UC Berkeley Department of City and Regional Planning Master in CIty Planning stuent Alejo Alvarado recently published The Racial Equity Implications of Road Safety Enforcement in Oakland, CA throught Collaborative Sciences Center for Road Safety (CSCRS) Road Safety Fellows Program.
Abstract: Road safety is rarely associated with racial justice - however, the current political moment has made clear the need for a shift in our approach to racism and its manifestations in the built and social environments. Though the need for this change in paradigm is not new, it has grown increasingly visible as issues of race, class, and gender are now at the forefront of our collective consciousness. The field of urban planning often has historically situated itself as a perpetrator of injustice and harm toward communities of color. As the demands for racial justice are heard throughout streets across the world - it is important to interrogate how the current Transportation planning and policy reify racial injustice. This research analyzes the City of Oakland’s stop data to address disparate impacts across racial groups. By connecting road safety enforcement outcomes and race this report analyzes how the current model, that relies on police to enforce safety is inequitable. Findings suggest that Black people are overpoliced relative to White and other non-white groups. GIS analysis of the distribution of arrests also suggests alternatives such as Automated Speed Enforcement might also have negative impacts on historically marginalized communities.
Read Alejo Alvarado's Final Report:
The Racial Equity Implications of Road Safety Enforcement in Oakland, CA