I've been an officianado of ports for a few years now so now that I am a full-time Bay Area resident I thought I should do some port wandering here. The issues that continue to attract me to industrial ports are their interface with ecology, culture, and public access. European ports are much more accessible both visually and physically so I am putting US ports to that same test, without getting in trouble for trespassing, of course! I thought I would start with Oakland. By taking the BART and following the Bay Trail it looked like a relatively short walk Middle Harbor Shoreline on the waterfront just adjacent to the Port of Oakland.
The Bay Trail will eventually be a 500 mile trail around the entire perimeter of San Francisco and San Pablo bays. 355 miles are completed currently. The goal is more a majority of the trail to be along the water but in some cases it has had to move inland due to obstacles. The trail also connects existing parks, public transportation, and ferries.
This was the section that I took on the walk. I went from the MacArthur BART and walked west on 7th Street to the waterfront.
The beginning of the walk is on normal sidewalks through West Oakland which is supposed to be pretty dangerous but at least on this particular day was fairly quiet. But I thought these traffic islands where the BART columns land have great potential as way-finding points with more color, art, and lighting to let you know you're on the right track.
The official trail signage shown here. Its proximity to the highway on-ramp signs gives you a clue as to the quality of the trail ahead.
Its a pretty bleak place but is the only connection to the waterfront on the Bay Trail.
You enter this area that is where you enter I-80. There are tons of semi trucks, diesel fumes, and high concrete walls. It's a pretty daunting space but it does have a 10' sidewalk and pedestrian crosswalks
I was a little worried about this tunnel, safety-wise but it is short and there is nowhere to hide.
Your first view of the Port!
Utilitarian asphalt path between the train tracks and the BART.
You have arrived! The use of palm trees as you get closer to the park was very effective. It is easy as you are walking/riding through the more dismal section to forget why you are going there. The trees were a nice way to let you know you are still on track and this cluster at the park entrance was a nice gesture. Some well-meaning concrete geometric gestures as well.
Overall, its great that there is even a connection to the waterfront though this part of town and having the foresight to install 10' sidewalks in a place where they wouldn't normally be is great. It would be nice thought to try and make the journey a little friendlier considering the surroundings. Or maybe this is just a park that is better reached by car but the intention of the Bay Trail is recreation and accessibility so I imagine as the area improves the route will be more popular and may get more attention and maintenance.
