November 20, 2013Leave a Comment
As I type this, CHP have closed both lanes of northbound Highway 17 in Santa Cruz County, California. Somebody drove his vehicle off of the side of the highway and down the side of the mountain. Two women were ejected from the vehicle, and the car landed on top of one of the ejected passengers. Responding CHP requested a tow vehicle with 200 feet of cable to recover the vehicle.
In other news…
November 19, 20133 Comments on I feel the rain
I enjoyed my ride with Cat along the Guadalupe River Path in San Jose this morning. If you don’t know Cat, you might know his bike – it’s the monstrous electric-assist home-built chopper built with scraps of wood and metal. I peeled off at River Oaks as he continued north to his office. The first droplets of rain began to hit the ground just as I pulled into the parking lot at my office in Santa Clara.
The photo below is Cat with his first homebuilt chopper bike a few years ago. His current bike is larger and more imposing. More bike and transportation news below the photo.
November 18, 20132 Comments on Bay Area: Rain Tuesday!
The National Weather Service says we might get as much as a quarter inch of rain in the San Francisco Bay Area, and up to a half inch in Santa Cruz. The storm will travel across the Bay Area during the morning rush hour and move south, so plan accordingly.
Bike news below.
November 12, 20138 Comments on Watch for sucker poles, and a local journalist’s stripped bike
From DNAInfo Chicago:
On a sunny Wednesday morning as moms, kids and workers walked along Halsted Street, a bike thief worked in plain sight.
It was as easy as lifting a tow zone sign right out of its base, slipping the U-lock off the metal pole and riding off with the lock still attached to the frame of the bike
“Sucker poles” are what Howard Kaplan of the Chicago Stolen Bike Registry call these sign posts that are not securely attached to their base. In San Jose, I’ve seen bike racks that are similarly attached only loosely to the sidewalk with bolts. I’m told this tactic is used by thieves elsewhere around the Bay Area and in Santa Cruz.
When locking up your bike, check to ensure the bike rack or post you’ve secured your bike to is itself securely attached.
Read more –> Bike Theft Gangs Using ‘Sucker Poles’ to Steal Bikes Across the City. H/T to Jenny Oh.
Local opinion columnist Scott Herhold had his bike stripped while it was locked up at Diridon Station in San Jose.
I’ve always believed that my 30-year-old Nishiki bike offered an effective poison pill to the bad guys. The paint is chipped, the seat is frayed, and the gears look ancient. I thought no self-respecting thief would look twice.
I had reason to think it would be no problem. When thieves broke into the bike enclosure at San Jose City Hall a couple months ago, they stripped several bikes of wheels and seats but left mine alone. Stealing something from my bike is like robbing a cane from a grandmother.
Guess what? Some thieves don’t mind stealing from grandmothers. When I stopped by the station to pick up my bike, both my wheels were gone — rims, tires, the works. My Nishiki lay like a pathetic skeleton on the ground.
Herhold uses the opportunity of his stripped bike to discuss the police union politics of next year’s San Jose mayoral race. Read more in the Mercury-News: What a theft from a bike says about San Jose crime.
November 11, 20132 Comments on Bike commuter helps driver in distress
The Champaign-Urbana News Gazoo in Illinois reports that University of Illinois professor Steve LaValle was Just Riding Along when he ran across a diabetic man parked on the side of the road. LaValle is currently on a leave of absence from the U of I and is working in Irvine, California, where he rides his bike to and from work.
People who ride bikes frequently tout the improved opportunities for observation while traveling at a more human pace. In this case, the slower pace of travel and exposure to the elements gave LaValle, a computer science professor in Illinois, the opportunity to help another individual.
November 8, 20134 Comments on John Forester on the radio
Happy Friday.
John Forester, the (in)famous creator of Effective Cycling will participate in a radio discussion of bikeway history and affairs this Sunday, November 10, 2013 at 5 PM on KKUP, 91.5 FM in Santa Clara Valley. As far as I can tell there’s no online listening available.
More bicycle news below.
