Oakland Port Drivers Protest Over Lack of Parking

Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.

rotesting truckers blocked parts of downtown Oakland, Calif., with their rigs Monday in protest of Port of Oakland plan to take away needed parking spots near the docks, the Daily Review newspaper reported.

he protest was organized by a group trucking companies, as Bay Area truck drivers drove slowly from the port to City Hall, honking their horns and blocking streets, the paper said.

he drivers rallied to bring awareness to the lack of parking available in the city for their rigs and trailers, the Daily Review said.

The protest was in response to a notice sent recently by the port to truckers last week notifying them they have one month to vacate a 15-acre parcel of land used in the past for parking.

One driver told the paper there is no place for the trucks to go.

Parking in and around the port has been a problem since the 1970s, when containers became the primary mode of transporting cargo by sea.

Trucks, which are the only way to move containers from the docks, used to park along the streets of West Oakland, but community opposition pushed them to the port, the paper reported.

Truckers protested last May at the port over high fuel prices, shutting it down temporarily.