San Francisco Metblogs » sf_alex

Vasco Road Accident Prompts Rational Thought, Double Fine Zone

sf_alex — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 02:45:02 +0000

Vasco Road, Contra Costa County’s favorite bloodbath, is finally becoming a double fine zone. Vasco, which runs from Brentwood to Livermore, has long had a history of treacherous accidents during heavy commute times, but August 14th’s accident really took the cake. During the morning commute, a car crossed into oncoming traffic, causing a head-on collision and four fatalities.

The accident has sparked a fair amount of controversy over here in the east counties. The local media is abuzz with what to do about the Vasco Road problem. Opinions differ, however. Some people believe that Vasco Road will never be safe until it is four lanes wide (right now it is three) and has concrete K rail dividing the road. Others say that instead of the millions and millions of dollars needed to divide and widen the road, it would be a lot cheaper to install heavy surveillance and digital speed limit signs to deter and punish reckless driving.

However, on Monday, a step in the right direction was finally taken. Governor Schwarzenegger signed into a law a bill that will render Vasco a double fine zone. The law goes into effect January 1st, 2007 and will remain for three years.

For more information about the bill, please read this Contra Costa Times article.

Alameda County Drivers…

sf_alex — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 01:39:52 +0000

…drive slowly. Seriously. Today, my mother and I had to venture out of Livermore into the South Bay and Peninsula, with our final destination being Redwood City. Coming back, we went over the Dumbo and into Fremont. Our problems started when we decided to take Niles Canyon Rd. instead of 680. First, we are stuck behind a blue PT Cruiser, probably going 10 MPH under the speed limit (45). Luckily, that person turns off at Palomares Rd. We make it another mile or so before a blue Audi (blue cars are evil?) pulls right in front of us, going 30 miles an hour. Then we notice a sign in the rear windshield. “Rookie Driver,” it reads. I want to sob.

You’d think it’d be over by now, right? Wrong. After all, things come in threes. As the rookie driver Audi goes straight, we turn left on to Pleasanton Sunol Rd., thinking all would finally be well. Once again, how wrong we were. A measly 1/4 mile up the road, a red truck turns into our lane. A mud flap proudly declares it to be property of “Tom’s House of Hydraulics.” Reluctantly, we mosey on down the road. Finally, we reach Pleasanton and 4-lane road. Finally.

It could have been much worse, I know. Traffic could have actually been backed up and whatnot but it was still quite frustrating to see the Sunday drivers out in full force on a Saturday.

Bras for the Cause?

sf_alex — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 02:37:00 +0000

No one likes breast cancer. It’s nasty, we all know that. You want to help prevent something nasty? Then sign up for “Bras for the Cause,” a 10K night-walk/fundraiser to take place September 8th in Pleasanton. For the event, every participant must raise at least $200 and decorate and wear a bra. While the event is obviously targeted at women, the other gender is also invited to participate, but they too must wear a bra. The event will take place Friday, September 8th, commencing with the walk and ending with a luscious dessert buffet and finishers’ party. Be sure to go all out decorating your bra, because there is a contest before the walk, and you could walk away with a nice prize.

The moonlit walk is being put on by Tri-Valley S.O.C.K.s (Steppin’ Out for Cancer Kures), a local organization dedicated to fundraising for breast cancer research. In June, they held their annual “Get Tee’d Off At Breast Cancer” charity golf tournament at Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore. The tournament raised just under $9,000 with all proceeds going to the San Francisco chapter of The Susan G. Komen Foundation. The proceeds for the walk will also go to the SF chapter of the Komen Foundation, so all of the money will stay local. And guess what, it’s accessible too! The start/end point of the walk is only one mile from the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station.

For more information on the walk, please visit this page