I walked through Driver Plaza over the weekend with my daughter (22 months). It was horrible. Unfortunately because of the lack of safe crosswalks it was the most direct way for us the walk to Berkeley. Driver Plaza functions as a "patio" for the liquor store across the street. We will find alternate routes until the "plaza" gets cleaned up.

It's really sad that a major pedestrian/bikeway route between Oakland and Berkeley is so nasty and threatening that people have to go out of their way to avoid it. Perhaps its just not an appropriate public space for benches and day-long parties.

This place is an open sewer, full of human waste, used hypodermic needles, empty liquor bottles, and other disgusting and dangerous trash. It is also squarely across an important bike and pedestrian path. When I take my 2-year-old to day care, I can either go this way or walk quite a bit out of the way to a very high traffic intersection. Yet I've taken to avoiding the path thru Driver Park because the park is filthy and plays host to a wide range of uncouth and illegal behavior -- even at 7:30 in the morning. It's no accident that this park has also been the site of a fatal shooting: It's a magnet for illegal activity, and the city seems to basically be looking the other way.

Great point, allt. This site needs more attention than a one-off request (or even multiples). Some of the folks in GG area are working on special projects and this would be a good one for 2-6 interested and active neighbors to put pressure on the city, and work with our councilman's office on (they've been quite responsive to our district blight issues).
-Kendall

City of Oakland Public Works Agency addressed this issue on 12/13/2013, service request # 483520.

No way is this resolved. I walked through the park this afternoon and saw human waste and other garbage. And I also saw a guy with his pants down going to the bathroom. This place is still completely messed up.

The City of Oakland Public Works Agency has received this issue. It is registered as service request # 494808. Please check back for status updates or contact us directly at (510) 615-5566.

City of Oakland Public Works Agency addressed this issue on 12/17/2013, service request # 494808.