VTA to Host Public Meetings and Bus Tour on El Camino Real Rapid Transit Project

Bus tour will showcase site-specific upgrades to corridor, forums to highlight plan for enhanced service


The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) will host four, open-house style public meetings and a bus tour (reservations required) to provide information to the community about the El Camino Real Rapid Transit Project.

The project would make changes to El Camino Real and to The Alameda between the Palo Alto Transit Center and downtown San Jose that would improve transit service and potentially change the character and use of the streets. The project proposes to speed up bus service throughout the corridor, including the route 522 Rapid Bus service, by installing bus-only lanes and light rail-like stations to allow for faster boarding. Project features also include bike lanes, sidewalk improvements, and high-tech upgrades to allow for real-time schedule monitoring.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011
From 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. - and- from 6p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
City of Santa Clara City Hall, Council Chamber
1500 Warburton Avenue, Santa Clara

Thursday, October 20, 2011
From 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. - and- from 6p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Hearst Education Conference Center
Jamplis Building, 3rd Floor, Rooms A & F
795 El Camino Real, Palo Alto

Space is limited on the bus tour and advance reservations are required.
The bus tour will make stops at key locations along the El Camino Real corridor.
Staff will discuss the project and answer questions showcasing site-specific examples.

Saturday, October 22, 2011 from 9 a.m. until noon
The bus tour will begin and end at the Palo Alto Transit Center located at 95 University Avenue in Palo Alto.

To make reservations for the bus tour, or for more information, please visit: www.vta.org/rapidtransit, call VTA Community Outreach 408-321-7575, or email at community.outreach@vta.org.



- Posted from my iPhone

San Jose Bike Party Celebrates 4th anniversary

This Friday's San Jose Bike Party ride celebrates four years of community building nighttime rides.

This month's theme is the Rapture rid,e a fun take off on Reverend Harold Camping's second rapture prediction after his first prediction flopped.

This month, the ride will leave from four different locations providing "feeder" rides to the first regroup area. Come join the fun.


- Posted from my iPhone

New bike shop opens in Campbell

I had a chance tonight to meet the new owner of State Bicycle Company which is opening up tomorrow in downtown Campbell. Katie and her husband are opening up their shop in the bustling Downtown Campbell Business District.

I wrote last week that business is so good on Sundays that Tread bike shop opens at 9:00 am on Sundays in addition to being the only bike shop in the area to rent bicycles.


Katie mentioned how excited they are to be in downtown Campbell which Is drawing dinners, shoppers, and event goers who are attracted by the quiet and safe street, access to light rail and the Los Gatos Creek trail, and the recent streetscape improvements.

They plan to focus on fixies, accessories, and clothing. The shop is located right near the light rail tracks at 416 E. Campbell Ave.

The couple chose to open this weekend to take advantage of the popular Octoberfest festival. Stop by the store and say hello and welcome the couple to downtown Campbell.

When things calm down after the opening I plan to talk to Katie and her husband to find out how they got started in the business and why they chose Campbell.

BART to hold Clipper Card outreach

BART to hold Clipper outreach events throughout service area

Get a free Clipper card!

BART is transitioning away from paper discount tickets to the Clipper card, the regional transit fare payment system. Their ticket sales network will shrink over the next six months, so get your card now.

If you already have a Clipper card, add cash and use your card on BART. For your convenience, you can load value onto your card at ticket vending machines in any BART station.

Tag your card to the disk and follow the on-screen instructions, then don't forget to tag your card to the disk again to load value and go. You don't need tickets anymore. No small leftover values to consolidate, and magnets are your friend again. When you get to the fare gate, tag, open and go!

If you have a RTC identification card, you are ready for smooth sailing on BART. Your ID card is already a Clipper card. Go to a ticket vending machine and load your fare onto the card. No more red tickets!

Need a card? BART staff will be at outreach events to hand out adult cards and to dispense senior cards to eligible customers 65 years and older. Children 12 years and younger can bring their applications (signed by a parent or guardian) with appropriate identification and our staff will validate the information and get a youth card sent to the listed address. No need for red or green tickets anymore. Best of all, you will always be able to travel at the discounted rate because as long as you have your card, your can add fare to it at any station.

Come to one of the following locations and get your card. See you there!

Your Customer Service Crew,
Julie, Georgene, Mike, Mike and Carol will be available to answer your question.

Upcoming events include:

Oct. 18: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
VFW Hall at 1919 Wendell Lane, Pleasant HIll

Oct. 19: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
VFW Hall at 1919 Wendell Lane, Pleasant Hill

Oct. 22: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Pedalfest on the Water
Jack London Square, Oakland

Oct. 25: 6:30 am - 6:30 pm
Dublin/Pleasanton BART

Oct. 28: 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Fremont Senior Center
40086 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont

Oct. 31: 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Livermore Senior Center
4444 East Avenue, Livermore

Nov. 2: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
San Ramon Senior Center

Nov. 3: 11:00 am - 6:00 pm
Summerset 4
Summerset Residents Only, Brentwood

Nov. 4: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Walgreen's Balfour
2271 Balfour Rd, Brentwood

Nov. 7: 6:30 am - 6:30 pm
Fruitvale BART Station (Spanish)

Nov. 8: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
St. Mary's Gardens Senior Center
201 10th St, Oakland

Nov. 9: 6:30 am - 6:30 pm
Bayfair BART Station

Nov. 10: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Walnut Creek Senior Center
1375 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek

Nov. 11: 6:30 am - 6:30 pm
Hayward BART Station

Nov. 11: 8:30 am - 3:15 pm
School for the Deaf
Student Event Only, Fremont

Nov. 14: 6:30 am - 6:30 pm
South Hayward BART Station

Nov. 16: 6:30 am - 6:30 pm
Fremont BART Station

Dec. 5: 6:30 am - 6:30 pm
Millbrae BART Station

Dec. 7: 6:30 am - 6:30 pm
San Bruno BART Station

Dec. 9: 6:30 am - 6:30 pm
South San Francisco BART Station

Dec. 12: 6:30 am - 6:30 pm
Colma BART Station

Dec. 14: 6:30 am - 6:30 pm
Daly City BART Station

You can also get more information on the main Clipper website or in the section specifically about using Clipper on BART.

Alameda County to hold workshops on transportation sales tax ballot measure

The Alameda County Transportation Commission is holding the last three workshops on planning a ballot measure to extend and possibly raise the county half cent sales tax for transportation.

Commissioner staff will discuss and accept comments about the proposed ballot measure which is scheduled for November 2012, as well as possible road and transit projects to be funded.

The two-hour meetings are:

• 6:30 p.m. Oct. 24 at the East Oakland Senior Center, 9255 Edes Ave., Oakland.


• 6:30 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Union City Sports Center, 31224 Union City Blvd., Union City.
• 6:30 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Dublin public library, 200 Civic Ave., Dublin.

For information about the ballot planning, go to www.alamedactc.org/ and click on "transportation in Alameda County."


- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Oakland, Ca

VTA seeks public input on Highway 85 express lanes

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), in cooperation with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), is proposing to convert the existing HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes on SR 85 between South San Jose and Mountain View to express lanes. This project will allow solo drivers the option of paying a toll to use the express lanes. The general public is invited to attend the community meeting to learn more about the project. Project exhibits will be available for review and the project team will be available to answer questions.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 19th from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Saratoga Senior Center located at 19655 Allendale Avenue in Saratoga.


- Posted from my iPhone

New Santa Clara bicycle improvements

While cycling along Monroe St. in Santa Clara this morning, I got the chance to see the city's recently installed bike lane and lane reduction project.

The main funding sources were from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District's (BAAQMD) Transportation Fund for Clean Air and TDA BEP (Transportation Development Account- Bicycle Expenditure Program) funds.


The road diet is on Monroe Street from Scott Boulevard west to San Tomas Expressway connecting to the recently completed San Tomas Aquino Creek Trail. To see how the roadway looked prior to the work see the satellite image map below. Let's hope the city continues with the project to the west of San Tomas given that the four lanes encourage drivers to speed through a residential neighborhood.



The project does include a portion of the bike lane that is colored green at the intersection of Scott and Monroe (see picture), but the green paint is surely need as you cross San Tomas Expressway.


- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Monroe Street and Scott Blvd., Santa Clara, Ca

October 12, 2011 - Cycling Events in the Bay Area

Upcoming Events in the Silicon Valley

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Autumn is here! (Check below for SF Bay Area Map)

Thanks to all who showed up for last night's BIRD meeting. We had a great turnout. Thanks to Justin and Yoshi for leading the meeting. Next week's ride is going to be a great evening thanks to all of the great BIRD volunteers.

Are you ready for the Rapture Ride. Come celebrate San Jose Bike Party's 4th anniversary.

 Come dressed ready for the Rapture dressed as an angel or a demon.

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October East Bay Bike Party: ZOMBIE HOMECOMING

Friday, October 14 · 7:30pm - 11:30pm

Meet at North Berkeley BART Station

Volunteers Needed!
Middle School Bike Party: Hoover Middle School San Jose

Saturday, October 15 · 10:30 am - 4:00 pm

Come help lead middle school students on an amazingly fun ride to two local colleges! (SCU & SJSU) We'll start with an on-campus obstacle course (which you will run, events flexible to your taste/comfort but I have plenty of stock ideas too), then we take off cruising through town with a small group, leave-no-kiddo-behind, teaching the love of cycling (and safe lane positioning) with every pedal stroke

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October 21, 2011- Friday - 8:30 - 10:00 PM

San Jose Bike Party

Rapture Ride

Ride details to be posted next week.

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6ix Chix Mini-Randonee and Musical Gathering

Saturday, October 22 · 4:00pm - 7:00pm

6ix Chix presents an end of summer bike and music event. Join us for our first Mini-Randonee (a 20 mile bike ride) to Alviso and back with a short break at Maria Elena's. The ride concludes roughly at 7pm at 6ix Chix farmhouse with dinner, music and drinks.

For more info

October 22, 2011- Saturday - 10:00 AM- 5:00 PM

Pedalfest @ Jack London Square, Oakland

From people who've never been on a bicycle to people who never seem to be off one, Pedalfest has something for everybody.

For families, there's a kid's zone, bike parade and pedal-powered amusement rides. For thrillseekers, there are bike stunt shows by nationally and internationally ranked riders. For those who appreciate the beauty of the bicycle, there's a handmade and vintage bike show. Plus, you can grab a beverage at the... New Belgium beer garden. Add to that a pedal-powered music stage, bike demos, a bike clinic, bike-powered food vendors and bike rides, and you've got one heck of a festival. For a complete rundown of the day's events, visit http://www.pedalfestjacklondon.com

 (KRUZ3R MOB) BBQ & Ride with our Union City pals!
Sunday, October 23 · 10:00am - 1:00pm
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=167038710046911

(SF)Sunday Streets 2011 Season Finale in the Mission
Sunday, October 23 · 11:00am - 4:00pm
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=111731525601382

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Halloween Family Ride in Willow Glen

Halloween Festival and Kid's Concert
Sunday, October 30
12 noon to 3:00 PM at Treehouse in the Glen.
2:15 PM - Halloween Costume and Bike Parade

Featuring:

• Halloween Arts and Crafts
• Halloween Carnival Games
• Family Fun and Giggles
• Face Painting and Balloons
• Giant Pirate ship and Photo booth
• Costume Awards and
• the Papa Hugs Band

Treehouse in the Glen - 1275 Lincoln Ave., San Jose, CA

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San Francisco Bike Expo (COW PALACE)
Saturday, November 12 at 10:00am - November 13 at 5:00pm
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=143604952396003

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October East Bay Bike Party: 

Friday, November 11 · 7:30pm - 11:30pm

Meet at: TBA

Too see all rides on the map click the link just below the map. Thanks.

View Upcomming Bay Area Bike Events in a larger map

Tread bike shop - just one more reason to enjoy downtown Campbell

So many great improvements have been made in downtown Campbell in the last few years that it has become the new "spot" in the Silicon Valley. The new nighttime light sculpture under Highway 17, the new bridge and pedestrian improvements over the Los Gatos Creek Trail, and great events such as Boogie on the Bayou, Octoberfest, and the weekly farmers market have been drawing residents and visits alike.

The Los Gatos Creek Trail is a big draw. Situated in downtown Campbell along the Los Gatos Creek Trail is Tread Bicycle shop, a great independent local bike shop catering to the mountain, road, and recreational rider.


I stopped in this morning unexpectedly with a faulty front tube. Because of the great Sunday traffic due to the trail's popularity and the farmers market the store staff were getting ready for a 9 am opening! A bike shop open at 9 o'clock on a Sunday morning is not only rare but a testament to the commercial and community success of downtown Campbell.

Another welcome sight is that they rent bicycles. Yes as far as I know they are the only location in the valley that rents bicycles to the public. Yes there is a business that caters to the out of town techy, roadie, geek with $6,000 carbon race machines and will deliver them to the Fairmont Hotel a steep price. But Tread rents mountain and cruiser bikes to the public right on Campbell Ave. The cruiser bikes rent for $20 for the day and full suspension mountain bikes rent for $75 a day.

So come on down on a Sunday, enjoy the farmers market and then take a bike out on the beautiful Los Gatos Creek Trail.


- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Los Gatos Creek Trail,Campbell,United States

Bike Share will bring much needed improvements to downtown San Jose

Two great changes are on the table next year in the South Bay. At the last Caltrain BAC (Bicycle Advisory Committee) meeting it was announced by Caltrain staff that an RFP will be initiated in December for vendors to manage the Bay Area bikeshare system. We should see a roll out of the system by late early 2013.

In preparation for an extensive bike share system in downtown San Jose, the city will be making some changes to improve cycling infrastructure. In conversations in the last couple of weeks with San Jose Department of Transportation staff I was informed of several projects that cyclists will be sure to love.

The long awaited San Fernando buffered (and colored) bike lane will finally come to fruition. This project (along with the paving of the Guadalupe River trail north of the airport) has been brought up at previous San Jose Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee meetings, but it now looks like we will have a iconic cycletrack in our future. This will create a key link with Diridon Station at the west end of downtown and the city hall and university areas at the easterm end.

Other improvements will include;

• One-way freeway feeder streets such as 3rd, 4th, 10th, and 11th will gain a bike lane. These are key streets bordering San Jose State University that will provide a visible invitation for new cyclists.
• A road diet on San Carlos Street along with much needed streetscape improvements.
• Improvements to the Park Ave. bike route. This will be a great improvement to the fading sharrow markings that currently mark the route.

City staff stressed that the timing of these improvements will coincide with the opening of the bikeshare system and will encourage more residents and vistors to either ride their own bike or rent one on a short term basis. Thanks for the great news.

Adobe Systems Towers - Are they a good fit for downtown San Jose?

Sitting along the banks of the Guadalupe River, near the confluence of the Guadalupe and Los Gatos Creek the Adobe Systems towers create a stunning backdrop to a rather innocuous downtown San Jose. Comprising nearly the whole city block (save a required park and the Pacific Gas and electric Building), the buildings add an enormous amount of office space to the downtown market. But how do these buildings (and the infrastructure that surrounds the buildings such as the park, roadway, etc) reflect well on San Jose and are they good for the city? Do they add value to the downtown community?


Although the company has done very well in establishing their bona fiddes with regards to all things green, a closer look reveals otherwise. At the main entrance (if there really is a main entrance), the company proudly displays both the Energy Star plaque as well as their "Bay Area Green Business" certification. It certainly is entertaining to watch the windmills spinning in the afternoon breeze, but does this development add value to the downtown area?

The claim is that 20% of employees use public transportation, but unless this is all Caltrain riders, the number seems suspect. Not only is there not a bus stop located in the front of the building on Park Ave., but it is highly doubtfull that Adobe employees "ride the bus". See some simple calculations to figure out parking and employee mode share.



First of all in evaluating the surrounding area, the intersection of Almaden Blvd. and Park Ave. what one notices right away is the suburban office park feel to the site; a wide boulevard, high speed corners, vacant buildings and civic and park structures that draw minimal use to the area. Almaden Boulevard and Park Avenue are both 105 feet wide on the building's south and east sides slightly less than some city blocks in New York, San Diego, or Portland. High speed corners on with radii of 80 feet are seen more in suburban office parks than on downtown streets. This creates a need to put pedestrians on islands where they must push a button to signal their intent to cross. The crosswalk at the northern part of the intersection is 165 feet long making a commitment to cross the street almost as procedural as the filing of a flight plan.


The city didn't require
street level retail,
so Adobe didn't
provide for it.


The building reflects the cities goal of requiring parking but making no provisions for on street retail giving the building a dead look at street level even during the work week. (New York City requires street level retail.) To enliven the street side look the company, similar to computer screen wallpaper, has but up geometrically inspired graphics on the windows but it only cheapens the look even more. What the city does require is substantial parking within the building, making the wide subterranean parking entrance the most notable aspect of the "front" side of the building. All in all the look is one of a modern fortress housing the colonial inhabitants to the downtown area. The only time employees seem to leave the comfortable confines is to go outside for a smoke break or within the safe encapsulation of their Volvo's, Audis, and Escalades.

Employees leave the
security of the fortress in
packs of 10.

But why would you even need to leave the fortress except to get in your car and go home. The company provides a well stocked restaurant open most hours of the day with views of the Guadalupe. With the company paying the costs of employee lunches and with downtown restaurants almost a days hike away there is little incentive to leave the fortress. The closest restaurant, Peggy Sues is over 800 feet away or about 3 or 4 New York city blocks. The new development at San Pedro Square Market with its many new restaurants is almost 4,000 feet away (about 3/4 of a mile). This is why on many occasions when I have notice employees leaving the fort, the do so in packs, groups of 8-10 or more. Its as if they were leaving the safety of the fort to go hunt for food in the American wilderness.






The garage entrance;
more noticeable than
the street entrance.

 But as I have mentioned in another post on the propensity for blank walls, gates and fences in San Jose. The Adobe Towers add to the norm with its walls and covered windows. Walk the entire perimeter of the building and you will not see one person. or evidence of only two working pedestrian entrances. As mentioned by writers such as William Whyte and Jane Jacobs this leads to only the most undesirables inhabiting the space. On any given day you will never see an Adobe employee at the park located next to the building. In their place you will see the backpacks and shopping carts of the new park residents, (as Jane Jacobs calls them) the "leisured indigent". By taking all eyes of the street and off the Guadalupe at street level only the long term "parkers" will use the city maintained park.

October 5, 2011 - Upcoming Bike Events in the Bay Area

Upcoming Events in the Silicon Valley
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Autumn is here! (Check below for SF Bay Area Map)

October 6, 2011- Thursday - 6:30 - 10:00 PM
San Jose Bike Party
October SLOW Test Ride #3 "Rapture"

One last test ride for our 4th anniversary ride in October. We will be going at a slow (bike party) pace for this one. Come out and ride the route and meet new people.

Click here for the route map.

San Francisco Bike Party
Under the Big Top
October 7, Friday 7:30 pm meet - Roll at 8:00

Route Map

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October 8, 2011- Saturday - 5:30 - 10:30 PM
Biketoberfest Bike Soiree (peninsula)
Here is the game plan
Tour of great peninsula neighborhoods, perhaps some pubs! .

Game Plan:

Meet in downtown Sunnyvale. Perhaps at Walt's Cycle or Murphy St.?

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October 8, 2011- Saturday 10:00 - 4:00
Bike Hike III
This one's a lot more friendly on the bike side. Relatively flat except for the last mile to get to the park.
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/659978

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We'll probably do a regroup at the great mall and use warren > paseo padre instead of Mission Blvd. The hike on the other hand will be pretty strenuous... It's not super long though so if you take it easy, you should be able to make it.http://www.bahiker.com/eastbayhikes/missionpeak.html

Things you will need... http://www.4thstpizzaco.com/

bike (w or w/o gears)

water

food

shoes that are good for walking.

Please feel free to invite your friends if you think they will have fun on a ride like this with us.

Participants for this ride will NOT get honorary memberships to the "i hate yoshi fan club" as this is a pretty mellow bike hike bike.

4th street pizza afterwards!

All you can eat pizza and soda $10.

Take the #803 bullet train @ 5:45pm and arrive in San Mateo at 6:14pm.
If you want to start from downtown San Jose, take the (same) #803 bullet train @ 5:35pm .

Get off train in downtown San Mateo, ride around, maybe grab a bite to eat.

about 7:15-7:30pm leave downtown San Mateo, head south

East Bay Bike Party
October Practice/Volunteer Ride, part 2!
Meet at North Berkeley Bart at 10 AM - 1 PM
Saturday, October 8th

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RideESSJ - Ride East Side San Jose - October 9, Sunday, 11:00 AM
Meet at the Alum Rock Light Rail Station.

SJ Bike Party Volunteer (BIRD Meeting) October 11th, location to TBA at a later date.
Meeting starts at 7:00.

October East Bay Bike Party: ZOMBIE HOMECOMING

Friday, October 14 · 7:30pm - 11:30pm

Meet at North Berkeley BART Station

Volunteers Needed!
Middle School Bike Party: Hoover Middle School San Jose

Saturday, October 15 · 10:30 am - 4:00 pm

Come help lead middle school students on an amazingly fun ride to two local colleges! (SCU & SJSU) We'll start with an on-campus obstacle course (which you will run, events flexible to your taste/comfort but I have plenty of stock ideas too), then we take off cruising through town with a small group, leave-no-kiddo-behind, teaching the love of cycling (and safe lane positioning) with every pedal stroke

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Halloween Family Ride in Willow Glen

Halloween Festival and Kid's Concert
Sunday, October 30
12 noon to 3:00 PM at Treehouse in the Glen.
2:15 PM - Halloween Costume and Bike Parade

Featuring:

• Halloween Arts and Crafts
• Halloween Carnival Games
• Family Fun and Giggles
• Face Painting and Balloons
• Giant Pirate ship and Photo booth
• Costume Awards and
• the Papa Hugs Band

Treehouse in the Glen - 1275 Lincoln Ave., San Jose, CA

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Too see all rides on the map click the link just below the map. Thanks.

View Upcomming Bay Area Bike Events in a larger map

Tranportation Costs per Mile

Its difficult sometimes to compare different transportation costs. For example is it cheaper to drive to San Francisco and park or take the train? How cheap is Amtrak compared to BART or Caltrain?

Well the highest cost per mile is actually the Amtrak route from the East Bay to San Jose. From Emmeryville south to San Jose Amtrak ticket prices are $17, or 38 cents per mile for the Capitol Corridor. The Coast Starlight route on Amtrak is actually much cheaper. From San Jose to Portland it averages 14 cents per mile. But the cheapest rate ever was a $1.00 ticket I scored on a Megabus from Washington DC to New York City. The cost per mile was only .44 cents.

Link to spreadsheet

photo:  lazytom

I thought goathead season was over

 

Actually this is the peak of the goathead (a product of the thistle plant) season. It may stick around a little longer this year due to an unseasonably cool summer here in California.

While riding over a little used median I encountered a patch of these "puncturethorns", but it was too late. I picked up about 12 in all.

This is the gravy season for bike shops. The peak goathead season is the end of September. Bike shops do a great business because very few people now days either want to or know how to fix a flat tire, even at a labor cost of about $10 per tire.

If you think tire liners or "slime" are 100% effective, think again. I've had as many as 30 thorns in each tire and the chances are that one of these guys are getting through you tire and tube. So it seems you have at least three options.

1. Learn to fix your own flats.
2. Pay your local bike shop to do it for you.
3. Stay home and watch old Tour de France videos on the sofa.

- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Mossbrook Cir,San Jose,United States