I love the solar-powered “your speed” signs they put around to encourage drivers to slow. With the signs, I can firmly see that most drivers are speeding. However, they also give me the challenge to try to speed up to the speed limit.
Similarly, my daughters love to tree the speed humps with the “15 mph” signs as an invitation to make sure we speed up to at least 15 mph when crossing them.
This morning, somebody parked a car on the train tracks, causing all sorts of delays on caltrian.
This evening, the weather was nice, but I was running late, so I decided to jump on the train. When I got to the station, I noticed the sign said trains were delayed one hour. Yikes. But, there was not much of a crowd on the platform. Perhaps the morning delays limited the number of train riders for the day. Or perhaps things were cleared up.
When the train pulled up, I heard something about delay. Ok. I’ll just bike home.
Then they mentioned they would go to California. Alright. The train will probably go faster than I can. So I got on. As we were going, the conductor mentioned the delay was now only about 15 minutes and that we would be single tracking past San Antonio. Ok. I’ll stay on. If we stay a while at San Antonio, I can get off there.
The train chugged along slowly, single tracking past San Antonio and Mountain View. The ‘baby bullet’ train was stopped on the other track at San Antonio where it had apparantly hit somebody. A bunch of people got on there. There is no grade crossing near the station, so somebody must have intentionally jumped on the tracks (or perhaps they fell on the tracks.) I’m sure the details will come out.
I’m amazed that caltrain got things moving again so quickly. They also did a great job of keeping information out in the open.
On the ‘newer’ portion of Highway 108, near Sonora, there is a sign prohibiting bicycles and pedestrians. This road seems to have a nice wide shoulder that would be nice for cycling (and is clearly not at present a ‘freeway’.) Its hard to see why they would want (or even be permitted) to prohibit bicycles. The old ‘local’ 108 does provide an alternative route. However, it is through town, so likely not as convenient. And there don’t seem to be any other ‘bikes prohibited’ signs, so its difficult to tell when bikes are expected to join back up.
Even more baffling is the pedestrian configuration. There is a crosswalk on the west side and North Sides of the street. The north side seems reasonable. (After all, most traffic will be turning, rather than going north. However, the west side is right where the turning traffic will go. The intersection is a T, so the east side has no street. Why not direct pedestrians there? To make even more baffling, on the south 108/Peaceful Oaks intersection, the pedestrian crosswalk is on the west side – and the east side is the one missing the crosswalk.
Huh?
I guess they just want to direct pedestrians to cross as many streets possible through the heaviest traffic.
I noticed on the trail next to the Caltrain bridge, they had signs mentioning the installation of a new anti-slip covering. It should be in place by now.
Also, on Friday, there were ambulences on El Camino near the trail entrance (right before the Highway 85 on ramp.) I’m not sure what the issue was. However, it was interesting that they stopped on El Camino. (I would think Sleeper would have been a little easier to access. (Before, I have also seen them parked at Yuba – however, that was for an incident near the 237 overpass.)
On a final note, the section between Caltrain and the southern terminus is perfectly fine. The creek is a long ways below the train level – and the volume was quite light (steady, light rains don’t cause near the problems that heavy downpours cause.)
Both Friday and Monday I got caught with a little rain on the way home. The rain just seems to wait for me. D’oh!
At least my Shower’s Pass Jacket is working well.
The Highway Loss Data Institute released a study showing no link between cell-phone bans and decrease accident rates. The findings should be obvious to anybody that has followed the research. The Applied Cognition Lab at the University of Utah has studies going back 10 years that indicate it is the act of talking on the phone that are the big problem. Most cell phone bans, however, do not band talking on phones. Instead they only ban holding phones.
The study did show a decrease in accidents with New York’s early ban. However, this decrease had started before the ban even took place. This actually makes sense. At first, people thought cell phones were a panacea. Once they realized talking and driving was bad, some stopped the habit. This change would likely have occurred regardless of a ban.
People already addicted to their cell phone habit would merely switch to hands free phones, negating any benefit.
The nature of the cell phone bans is the problem. It would be as if we first determined cigarettes were harmful, and then states started to ban Marlboros. At first we would see a trend towards reduced smoking, though this would likely start before the first ban started. Some people would stop smoking altogether because they know it is bad. However, by the time other bans started people would already be accustomed to smoking other brands. A few die-hard Marlboro-only smokers may quit, but most would simply switch to another brand.
For a ban to really be effective, it must ban all type of phone conversations while driving. This will stop the “law-abiding” drivers from talking. Stopping the scofflaws will be another matter.
This morning was sunny. I almost felt overdressed with sweatshirt and jacket. Midday the weather was bright and sunny.
When it looked a little dark at five, my initially supposition was that it was somehow later. I didn’t even expect rain.
But finally, my luck rn out this week and I got wet. Luckily, my Shower’s pass jacket worked great at keeping my top dry. My pants were a different story…. The train was fairly empty…
This morning, it was looking ominous and the kids woke up late. It was a good thing. While there were just a drop or two near home, by the time we got to school, it was a pretty serious rain. (Our triple has no fenders, so there is the fear of a ‘skunk stripe’ in rain.)
Luckily back home, there was still not much rain, so I biked on in today, trying to beat the rain. For the most part, I succeeded, only getting a few drops on me. (Though it started to get steady as I was stuck at a stoplight.)
The weather forecast for today: 100% chance of Heavy Rains. Even the hour by hour was predicting 100% chance of rain for the pm commute. But, it wasn’t raining when I left for work, so I figured I might as well ride (especially since I missed last week). It turned out to be rain free on both the am and pm commute. The morning ride felt great. In the evening, things were looking ominous, so I jumped on caltrain. Luckily, there was plenty of space. And, I made it home without a drop of rain.
I’ve had a great time biking through the winter in Chicago. Fresh snow makes for a serene landscape and a fun biking experience. Ice is a challenge, manageable as long as you keep forward momentum and don’t lean in to turns. Even bitter cold is manageable as long as every part of your body is covered (hello ski goggles!)
Summer rains in Texas and Chicago are also easily manageable. The key to summer rains is water-proofing. As long as you back along dry clothing, it doesn’t matter if you get wet. Sandals and even bathing suits can become your friends.
And summer heat? The dry sort in the west and the humidity in the midwest and south both have one needed ingredient: water. With enough water (and Gatorade), your natural air conditioner does the job. (I actually prefer the humid heat – when you see a soaking shirt, you know you need more water. In Arizona, the water just gets sucked right out of you without leaving the tell-tale sign.)
Winter rains, however, are my biggest challenge. The bathing suit method doesn’t cut it. I’ve tried show covers. They keep my feet mostly dry in light rains. However, in heavy downpours, the rain has a way of sneaking in.
Then there is the water-resistant/breathable issue. It would be nice if there were something that let out 100% of all sweat, while keeping out 100% of all water. Unfortunately, it seems like an impossibility. Non-breathable clothing leaves me feeling like a sauna. Sure, it keeps the rain out, but what’s the difference if you are filled with sweat inside? Non water-proof stuff just lets you stay wet all over.
Breathable, water-resistant clothing works well in light rain. However, even it falls apart in heavy downpours. (I guess breathable doesn’t amount to much when it is totally covered in water.) I end up wet from one side or the other.
My solution today? Uh. Take the train.