The San Francisco Citizen

Well it was on the Laughing Squid, so everybody knew about the 2008 Illegal Soapbox Derby atop San Francisco’s Bernal Hill. Not to be confused with the recent Red Bull event in Dolores Park last month, the illegal (possibly lacking a permit, and insurance, and…) Bernal Heights soap box derby has pleased one and all for years.  

But then word came from from Mission Mission that that Recreation and Parks Rangers and San Francisco Police Department officers would be on hand to shut this mother down.

And so it was.

This racer had to back his rig away from last year’s starting gate, later closed altogether, under orders of an RPD Ranger:

Things were no different at the bottom of the hill, with these SFPD officers giving the bad news to organizers:  

Genial sergeant Miller arrived to discuss matters with an organizer and respected neighborhood poobah Todd “First Class” Lappin, but any subsequent soapbox derbying on the hill was disorganized and fleeting: 

So there you have it, no soap box today, at least at Bernal Heights Park there wasn’t.

See you next year?

You see, the sidewalks of San Francisco’s Market Street don’t have posted speed limits so you’re free to go as fast as you want.  

Everyone will cheer as your illegal, hollow, straight exhaust pipes resonate. Why not give us a smoky burnout or two?

All right, see you tomorrow!

Lane splitting - everybody’s doing it, even SuzukiGirl. But what does John Law think about that?

Q. Can motorcycle riders “split” lanes and ride between other vehicles? A. Lane splitting by motorcycles is permissible but must be done in a safe and prudent manner.

Does lane splitting irritate drivers? Perhaps, but who cares?

Go for it, dOoD. The University of California says lane splitting is good for you. Plus, these days you’ve got the Vatican-certified patron saint of motocycle riders, Columbanus of Bobbio, on your side.

Bonus.

“Filtering forward” through the long line of stalled cagers in front of the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge toll booths. Click to expand:

This guy road the rails all the way down the Embarcadero heading to Fisherman’s Wharf. Good thing no trains were coming. And good thing he had the optional SUV tires - the ride must be rough when you’re on the cobblestones.

Click to expand:

Or maybe he’s preparing for the Olympics

Only in Marin! That’s right, Marin County, the birthplace of mountain biking, and home to nuclear-tipped missiles, endangered deer, and marauding mountain lions (nee cougars), can’t abide you people building your own single-track MTB trails.

Michael Philip More is getting a ten-day jail sentence for illegally building a quarter-mile trail at the end of Robinhood Drive in San Rafael.    

Click to expand:

Possible path of the trail, the white line is a quarter-mile long

Does Michael More wish there were more singletrack MTB trails in Marin? Given that MTBers are mostly confined to fire roads in Marin County, signs point to yes.