Serious Road Hazard
Thread started by
shiznitologist at 08.15.09 - 2:10 pm
Riding home from the Ladies Night ride last night, we decided to bomb the hill on Grand ave. (near 6th st in downtown). The hill, if you haven't ridden down it, is HUGE, and you can probably reach 40 mph going down. When we got to the bottom of the hill, I rode over metal platforms that were elevated about 1-2 inches off the ground. As i rode over it, the bump was intense and it threw my feet out of my cages and sent me blazing through red lights at 30+ mph with no way to stop quickly on my brakeless track bike. Luckily I escaped unharmed. When i went back to look at the platforms, i noticed that there was a HUGE GAP, maybe 2-3 inches wide, which, if someone rode directly into, would certainly cause serious injury, as the riders front wheel would fall right into it and probably cause them to flip forwards over their handlebars.
I want to report the platforms and the gap to the city. Anyone know what I should do and how I can make sure it gets properly taken care of? I consider this VERY URGENT, as someone could die tomorrow if they rode into the gap. Even if the gap is fixed, the hill is still very dangerous. As a relatively experienced rider, I can't imagine what someone new to riding would do going over the platforms if they were on a bike similar to mine. It could be even worse if they were riding on a smaller ratio as they could spin out and crash. I think that at the top of hills like this one, there needs to be a sign or something to warn bicyclists of the conditions ahead.
Thanks for reading! Let's make this city safer for cyclists. ITS TOO FUCKING DANGEROUS! ok im done.
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Also please hold the "stupid brakeless fixie hipster" comments. the point of this thread is to keep people safe. ok im really done.
shiznitologist08.15.09 - 2:16 pm
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That hill is fun to ride.
You should learn to put your foot on the back wheel when you lose the pedals.
Hipster
stillline08.15.09 - 2:39 pm
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Duuuuuuude Thats the gap I ate shit in about 3 weeks ago which caused my rim to bend and me to fly over my handlebars. THANK god there were no cars behind me otherwise I probably wouldnt be typing this right now...
adictpunk0408.15.09 - 3:03 pm
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Bunker hill eats hipsters up.
Foldie responding to a
comment by stillline
08.15.09 - 3:28 pm
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ah yes, because if your feet WERE in your cages you'd be able to backpedal hard enough to stop in a reasonable distance when going 40mph
professor fate08.15.09 - 7:19 pm
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Ahh, I love that hill. Sounds scary though. The should get fixed but maybe people should get brakes for safety too.
northernsoulbyrd08.15.09 - 11:19 pm
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Not to engage in the "brakeless hipster" polemic, but I have a hard time rectifying your statement that this city is "TOO FUCKING DANGEROUS" with your disregard of the single most effective safety feature available to cyclists. Would you have the city wrap lightpoles in 6 inch foam in case your chain breaks somewhere? I have had my stomach flip more times than I care to count watching in horror as riders who can"t slow down barrel through reds....I have love for you and all who ride, I just want to say that ultimately we should all be able to stop in an emergency.
Peace
H. Sense
horse sense08.16.09 - 3:31 am
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Isaac's a formidable pilot and knows his steed pretty well, so he got out unscathed and followed the proper protocols.
I use brakes on all bikes regardless of it being fixed, S/S, or geared.
Sadly, sometimes even brakes won't completely save a person from their own lack of self-control and they too, will land hard.
It's all about knowing your ride and where you use it.
bentstrider responding to a
comment by horse sense
08.16.09 - 9:11 am
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Brake discussion aside, the fact that the gap exists on that street is still a potential hazard whether you have brakes or not as adictpunk indicated when he ate it. Whereas if you're biking on a crummy road you can expect to be a bit more cautious about the terrain, but a pothole or gap that comes out of nowhere are the ones that get you. I hit a pretty bad pothole on a residential street which came out of nowhere and was nearly impossible to see because it was so dark- the street was smooth as butter otherwise.
dusky08.16.09 - 10:46 am
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Riding brakeless is a decision that I, and an increasingly large amount of people in LA make. I take responsibility for my own safety. But when there is a hazard like this, I worry for other people who ride brakeless, because regardless of whether they should be riding like that or not, it makes me sick to think how easily they could get their lives ruined by a stupid road condition like this.
Also this thread should be about the road conditions and not brakes. i should have made that clearer. :)
shiznitologist responding to a
comment by dusky
08.16.09 - 3:16 pm
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Is this a condition that affects only brakeless bikes?
If it is, you should get brakes. It's cheaper and more realistic than the city fixing every 2" bump on the road.
Is this a condition that affects all kinds of bikes?
Then there is no point mentioning in your story wether you ride brakeless or not. It just diverts attention from the road condition issue.
marino responding to a
comment by shiznitologist
08.16.09 - 3:43 pm
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you are right.
i shouldnt have mentioned it...which is why i made my follow up comments.
shiznitologist responding to a
comment by marino
08.16.09 - 8:31 pm
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I'm glad you mentioned it because now there's some permanent record that Natural Selection has fired warning shots at you. Even if you didn't learn anything then hopefully someone else riding brakeless will.
professor fate08.17.09 - 12:23 am
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So I could be an inconsiderate jerk and write something like this:
Yes, the world is dangerous. Yes, this must be changed. But in the meantime, seeing as how the mean streets of the city are still out to get us, we as individuals can take appropriate precautions to preserve our well-being and longevity. This may include brakes. It most certainly includes timing the lights before bombing Grand. Always, always,
always time the lights before bombing Grand.
Yesterday, that is what I might have written, and it would be true.
But then I stopped by 5th and Grand to check things out for myself. Beer-battered baby Jesus, that
gap! That gap is
deadly! Brakes would not save you from that gap. Timing the lights would not save you from that gap. I could seriously fit my entire booted foot inside of it. If it's not fixed, soon, it
will swallow some poor cyclist's wheel and send them to the hospital.
And gap or no gap, until those plates are gone and the pavement is restored, bombing Grand is going to be pretty dangerous. Everybody should stay the hell away from that hill until it's patched back up.
nathansnider08.17.09 - 5:59 am
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amen. the need to time the light is another reason why there needs to be a warning sign for cyclists, as if its not bad enought already.
i sent a request to the Bureau of Street Services explaining the situation. hopefully someone will actually read it and action will be taken. i dont know how high my hopes are for them to realize the urgency and do something about it soon, but i have my fingers crossed.
shiznitologist responding to a
comment by nathansnider
08.17.09 - 1:08 pm
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the city says:
get some brakes.
_iJunes08.17.09 - 1:09 pm
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There's four lanes on Grand. Which lane are these plates in? I think the right lane is lane one.
User108.17.09 - 4:46 pm
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I'm pretty sure it's in the far right lane. There are several of those metal plates lined up across the width of the road, and the rightmost one is off at an angle, creating this big triangular opening that will swallow your bicycle and burp you back out onto the pavement.
nathansnider responding to a
comment by User1
08.17.09 - 7:47 pm
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I rode by this place today, and I'm happy to report that the plates are gone and the pavement is smoothed back out. So you can now bomb Grand to your heart's content. But time those lights, kids. Seriously.
nathansnider09.8.09 - 7:15 pm
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