Thursday, October 13, 2011

does YOUR road ever abruptly vanish as you drive home? Yeah I didn't think so.

The intersection of Santa Cruz and Sand Hill Road doesn't put me in my happy place.  Doesn't put the cars there either judging by the number of occasions on which they collide with each other as they try and make that light, beat the traffic for a right on red, or snort another line of cocaine.

The good part of the intersection for bicycles is that there are clearly marked decently sized bicycle lanes.  The other good part for bicyclists is that the rush hour traffic for cars here is 100% heinous and we get to placidly ride by on their left while they freak out about the parking lot they've wedged themselves into.

The bad part is that when we arrive at the intersection there are six lanes, uphill, that we have to traverse.  So we pant and huff and work our sorry asses because if that light turns red while you are crossing lane five those commuter cars will show no mercy.

Yesterday we got a special treat.  As we approached the intersection we saw that our crappy little filled with broken glass and flat animals bicycle lane was now also filled with a giant line of construction vehicles.  These were tidily pulled to the side so that the car lanes were perfectly available.  Two wide car lanes.  Zero bike lanes.  What's wrong with this picture people?

Because this is California where people are nice a sign had been helpfully put up.  The sign showed a picture of a bicycle and had the words LANE ENDS.  Get it?  Bicycle lane ends.  You must teleport the rest of the way up the hill.  You must grab on to the back of a passing Carrera and be towed the rest of the way up the hill.  Frankly we don't give a rat's ass what you do but FYI your lane is gone.

I made the Contraption Captain take a picture.  Here it is.


You can just see the sign.  Bike Lane Ends.  Yeah well fuck you and the construction truck you rode in on asshole.  Do you think I can't notice that the bike lane fucking ends?  That the bike lane is full of your bullshit? Next time simplify and just put up a sign saying "Fuck Bicyclists."  More to the point.

Light turns green.  Contraption Captain and I start on our way along with a screaming growling horde of desperate car commuters who are 100% freaked at the thought that they might get stuck behind us.  The construction workers wave us towards their trucks in a vague way.  We're pulling a kiddy wagon and I kindof think one guy looks like he feels guilty.  I pedaled by with giant SUVs whistling along on my left.  I stuck my lower lip out as far as it goes (it goes far) and looked mournfully at the construction workers.

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