In the middle of a busy afternoon in downtown Oakland, a mail carrier behind the wheel of a U.S. Postal Service truck reportedly shouted "move" as he drove through a crosswalk and nearly struck a man walking his dog at Broadway and 27th on Feb. 13. The pedestrian had to jump out of the way, according to a witness. A nearby cyclist followed the truck, then snapped photos of the driver when it stopped near the post office.
According to Streetsblog San Francisco, the near-miss was captured on editor Roger Rudick’s rear-facing bike camera at about 4 p.m. that Friday. Rudick said the truck was easy to pick out, thanks to distinctive yellow and pink graffiti, and that he filed a complaint with the U.S. Postal Service. He told Streetsblog he received a file number and a customer service reply saying USPS "will look into this incident with the carrier and will do our investigation."
Postal Work And City Safety
Letter carriers in Oakland have been publicly calling for better protection after a run of robberies and attacks on delivery routes, union leaders and local reporting have noted, per The Oaklandside. That kind of pressure can make an already hectic downtown route feel even more tense. Still, advocates say, it does not justify a driver cutting through a crosswalk and putting people on foot in harm’s way.
USPS Response
Rudick said he turned over his photos along with the video and filed a formal complaint. USPS customer service replied that it would investigate the carrier, according to Streetsblog San Francisco. The response did not include a timeline, and Rudick told the outlet he is not expecting especially tough discipline.
The Bigger Picture
Street safety advocates say this is one more example in a larger pattern of risky driving and loose accountability on California roads. An investigative series by CalMatters documented systemic gaps in court and DMV enforcement and reporting that can allow dangerous drivers to stay licensed, a problem safety groups often cite in calls for stronger penalties.
Rudick has said that sharing the photos and video publicly is his way of pushing for some kind of consequence. Whether the USPS investigation leads to discipline is still unclear. For now, the clip joins a growing collection of bystander videos showing close calls for people walking, biking and just trying to cross the street in downtown Oakland.
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