[Bike store owner Frederic] Breidenthal shares his customers' frustration toward the city of Encinitas. "It's a nonperfect world," he said. "The cleaning crew doesn't sweep up after (foliage removal), and there is an increase in flats the day after. The city has covered, scraped, and poisoned them, but the thorns always come back."
From the city's perspective, there isn't the money to constantly clean up. "We clean the main thoroughfares four times a year," Howard Whitock, assistant superintendant of public works, said. "We can't afford five to six times, and there's a pretty good level of service."
We can't afford basic Parks and Rec services for residents, but we can afford for city employees to retire early and get paid fat pensions for life. Funny how that works.
Throw the bums out!
Oh, that's a hilarious irony. I'm sure the bike store is a good guy, but c'mon, he makes more money when there are thorns.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the city is already busy trying to clean up after out-of-town dogs that smear Orpheus park. So give them a break.
Litter and trash collection must be a priority. This is a quality of life issue as well as an environmental one. Public works is underfunded and unable to keep up with the trash that litters our community. The answer maybe to organize volunteers and/or privatize litter pick up. Take a look around us, the problem is massive in scope and requires action now! I pick up litter including hundreds of cigarette butts around our neighborhood and beach on a regular basis. What can you do to help?
ReplyDeleteOn any given day one see's 3-5 bike riders with flats along Vulcan, hoofing it to Fred's for a $15 flat repair. I give riders a lift as far as I can take them. Big bummer to walk the length of Leucadia in bike cleats. I've watched the flat circus for over 15 years now, my teen daughter has had over 20 flats this summer just riding down to Encinitas and she often comes home with 6-8 goats head thorns embedded in her converse. Can't even walk the dog, go to Cardiff rail right of way for that.
ReplyDeleteIf there were a desire to enhance the community bike ways the city and council has had the the means and time to do so for years. Inexpensively they could decrease the problem by weekly street sweeping along and ON the Vulcan and 101 bike paths, CalTrans correctional crews that walk and clean the railroad right of way more regularly, volunteers could pull goat heads in spring when they are just growing. Heaven forbid but what about some round-up for several seasons. The big problem with the goats heads is who owns the plants. Its a railroad right of way, so the city sees it as "Not In our yard, Mahn, mind set" The thorns blow or get walked onto the street and walking paths. Street sweeping occurs at best 1x per month. And voila a very inhospitable stretch of road on the busiest bike coorador in Southern California.
A Leucadia resident, I avoid Vulcan and 101 on a bicycle at all cost. To unsafe, to uneven a sholder, to may car doors opening, to many goat heads.
If the 2000+ annual bike flats were car flats the city would be jumping all over the problem. Imagine 5-10 cars a day with flats along Encinitas Blvd.
I beleive the start is increased sweeping service.
From the orchard....