Posts Tagged ‘Wheel’
Friday, February 26th, 2010
What makes San Francisco’s monthly Critical Mass an illegal bicycle parade is the fact that nobody gets permits. ‘Cause getting a permit is hard - it would entail doing stuff that costs a lot of money and it would make you a magnet for lawsuits, so who needs that, right?
The thing is that corking intersections and running red lights as a group (hallmarks of Critical Mass going back to the mid-1990′s), those things are obviously illegal, so the SFPD could start issuing citations whenever it wants, of course. And that’s true no matter how they roll in the Empire State. (Actually, I question how the New York decision affects us here in San Francisco at all, but oh well.)
I’ll tell you, the biggest shock that drivers have when they get stuck at an intersection is that they get no sympathy from the cops. Drivers without criminal records tend to stay by their cars and watch the parade of bikes.
OTOH, drivers with criminal records, well, Critical Mass is a test of their ability to maintain. Some fail.
Do I think San Francisco has the will to kill Critical Mass? No. But do I think Police Chief George Gascon is planning on shaking things up, in the coming months, you know, when rain no longer threatens* and the number of cyclists is bigger? Yes.
“Hey, man, we don’t have any “leaders,” man. The City can’t do nothing to us, nobody’s in charge of CM, man.” Yes, roger that. I don’t think anybody’s going to stick you with a bill for $35,000 or anything, but changes are a coming…
Collateral damage from Critical Mass - MUNI vehicles stretching to the horizon in both directions. (Is that on the DO list or the DON’T list?) This kind of thing is one of the reasons you don’t see CM listed at the SFBC website calendar anymore.
Where’s Waldo, Cagney and Lacey on a recent Critical Mass ride:
The wonder of encountering an unexpected Critical Mass for the first time. Out-of-towners Rachel and Monica were delighted:
To Be Continued…
*Actually, tonight looks to be clear as a bell, Mel. But the forecast was for rain so tonight’s should be a smaller ride.
Tags: 2009, 2010, biclcye, bike, bus, chief, commute clot, confrontation, cops, cork, corked, critical, critical mass, cyclists, delay, department, dept., friday, fridays, George Gascón, intersection, Judge, last, market, mass, month, monthly, Muni, new york, parade, police, Police Chief, rain, San Francisco, sexy, SFPD, stalled, tacoed, transit, trolley, Wheel
Posted in bikes, crime | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
That big residential solar project in the Lower Haight / Western Addition / Hayes Valley from SunWheel Energy Partners just went live. The juice, she is flowing.
See all the deets in this 15 minute video - it’s just like being there.
San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil “The Thrill” Ting was there for the ribbon-cutting…
…as was District 5 Supervisor Ross “The Boss” Mirkarimi:
San Francisco Affordable Housing Sites Power On Solar Energy
Federal, State and Local Officials, Site Residents and Community Members Celebrate Green Energy and New Jobs at Western Addition Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
San Francisco, CA, January 26, 2010 – On Monday, January 25, 2010, Sunwheel Energy Partners, which provides turnkey solar energy systems for urban and community partners, celebrated the commissioning of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems at three affordable housing community sites in San Francisco’s Western Addition and Hayes Valley neighborhoods — bringing solar power, green jobs and financial relief to residents and owners. The ribbon cutting ceremony at Plaza East Apartments was widely attended by a notable group of federal, state and local officials as well as the site’s residents and community members who were hired to install the solar panels.
Dignitaries in attendance included Henry Alvarez, Executive Director, San Francisco Housing Authority; Timothy Alan Simon, CPUC Commissioner; Phil Ting, SF Assessor-Recorder; David Rubin, Director of Service Analysis, PG&E; Michael Carlin, SFPUC Deputy General Manager; Neola Gans, Vice President, SF Housing Authority Commission; Caroline Krewson, Deputy Regional Director, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Stephen Schneller, Director, San Francisco Office of Public Housing; Ross Mirkarimi, San Francisco Supervisor; and representatives of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer’s offices. Senator Mark Leno issued a proclamation commending the site.
Even more deets, after the jump
(more…)
Tags: Assessor, Assessor-Recorder, barbara boxer, Caroline Krewson, commission, commissioner, CPUC, David Rubin, Deputy Regional Director, director, Director of Service Analysis, district 5, electric, electricity, Energy Partners, Executive Director, gavin newsom, general manager, hayes valley, Henry Alvarez, hope VI, house, housing, Housing Authority, HUD, low income, mark leno, Mayor, nancy pelosi, Neola Gans, north, offices, panels, PG&E; Michael Carlin, Phil Ting, photovoltaic, Projects, public, pv, Recorder, representatives Congresswomen, residential, rooftop, ross mirkarimi, San Francisco, San Francisco Office of Public Housing, Senator, SFPD, SFPUC Deputy, solar, south, speaker, Stephen Schneller, sun, SunWheel, SunWheel Energy Partners, Supervisor, Timothy Alan Simon, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Senator, vice president, Wheel
Posted in environment, government | No Comments »
Saturday, October 31st, 2009
San Francisco’s monthly semi-unauthorized bicycle parade was well-attended and exceptionally ugly last night. Did your bike suffer any property damage (“let’s fucking beat up his car!”)? For whatever reason, Halloween Critical Mass 2009 had lots of gaps so that led to confrontations at every intersection – confused car drivers were tempted to just push through to end their lengthy waits. And the SFPD seemed less pro-bike than I’m used to seeing. Oh well.
Now, grab your parasol, pack your marshmallows, count the choppers, put on your PJs, and raise your fixie. Let’s take a gander.
Just look at the stalled MUNI buses and trolleys (trollies?) stretching from Mid-Market all the way back to the Ferry Building last night:
Click to expand
The riders could only just sit and stare:
Stare at this, a car-free Market Street:
via geekstinkbreath
Now let’s take it to the streets. Ichiro was there. He started going on about how there’s “sexiness in the infield.” OK fine:
About an hour or so after the six-ish P.M. starting time, the stalled buses started to pile up:
A happy corker vs. an unhappy corkee at the intersection of 8th and Market Streets.
After a while, car drivers start getting into this rolling Rorschach test. Some sit on their cars…
…while others, like this SUV driver, get out to fruitlessly confront the madding crowd:
IMO, parolees display the least tolerance for CM. Oh well. They just can’t handle it.
A stalled driver gets freaked out by Pumpkinhead:
Thank Gaia the cops were there:
Oops, here there are, pushing along the stragglers on Market:
And then an error – the main body of riders hung a right and headed up Van Ness. That’s not the way to cork MUNI, which got back to normal on Market Street round about 7:30 PM. Oh well. Van Ness from Hayes looking north up to California – the whole thing was entirely filled with bikes:
So there’s your Halloween Critical Mass 2009. See you next year.
Tags: 2009, 30, 30th, biclcye, bike, bus, confrontation, cops, cork, corked, costumed, costumes, critical, critical mass, cyclists, delay, department, dept., friday, fridays, halloween, intersection, last, market, mass, month, monthly, parade, police, San Francisco, sexy, SFPD, stalled, tacoed, transit, trolley, Wheel
Posted in bikes | 4 Comments »
Monday, October 19th, 2009
It’s hard to tell why this Ferris wheel was on Treasure Island recently – it was either for the Treasure Island Music Festival or Oracle OpenWorld 2009.
Or maybe it was for both.
T.I. in the foreground and distant Berkeley in the background:
Click to expand
Tags: 2009, Berkeley, coit tower, ferris, Music Festival, open, OpenWorld, oracle, San Francisco, telegraph hill, TI, trasure island, treasure island, Wheel, world
Posted in events | Comments Off
Friday, September 11th, 2009
Hooh boy – do you think the enourmous wheel and tire on the front left of this beater “Student Driver” Toyota Tercel are just a tad too big compared to the others? That would explain the list to starboard.
And extra mirrors, why do bad drivers always have extra mirrors on their cars? Some people just shouldn’t get behind the wheel.
Click to expand
Oh well.
Tags: 6ddz647, bad, california, dmv, driver, San Francisco, student driver, tercel, tire, too big, toyota, training, western addition, Wheel
Posted in cars | Comments Off
Monday, June 1st, 2009
It begins. I don’t even know why I put up with the Specialized Borough tires that came with my bike. No matter. Let’s see how long this $40 Specialized Nimbus 700 x 35c with Armadillo Technology can make it on the mean Streets of San Francisco at 100 PSI before getting a flat. Didn’t really care about the brand – this is what they had at the bike sto. Glass is everywhere out there, so we’ll see how it goes.
Do you buy this story here, with the kevlar and all?
Only Time Will Tell.
Tags: 42, 700, 700c, armadillo, bicycle, bike, burough, cyclist, flats, glass, nimbus, puncture, San Francisco, specialized, streets, technology, tubes, Wheel
Posted in bikes | Comments Off
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
Don’t you hate parking tickets from the DPT? Well join the club started by this fellow, an on-the-job, uniformed San Francisco County Sheriff’s Deputy.
Just what do you think he’s doing to the left rear tire of this unnamed, straight-out-of-Sindelfingen, Executive-Klasse, Autobahn-burning luxury car that he just happens to have the keys to? He spent a few minutes doing something to that tire. After he left, the luxury car had no Parking Control Officer chalk mark. Which is unlike…
…the other cars in this two-hour free parking zone, which had left rear tires all marked up with chalk. Thusly:
That mark could be evidence that you overstayed your welcome, so it will get you a hefty ticket when the PCO comes back. Is it agin the law to remove the mark from the tire your Parking Control Officer just chalked up? Yes, that’s a violation of the San Francisco Traffic Code Section 21.
Do people really park, go to work and then move their cars around the neighborhood all day long? People do. Of course if that’s their habit, then stray marks might be all over their tires, perhaps necessitating a cleaning every now and then.
That could have been what happened here. Sure looked funny though.
UPDATE: Welcome readers from YoDeputy.com - “The law enforcement peanut gallery - a place to joke, vent, discuss serious issues & be entertained.”
Tags: 21, 21.1, 21.2, 21.3, chalk, department, Deputy, DPT, limit, mark, mta, park, parking, San Francisco, SFPD, sheriff, Sheriff's Deputy, ticket, tire, Traffic Code, Wheel
Posted in crime | 4 Comments »
Saturday, February 7th, 2009
A Westward Industries Intercepter III, as seen on Pine Street, just north of Obama.
Note the license plate and neighborhood parking decal:
It’s either this or a Cushman, right?
Zoom zoom.
Tags: car, cart, cushman, DPT, go-4, II, iii, illegal, intercepter, interceptor, legal, license, meter maid, mta, officer, pacific heights, parking control, pine, plate, San Francisco, street, three, utility, vehicle, Wheel
Posted in cars | Comments Off
Wednesday, January 7th, 2009
Here’s what you need – a Bombardier Recreational Products, Inc.Canadian-American Spyder Roadster, or BRP Can-Am Spyder for short, eh? If your Smart Car is too safe, and your stand-up tricycle too slow, then this $16,000 machine is the next logical step for you.
Motor Trend seems to like it as does the BusinessWeek. Watch a test drive, why don’t you?
It’s new (sort of), and it’s you!
As seen on Page Street. Click to expand.
Tags: ashbury, bike, bombardier, BRP, Can-Am, haight, motorcycle, page, products, recrestional, roadster, San Francisco, spyder, street, three, trike, upper, Wheel, yellow
Posted in motorcycles | 1 Comment »
