the city's removal of the safety features residents believe will help slow traffic along East 21st Street near 19th Avenue. Two blocks away on East 19th Street, the city has allowed makeshift traffic barriers and speed bumps to stay.

"We had a solution, we had a solution that was working," Andemeskel said. "The city decided to rip it up because it wasn't their solution. I just don't understand what they want from us. We've been completely reasonable and cooperative."

City sympathetic but says no to makeshift solutions

The other side:

Josh Rowan, Oakland's director of transportation, said city officials sympathize with residents' woes, but added that makeshift deterrents can be dangerous.

"The behaviors that frustrate everyone frustrate us too," Rowan said. "When it comes to solutions, their solutions are increasing risk on the street."

Rowan said cars have swerved out of traffic lanes because of the speed bumps. 

"We want to work with them. We want to get solutions that are solving these problems," Rowan said. "But they keep getting out in front of us. And that's not helping either us or them."

Rowan says posts and paint like those installed at Redwood Road and Skyline Boulevard in the Oakland hills will be installed by June as a stopgap measure at East 21st Street and 21st Avenue.

Charlene Wang was sworn in as an Oakland city councilmember for the area just last week, a day after the city removed the speed bumps.

"I will want to advocate definitely for actual physical differences," Wang said. "Let's first put in an immediate solution and then - it's not going to solve everything - but it's going to at least mediate some of the safety issues that the community is experiencing."

Seth Benson, an Oakland resident, said he can see both sides. 

"Yeah it's a hard situation, I guess," Benson said. "Definitely a lot of kids live in this neighborhood."

At the same time, however, Benson said he could understand how makeshift deterrents can cause more harm than good.

"Definitely with homemade devices that aren't city-sanctioned, they haven't gotten through approvals, kind of dangerous if you run over the wrong thing, you don't see it coming," he said.

Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan