Wheel Squeaks I & II

Squeak #1: New bike racks at Davies Medical Center

BEFORE: Not enough spaces for bicyclists at CPMC/Davies campus with old empty bike lock stations never used.

Squeak #2: the previously hazardous manhole cover on Noe just south of Duboce.

BEFORE: it was even deeper than it appears here

"Thanks so much for being a squeaky wheel." Sweet words coming from an administrator at CPMC/Davies Medical Center. Readers might recall this post about the lack of adequate bike parking at the Davies campus on Castro Street. Hospital officials agreed: more racks were needed, they didn't want bikes in the building, more bike parking might mean more spaces for vehicles in the garage, etc. It just took awhile to happen. Last week while inquiring about flu shots at Davies, I wheeled into the garage ... and there they were: five new racks. No problem parking this time. Thanks for the bike-friendly response, Davies folks!

Biking north on Noe Street is a favorite route for returning to NOPA from Upper Market-- except for the ridiculously sunken manhole just before Duboce. Dangerous to bicyclists and motorcylists, not great for motorists either, but there it remained months on end even after it was reported to 311. Below-grade utility covers are more difficult to fix than potholes. The Department of Public Works must assess the problem and determine whether the city or a private utility is responsible for fixing it. Then the full casing must be raised to the street level. DPW has been good with responding to most requests to repair street defects, but this one required repeated calls before it got fixed. Today the hazard is gone, and bicyclists get safer passage.