After months of silence from Caltrans and Alameda County we finally have word on Redwood Road. Since it was shut last spring due to the road collapsing towards EBMUD’s San Leandro Reservoir, we had just been assuming that Caltrans was “working on it.” Apparently not, for now we have word that the reconstruction of Redwood Road will begin next Tuesday September 12. Getting those ducks lined up must have been one herding job! In any case the repair is expected to be completed by January 2018. Whatever that means–probably plus or minus a couple of months depending on unexpected problems they find during repair, unforeseen problems with the contractor, and what our weather will be like this winter. And yes, it’s going to stay shut until it’s completed. Speaking of weather, long range forecasts to date seem to believe that this coming winter will be neither an El Niño nor a La Niña type…which means they have no idea how much precip we’ll be getting.
On another topic entirely, we all have enjoyed riding in Niles Canyon, right? Well, except for the high-speed death machines who blow by inches from us because we essentially have no road shoulder. There have been at least two cyclist deaths in Niles in the past couple of years from cars hitting the cyclists from behind. Every time I ride in Niles Canyon I hammer as hard as I can to get the hell out of Niles as quickly as possible. Niles Canyon may have been a pleasant, scenic corridor 30 years ago but today it’s a major commuter corridor, making cycling there an iffy proposition if you value your life and safety. On Saturday September 30 Niles Canyon will be closed to all car traffic from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. From 7 to 8 a.m. only cyclists will be allowed to use the road; after that it’s open to everyone else. This is a special event put on by Alameda County Supervisors Richard Valle and Scott Haggerty to promote the creation of a “Class 1 trail” in Niles Canyon. You can see more information here. The club will be putting on a ride that day going through Niles Canyon to take advantage of the car-free day and to be able to enjoy Niles Canyon, which is actually quite scenic, without the threat of cars on this narrow passage. For details go to the Different Spokes Ride Calendar or click here. You can bet there are going to be a lot of cyclists there, including us!
The Chain Letter 