Like much of California, the city of Oakland has been under a shelter-in-place order since March, leaving its population of around 430,000 few options for getting out of the house other than to go for a walk.

But even that has suddenly become potentially perilous. Social distancing requires that people stay six feet apart to diminish the risk of passing the coronavirus to others, but when sidewalks are as narrow as four or five feet, a stroll down the block can become a game of high-stakes chicken.

In April, however, Mayor Libby Schaaf announced that the Bay Area city would close 74 miles of streets 10% of its grid to through traffic for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis. The program, called Oakland Slow Streets, provides people on foot, bike, skateboard or scooter, along with wheelchair users and parents pushing strollers, the freedom to exercise in the fresh air and the space to avoid spreading the virus.