We got together after work and met to draw what we imagine would help traffic issues in the neighborhood on the Foothill section of Melrose. We iterated on this map and started walking it into City Council Member's offices, with appointments of course.
Our commitment to voicing our concerns and presenting our ideas clearly to our City Council Members, with Sheng Thao in District 4 specifically who is now the Mayor of Oakland, paid off for finding some funds dedicated to upcoming improvements in Melrose along with getting a stop sign at Foothill and Cole.
When OAKDOT started working with us more regularly, they brought examples of what other communities had pitched and gotten approved for funding so we could get ideas from others' successes and not spend time re-inventing the wheel.