Bicycle Blog Cyclelicious

Santa Cruz County railroad to enforce track trespass rules I understand that trespassing is a huge liability issue for the railroads. In my locale, there are a few bike paths that are not easily accessed except by trespassing on RR property (crossing tracks). The police regularly issue $500 citations. No, that is not a typo - $500 is the fine. Liability can be a problem in many states, but in California it's not an issue at all -- if you die or are injured on railroad tracks in California, the railroad is not at fault, regardless of any efforts (or not) on the RR part to enforce trespassing.

In Santa Cruz County, for example, a railroad trestle bridge is a common route for walkers and cyclists to cross over the San Lorenzo River near the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. The RR owner never enforces its property rights along the railroad; and lawsuits brought against Union Pacific for injuries are routinely dismissed. 2009 Santa Cruz Mountain Challenge Scotts Valley California I'll be on the metric, and charging up that Jamison Creek time trial. Santa Cruz Fixed Gear Freak During our 45-second fixed-gear boom last summer I did estimates for a coupler of seekers. They were discouraged by even a bare-bones price, but you can't turn loose a mechanical neophyte on some of the stuff we used to build for ourselves on the deep cheap from 1975-1985 when no one cared. Those tweakers took some attention and input from the builder/rider. You CAN put a fixed cog onto a freewheel-threaded hub, secured with a bottom bracket lock ring, but you have to know what you're done and what to watch out for. And there are other tricks not for the inexperienced or faint of heart. I wouldn't even do it that way anymore (much), but they kept costs quite low. Bike Girls Santa Cruz nice set!! go girls ;) Bike Boys Santa Cruz Santa Cruz bike bridge Santa Cruz cycling and the Tour of California Good job reporting on the press conference yesterday in Santa Cruz. The Facebook Tour of California - Santa Cruz group is growing thanks to your "shout out." Thanks! Karen Bicycle friendly businesses in Santa Cruz County Also, Cal Giant strawberries are given as prizes in CCCX races! I discovered this weekend that Cafe Brasil offers a 10% discount if you get there on bike. Bicycling in the San Lorenzo Valley Man bites dog. Looks like the problem is the progression from #1 to #2.

Why did the cyclist attack the drivers property (i.e. the car)?

Argument is one thing - but taking that to the next level of attacking person or property is another. Yeah, the kicking the car was out of line, but I don't think there's any equivalence between property damage to battery. You are correct there is also blame on the driver for escalating even further. Good point on #8. I imagine the same goes for any "minority", or even dirty looking Caucasians. It sounds like the cyclist made the first violent action here by kicking the car. If I was in a car and someone started kicking it I would feel assaulted. Who carries knives around anyway? Concealed weapon? He deserves some time in jail, cyclist or not. As a hot-tempered cyclist toting around years' worth of frustration at motorist intolerance, I certainly understand the urge to lash out. Only overlaid wisdom, maintained with conscious effort, keeps me from popping off more often. Physical confrontation always seems to mimic the arms race. Fist to rock to club to spear to bow and arrow...to cruise missile. So don't even start an exchange that does not really address the basic justice issues. But don't they just piss you off sometimes? Helpful hint: always carry a cell phone camera, take pictures of the motorist's plates and face, and e-mail them to a police officer or DA you have befriended. Bay Area bicycle and transportation news Highway 17 Bikes on Board -- no changes ...glad to see good results from that meeting so you & others can continue the bus, bike & sometimes train commute...

...hope that "when it's reasonable to allow them on board" isn't a cryptically hidden message...

...but it sounds like they're trying to be accommodating to cyclists in various ways... Santa Cruz Highway 17 bikes on board to be banned! ...the knee jerk reaction by 'metro' seems ill thought out at best, in light of the times...i'll bet there was an implied threat of legal complications by that customer...

...i know this could be a huge setback for you, fritz, so i wish you best of luck dealing w/ a bureaucracy that probably looks to follow the path of least resistance...

...hopefully saner minds will prevail, ie: transportation experts who are moved by needs, not swayed by trends & threats... Santa Cruz: King Street bikeway meeting ...fritz...i'm assuming points A & B on that map allow access to king st. through the use of traffic lights but i wonder about the safety of those ingress & egress points...

...using & knowing the area as well as you do, what's your personal take on the situation ???...ie: what do you think would be safest reasonable situation & what would you prefer to see done ???...

...i ask, fritz, because while i'm familiar w/ the traffic & dangers of mission st., i'm not versed in the alternatives... I've never been on more than short sections of King.

I intended to ride King Street over the weekend before posting this but spent the weekend with friends and family instead :-) I live on king, and I'm an avis cyclist, and none of these options are good.

Parking is already a big problem. Taking parking won't help. The first option means I would have to cross king with kids and groceries, or walk a block.

Widening the street by taking the medians will expose pedestrians to greater risk and remove trees that make the street nice. Are you going to move the telephone poles?
bring your wallet...

I would be in favor of moving traffic off of king as in option two, but then the side street neighbors get burned.

Most of all, king is safe to ride right now. What I need is a safe, quick way to get downtown or to the eastside.

This is sort of a bridge to nowhere. Thank you Old Timer -- it's always best to know from people who will actually be directly impacted. Like you note, any changes will cost $$$. In general I'm a fan of traffic calming, but in Santa Cruz there really is no place else for traffic to go -- Mission is already beyond capacity, and there's no where else for traffic now on King to go. I'm sure also that residents on King don't want to give up their parking, since parking is also already so limited in Santa Cruz. I pity da foo who steals bikes You missed an 'l' in the title I think. I took it more as an F bomb lol.. Santa Cruz Wildcat 2008 photos great photos! I agree with gwad, great portraits Fritz. oops - I neglected to mention that these portraits were not by me! Joshua took these photos. Posted here with his permission. Scavenger hunt?? Hey, who cares about DNF or results at all when there's a scavenger hunt! Santa Cruz fire evacuations That is Sabine. She had a tough time figuring out which bike to take. I know I would. I am hoping for the best for all of them Do you know these people? I think I've seen the guy around town in Santa Cruz but I don't know him. @fritz: Sabine is the founder of Velo Bella. You can read more about the kitty rescue at:

http://velobellababble.blogspot.com/2008/05/2-cats-and-dawg.html

or

http://norcalcyclingnews.com/2008/05/23/thanks-again-and-yes-shes-that-badass/ Thanks for the info. I guess I should keep an eye out for this kind of stuff! Santa Cruz approves "Bikes In Lane" signs for Mission Street ...i hope this will make a positive difference in the awareness & attitudes of drivers along that stretch...

...thousands upon thousands of touring cyclists, for many years have used that section of roadway & it took the recent deaths of two people before signs that state the law, could be placed to raise awareness... thanks for this post Fritz!

im still confused about this line "the California Vehicle Code for impeding traffic only applies to 2 lane roads, not 4 lane highways"

can i be ticketed for taking the lane on a 2 lane road? I've made a couple of corrections to the article based on some feedback that Mr. Shanteu sent to me in email.

Billy, I'm not a lawyer, but here's the text of CVC 21656 - Turning Out of Slow Moving Vehicles: On a two-lane highway where passing is unsafe because of traffic in the opposite direction or other conditions, a slow-moving vehicle, including a passenger vehicle, behind which five or more vehicles are formed in line, shall turn off the roadway at the nearest place designated as a turnout by signs erected by the authority having jurisdiction over the highway, or wherever sufficient area for a safe turnout exists, in order to permit the vehicles following it to proceed. As used in this section a slow-moving vehicle is one which is proceeding at a rate of speed less than the normal flow of traffic at the particular time and place.

And here's the text of CVC 22400 - Minimum Speed Law: (a) No person shall drive upon a highway at such a slow speed as to impede or block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic, unless the reduced speed is necessary for safe operation, because of a grade, or in compliance with law. thanks again fritz.

it is not clear to me how CVC 21656 and 22400 (the ones you mentioned) work together with CVC 21202 which states:

"21202. (a) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at that time shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except under any of the following situations:
...
(3) When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including, but not limited to...substandard width lanes) ...
For purposes of this section, a "substandard width lane" is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane."


http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21202.htm San Lorenzo Valley Critical Mass ...what a kool event...would love to do that train ride up & bike ride down...glad all you kids enjoyed the day... Yep, it was a ton of fun -- I'd recommend this for next year if they decide to do it again! Crazy bus passenger On the brighter side. the bike rack looks a bit dirty but intact after the ordeal. One of many reasons I stay far away from buses. I can't stand biking near them and haven't ridden one in 10+ years. I talked to a couple of bus drivers at SC Metro -- they told me the bike rack is a little mangled and will need repair or replacement. Other than that, the only damage to the bus was two flat tires.

I guess Baltimore passengers must be different from Santa Cruz passengers. This isn't exactly an everyday occurrence around here. That was strange- expecting cycles clicking Santa Cruz- and a Santa Cruz bus appears!

Santa Cruz was named "bicycle friendly, so I am thrilled my home town recieved that honor; and assumed that coverage of that celebration (downtown Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium ) might be what I would find: but a bus on highway 1 ???

I had better go out cycling to calm down.......;-) Anon, I had seen the news that Santa Cruz was selected as a Bicycle Friendly Community. I think many of us knew that already, but seeing the purple signs up is pretty exciting.

I'd be curious to know what you clicked on expecting to find an article about Santa Cruz cycling to see this one about a crazy bus passenger. Windy in Santa Cruz, Bay Area That cyclist is a bad-ass. When I was riding home yesterday I was losing my breath to the wind and today it's far worse. Wait, this is my first commute of the year! Perfect choice - I love riding in this stuff.

The Caltrain bike-car was pretty empty this morning.

Bonus: If the wind direction doesn't shift too much, should be a hella tailwind for my 15 miles back home later today. Now you know what to wear helmets for ;-) And maybe the styrofoam helmet can insulate against falling wires too.

Gazer, watch those limbs and the deep water!

I have some friends who told me the other day they're headed to Tahoe tonight. I told them "No you're not." Darn, not much wind last night.

Left a little early to ride in the daylight (to see those limbs and estimate water depth). Mostly just a bunch of leaves on the ground.

The towns/residents appear to have cleaned up the major limbs very quickly. Bravo! Santa Cruz short bar green fixie Is that a bridge or a curve around a steep hill? I'm not seeing what's going on, possibly because I'm distracted by the pretty scenery in the background.

Incidentally, is that ever a factor in such collisions? (Oh! What a lovely--*CRASH*) Poor guy, if that contributed to his death, enjoying the moment while home on break. It's just a curve around a semi-steep downhill, and the road is cut out of the hill, hence no room for a bike lane.

I've gone around that curve a million times, and I always use the entire lane every time. Otherwise people try to drive around you.

Terrible, terrible news. Chico Gino, you get around dude. I didn't realize you rode in Santa Cruz also.

I usually cross the trestle bridge by the Boardwalk parking lot and take the River path, which meets up with where E. Cliff goes. Still, it's fun to zoom down E. Cliff Drive there. ...what a shame, i hope the ups guy didn't hook him but it may be a statement about fix gear bikes w/ no brakes...even w/ the best of skills, the 'proverbial' shit happens...i shouldn't start...rip, dude...

...apropos of my mind now being down along east cliff, i gotta ask you a question, fritz...you ever stop by tom sullivan's low key amsterdam bikes just south of twin lakes state beach ???...good man & how can ya fault anybody who rides a cross bike ?...

...my best to you & the gang as we paddle/pedal into 2008...here comes that big rain... It was a fedex truck not ups. My husband is at cort speaking in behaf of the family today. We were the young couple that saw the whole thing. you were right he was more on the side of the road looking down. The truck blinkerd to turn and the kid didnt notice untill it was to late. He tryed to get out of the way but was unable because there was a garbage can infront of him. It was the most tramatic this Ive ever seen. I was due to have my first child and my hubby and I just wanted to catch a movie and relaxe and I told him to take east cliff because I wanted to see the water, and then the fedex truck insisted the right of way and then the kid didnt even stop at the stop sign, so we were behind then the whole way. SF Bay Area: rain Rain RAIN RAIN. And wind, too. Fun! Yeah yeah yeah, I know....

It rains just hard enough to get wet, and it's usually a cold rain around here so you're miserable if you're not in rain gear. I've been out on days with rain forecast for the afternoon, and in the morning all the bike commuters are in their normal bike commute clothes like nice slacks, dress shirts, and good shoes. In the evening I see them covered up in plastic trash bags with holes for their heads and arms. I hope it has enough momentum to drop a bunch on Minnesota. I would love some more snow. There's no such thing as bad weather, just poor choice in clothes.

Enjoy the misting... Santa Cruz surf That was you in the beginning riding the 15 footer right? Yeah, sure, that was me. Yeah, that's the ticket. The Xtracycle (see wikipedia) has a long-load adapter which seems well suited to a longboard. Wi Fi on Highway 17 Express bus begins December 2007 Santa Cruz, herbicides, and the county road budget