- Some are concerned about the city’s response to the larger problem in the area
- The issues that led to the stop sign change stem from a homeless encampment
The city of Oakland recently removed traffic signals from a busy intersection and replaced them with stop signs after the electrical boxes that control the traffic lights were repeatedly tampered with and copper stolen from them.
Local residents and business owners in the area say the traffic light problem stems from the nearby homeless encampment, which has grown over the years.
The owner of an auto repair shop at the corner of the intersection, Tam Le, said the city is indicating it is “failing us” by installing the stop signs.
The traffic lights stopped functioning for months. They flashed red or turned off completely, causing confusing and dangerous driving conditions in the area.
‘The city has tried to fix the traffic light a few times. But as soon as they fix it, usually within a week, it goes out again,” Le says CBS News.
The city of Oakland recently removed the traffic lights from a busy intersection and replaced them with stop signs
The traffic lights stopped functioning for months. They flashed red or turned off completely, causing confusing and dangerous driving conditions in the area. Some blame residents for a very nearby homeless camp.
The real problem, he claims, is the homeless who steal power from the city’s electrical boxes and the copper from the traffic lights themselves.
Local resident Mason Young told the outlet that the old-fashioned stop signs are “a brand new solution to a problem that has taken many forms here.”
He said the big red signs are better than the malfunctioning traffic lights, which he said were responsible for months of sending a truck crashing into one of the fences at Le’s repair shop.
But, he added, applying another “Band-Aid” to a much bigger problem is not a sustainable solution – especially in an area that has become significantly more violent in recent years – although it is far preferable to “exit bleed’.
Le has operated his business at the intersection for a quarter century, but fears the expansion of the homeless camp could mean the end of his livelihood.
“If you really want to fix the stop sign, I think you really need to clean up this homeless camp,” he said.
A Bay Area city spokesperson said they had tried to partially solve the problem by placing heavy cement blocks on the city’s electrical boxes, but people stealing electricity simply pushed them away.
The owner of an auto repair shop at the corner of the intersection, Tam Le (pictured), said the city is signaling it is “failing us” by installing the stop signs.
Currently, the encampment (pictured) stretches for about three blocks on E. 12th Street and has only continued to grow, despite some previous efforts by the city to clear it.
The city also said the stop signs at the intersection of E. 12th Street and 16th Avenue are temporary, but there is currently no timeline for when they will be replaced with regular traffic signals again.
The city also said the stop signs at the intersection of E. 12th Street and 16th Avenue are temporary, but there is currently no timeline for when they will be replaced with regular traffic signals again.
Le says a lot of businesses have already closed on E. 12 and he’s not sure how long we’ll be here.
“Because as soon as they (the homeless camp residents) move to our side of the sidewalk, we’re gone,” he added.
Currently, the camp stretches for about three blocks on E. 12th Street and has only continued to grow, despite some previous efforts by the city to clear it.