My new article at Examiner.com

Heres my new article on Examiner.  They limit me to so many words so I have an opportunity to expand here if i need to.

Oakland Roads Hazardous for Motorcyclists

So if you live in Oakland and ride a motorcycle it would be nearly impossible for you to not have noticed the horrible condition of our roads. As a matter of fact, if you haven’t noticed a problem with condition of our streets, it would be safe to assume that either you don’t ride or don’t care.

You don’t even need to be out riding to notice that there is an issue that needs to be addressed. Chances are that you can step out onto the street in front of your Oakland residence and spot an imperfection, whether it be a pothole, cracks, uneven road, unfinished or poorly executed construction, wavy road, improper drainage, etc. I can’t tell you how many times that I have noticed a "road improvement" being done and weeks or months later at its conclusion, the situation that prompted the construction to begin with may be fixed but usually with new problems left behind. I have even noticed in many locations potholes being filled in and in a matter of weeks the filling comes out and covers the road surface with brand new slippery gravel.

Now if you drive a car, these issues aren’t as much of a concern as they would be for a motorcycle or scooter rider. The worst you could expect would be a flat tire or damage to the undercarriage of your car. For a motorcyclist, the same issues could potentially cause a much more serious problem. A car and motorcycle riding over the same crack in the road could cause two very different outcomes. While the car wouldn’t even notice it, the crack might cause an abrupt change in direction for the motorcycle and potentially a crash.

So I guess the question is that if the road conditions cause a serious hazard for a certain population, wouldn’t we want to fix it? Seems like a cut and dry answer to me. However, the problem remains. Sure, Oakland has its share of more serious problems to deal with but is there reasons why it cant deal with some of the more basic issues? The only answers I can think of is that Oakland cant, Oakland wont or Oakland doesn’t care.

One possible solution is to get out there in force and start smoothing out those potholes ourselves and send the city of Oakland the bill for our services. Another more realistic resolution is to contact our elected officials and inquire about the situation. Here is a link to the officials in your district: http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/ElectedOfficials/index.htm Don’t hesitate to send your complaints, that is what they are in office for.