BUREAU OF ROAD FAIRNESS — INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM
- TO:
- ALL MOTORISTS
- FROM:
- OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR
- FILED BY:
- Deputy Director, Office of Corridor Capacity
- DATE:
- MARCH 18, 2025
- RE:
- VICTORY AT OAK STREET
VICTORY AT OAK STREET
CORRIDOR MEMORANDUM — On the disposition of the Oak Street Protected Bike Lane Project.
Filed by the Office of Corridor Capacity.
The Oak Street Protected Bike Lane Project is closed. The line item is retired and the record is complete.
PROJECT DISPOSITION
The proposal contemplated removal of 147 parking spaces and two travel lanes to serve a corridor the city’s own estimate placed at approximately twelve daily riders. On March 18, 2025, following public comment, the council voted to cancel the project and return the $3.2 million allocation.
| OUTCOME | FIGURE | REMARKS |
|---|---|---|
| PROJECT STATUS | CLOSED | Cancelled in full |
| ALLOCATION RETURNED | $3.2M | Reverted to general fund |
PROCEEDINGS TIMELINE
| DATE | PROCEEDINGS |
|---|---|
| JANUARY 2025 | Notice of Proposal. City Council announced a plan to remove 147 parking spaces and two travel lanes for a protected bike lane projected to serve approximately 12 riders per day. |
| FEBRUARY 2025 | AARBAA Files. The local chapter opened the "Save Oak Street" docket; 2,500 signatures logged in the first 48 hours. |
| MARCH 1-17 | Comment Period. Sustained public comment, petition filings, and town halls. Corridor businesses joined the record after assessing projected loss of customer parking. |
| MARCH 18 | Council Vote. The council voted 7-2 to cancel, with 500+ residents present. The record is complete. |
“This isn’t only about parking. It’s about a corridor plan that weighed a projected twelve daily riders against 147 working households — and, in this office’s assessment, got the arithmetic backwards.”
— Janet Morrison, Oak Street Business Owner
FINDINGS OF RECORD
| FIGURE | MEASURE |
|---|---|
| 500+ | Residents present at final hearing |
| 8,742 | Petition signatures logged |
| 147 | Parking spaces retained |
| 43 | Corridor businesses on the record |
CLAIMS REVIEWED AND DISPOSED
Claim #1: "Everyone wants the bike lane."
DISPOSITION: The chapter's corridor survey recorded 89% of Oak Street residents opposed. "Everyone," on the record, resolved to seven riders and one city planner residing outside the corridor.
Claim #2: "Bike lanes boost business."
DISPOSITION: 43 corridor businesses filed after calculating a projected 70% loss of customer parking. The Office notes that appliance purchases are not, as a rule, transported by bicycle.
Claim #3: "It's only $3.2 million."
DISPOSITION: That figure resolves to $266,667 per projected daily rider, using the city's own ridership estimate of 12. The Office notes that individual electric vehicles could be provisioned for less and files the observation without a recommendation.
CONTRIBUTORS ENTERED INTO THE RECORD
Recognition is entered for the following Oak Street contributors:
- Tom Bradley — convened 14 community meetings
- Maria Santos — organized the “Save Our Street” outreach campaign
- Bob’s Hardware Store — distributed corridor signage to 400+ households
- Oak Street Merchants Association — filed on behalf of 43 businesses
STATEMENTS ENTERED BY THE OPPOSING SIDE
The following were entered into the hearing record and are reproduced without editorial characterization:
- “This is violence against cyclists.” — entered from within the chamber
- “Cars are destroying the planet.” — entered; the speaker’s subsequent departure by sport-utility vehicle is noted separately
- “We’ll remember this at election time.” — entered on behalf of the twelve projected daily riders
- “This city hates progress.” — entered; the Office declines to define progress in this filing
File your membership on Form AAR-101
GUIDANCE FOR OTHER JURISDICTIONS
Procedural Notes
- File early: enter the record before, not after, the comment window closes
- Aggregate business impact: document projected economic effect on the corridor
- Preserve the record: log every meeting, commitment, and revision
- Attend the hearing: presence is entered; absence is not
- Frame constructively: file as pro-corridor, not anti-rider
- Cite the source data: the jurisdiction’s own ridership estimate is admissible
ADVISORY TO OTHER JURISDICTIONS: The Oak Street disposition has been cited in 23 other jurisdictions now reviewing corridor proposals against their own ridership estimates. The Office anticipates additional filings.
SUBSEQUENT CORRIDOR ACTIONS
Allocation of Returned Funds
With the $3.2 million returned to the general fund, the jurisdiction has committed to:
- Roadway Repair — resurfacing of 15 miles of active roadway
- Parking Provision — 50 additional spaces in the business district
- Adaptive Signals — installation of demand-responsive traffic signals
NO CYCLISTS WERE HARMED IN THE PREPARATION OF THIS MEMORANDUM. TWO (2) EGOS WERE LOGGED AS DAMAGED — SEE FORM AAR-EGO-2.
CORRIDOR RESOURCES
- Oak Street Disposition Playbook (PDF)
- Template: Corridor Comment Filing
- Oak Street Corridor Support Group
The above materials are available for inspection at your local AARBAA field office during posted reading-room hours.
PUBLIC NOTICE
Corridor Gathering & Cookout — Saturday, March 30, 2025. Oak Street, in the retained parking spaces. Parking validation provided for attendees.