"At the southern end of Lake Merritt, at the end of Lakeshore Avenue, there's a 1,500-foot-long cul-de-sac lined by a couple of dozen parking spots. On many nights, especially on the weekends, you'll find groups of folks idling in or around their cars there, talking, laughing, smoking, and playing music until well past midnight. The view is stunning, even cinematic, and it's the only place around the lake where people can gaze straight out over Lake Merritt from the warmth of a car."
"This free hang, whether chill or sometimes raucous, is soon coming to an end, or at least getting cut short, thanks to a new parking restriction passed by the City Council last week. The resolution was brought to a special meeting of the council on Tuesday by District 2 Councilmember Christine Wang, whose district includes that side of Lake Merritt. Parking has been restricted overnight on the east side of Lakeshore Avenue between Lake Merritt Boulevard and 1st Avenue since 2020, banned between 2 and 6 a.m. The new rule will prohibit parking starting at 10 p.m. every day of the week."
"'The Lakeshore cul-de-sac continues to attract large late-night gatherings and vehicle activity that have generated significant safety concerns for nearby residents and park users,' the resolution reads in part. Over the last five years, multiple shootings, deadly stabbings, robberies, and collisions have occurred at the cul-de-sac. A few months ago, a woman and a man were shot, though both survived; in October, someone died after being shot there. Some people have started petitions to close the loop."
A 1,500-foot cul-de-sac at the southern end of Lake Merritt with about two dozen parking spots has long been a popular late-night hang where people sit in cars, socialize, smoke, and play music while enjoying unobstructed lake views. The City enacted a new rule banning parking there starting at 10 p.m. daily; overnight parking on the east side of Lakeshore Avenue had previously been banned between 2 and 6 a.m. since 2020. The change, brought by District 2 Councilmember Christine Wang after consulting nearby residents and property owners, aims to address repeated violent incidents and allow citations to strengthen enforcement.
Read at The Oaklandside
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