Not too long ago we turned 2, so we know that the occasion demands a spectacular celebration. The fine folks at Tip Top Bike Shop apparently share our enthusiasm for merriment and revelry. This Friday night, April 3rd, the folks at Tip Top will be celebrating their 2nd birthday with a big ol’ bash, and you’re invited to be part of the wild rumpus at their bike shop (4800A Telegraph Ave, Oakland).

The fun starts at 6pm (going till who knows when) and according to their website they’ll have goodies, cake, beverages and live music from The Vultures. WOBO will be there, not just because we enjoy a party (esp. one where bikes are a part of the fun), but because the grand poobahs at Tip Top decided to make WOBO the non-profit benefitting from this year’s shindig. How cool is that? They said they want to support us because they like what we’re doing, but how can you not like them when they say things like this:

We started this adventure with the intention to help people to ride, ride more, and enjoy the ride. We plan to continue our effort and grow the bicycling community in beautiful Oakland for many more years to come.

For whatever reason: if you like bikes, love a good party, want to hang with WOBO or the Tip Top crew, or just want to support local folks who are gung-ho for biking, we strongly encourage you to head over to Tip Top this Friday night and help them celebrate their second of what is hopefully many more birthdays.

This Thursday, we added a new feature to our monthly newsletter called Pothole of Shame. I’m not going to rehash what was said in the newsletter (if you follow the previous link you can read it for yourself), but the upshot is that it’s worth reporting potholes and road hazards to the City because they want the information and act on it quickly.

As a test case, I reported this month’s Pothole of Shame, at Grand Ave and Bay Place, last Thursday afternoon before the newsletter went out. I used the online form to report it (instead of the report-by-phone option) and figured I’d receive a confirmation email and get a repair status a week or two from now. I was way off. I got a call Tuesday morning. It took the city only 2.5 working days to get back to me about my pothole request. And not just to say they got it, to ask me for more information about the location of the pothole because they were set to fix it the very next day. I was floored.

It’s not necessary to be on site for the repair; as long as you’ve provided enough information for them to locate the hazard without you, you should be set. In my case, since I reported a pothole someone had described to me (I’d never seen it firsthand) for an intersection that covers a lot of ground, I agreed to meet the work crew on site today. It also gave me the opportunity to see the City’s pothole-fighters in action.

After I located the offending pothole – a circular access cover about twelve inches wide sunk two inches beneath the street – a member of the repair crew cleared out the dirt left by recent rains to reveal the metal plate. He informed me that since it wasn’t a manhole cover, it wasn’t a sewer issue, and they’d report it to the appropriate agency (in case you’re curious, the cover bore the words “WELL”, “OBSERVATION” and “MONITORING” in the shape of a triangle). But here’s the best part: after saying they’d pass the report on, he added that they’d do what they could to patch up the hole in the meantime. You gotta love that. I didn’t stick around to see what happened after that, but once I get pictures of the completed work from today and the final fix, I’ll be posting them here.

The City really does care. So if there’s a pothole or hazard that’s worth complaining about, it’s doubly worth reporting – you’ll get more satisfaction from that strategy anyway. And everyone I dealt with throughout this process – both in person and on the phone – was eager to help, patient and well-informed. So don’t be shy, let the pothole naming begin!

WOBO is happy to report after working closely with City Staff a new segment of bike lane has just been painted on 40th Ave. between Telegraph and MLK.  While this is a short segment, it helps provide a key connection under the freeway and along this key route.  This project has been in the works for years, and after narrowing the median room was available for the bike lane.  While there is still BART seismic work to come in the years ahead, WOBO won the City’s support for the bike lane in the here and now! The project also added a new traffic signal, sidewalk bulbouts,  and better lighting to improve the pedestrian access to the station, long overdue.

Drop a line of thanks to city staff Kathy Kleinbaum (kkleinbaum AT oaklandnet.com) and City Council President Jane Brunner (jbrunner AT oaklandnet.com)  In addition to saying thanks, let them know you are excited for completion of the 40th Ave bikeway, ultimately connecting with bike lanes on Telegraph and Broadway, as well as the great existing routes on West and Market! These are hard days to work in City Hall, a positive word goes a long ways.

peace, wobo