we miss you!

Dear OakFF Community,

Oakland First Fridays remains on pause until pandemic restrictions are lifted. Our small team has been furloughed but remains in contact and we are hoping to do more virtual events in coming months. And really hoping we can all be back out on Telegraph sooner rather than later. Let’s keep the faith.

The nonprofit KONO Community Benefit District, which produces First Fridays, is continuing to work with our community and City officials to address safety hazards and other impacts of the protected bike lanes along Telegraph. We have long maintained that the current design is unsafe because turning cars cannot see bike lane traffic. After a cyclist was struck and injured in June, OakDOT installed bollards along the lanes and in the middle of Telegraph…which don’t fix the visibility issue, and may make it impossible for First Fridays to resume. The full story is on the KONO website.

City Council recently voted to require OakDOT to work with the Department of Race and Equity and host two community meetings to collect input…we’ll let you know when those are scheduled. For now, KONO’s position is that the lanes should be replaced with buffered bike lanes, which will let drivers and cyclists see each other, and minimize the negative impacts on local businesses and First Fridays.

If you agree, please sign our petition to make your voice heard!

