Tuesday, December 16, 2003
SIDEWALKS ARE NOT MY FRIEND ANYMORE
Back on 2 wheels again today, and the weather was perfect for it. Crisp and cold, clear and bright, we all needed that. Lots of ice out and about though, and going nowhere fast. But nothing to slow me down at first. As I made my way down towards the Market St Bridge though I decided to try the sidewalk route over to City Island, not necessarily cause I needed to, but to get down the path. So I rolled off the road at the cab company lot and was immediately halted by a small wall of snow blocking access to the sidewalk. Why should the cab company shovel right? They don't want walkers, they want paying riders, ha ha.
Anyway, while stopping I hit a patch of ice and my bike slid out some but I had control and didn't go down. Back out onto the road and I figured I'd try around the next turn because right past the cab co.'s parking lot, the walk was cleared. But there was no clear ramp to get up from the road to the walk, so I kept to my normal route on the road across the bridge.
On my way home I discovered that the snow clearing doesn't follow any real pattern here. The sidewalk across Market St. Bridge in the westbound direction was clear, but was covered immediately past the bridge and half way up Market into Lemoyne, where it inexplicably became totally clear. Then I road past the old Hardee's parking lot and discovered that whoever cleared that seemed to have tossed the snow out onto the sidewalk so that the handful of people who park in there could do so. Maybe I'm mistaken but the snow and ice had to come from somewhere, and it was directly outside of where the old turn-in access to the parking lot is (though currently blocked off from traffic). I don't know what to think.
All in all the snow and ice did give me a tough little work out, especially on the uphills, on the sidewalks. Perhaps I'll change my tactics when the roads are dry through that Market St stretch, and the traffic is slow and backed up, at least until the sidewalk clears. And ain't it great to think about the winter solstice coming up in less than a week, so that the light starts coming back already, yeah!
Commuting song of the day: Stop by the Spice Girls (if you must know, I got it into my head while watching parts of their documentary at my parent's house during the Thanksgiving visit, and it just won't leave me alone!!)
Anyway, while stopping I hit a patch of ice and my bike slid out some but I had control and didn't go down. Back out onto the road and I figured I'd try around the next turn because right past the cab co.'s parking lot, the walk was cleared. But there was no clear ramp to get up from the road to the walk, so I kept to my normal route on the road across the bridge.
On my way home I discovered that the snow clearing doesn't follow any real pattern here. The sidewalk across Market St. Bridge in the westbound direction was clear, but was covered immediately past the bridge and half way up Market into Lemoyne, where it inexplicably became totally clear. Then I road past the old Hardee's parking lot and discovered that whoever cleared that seemed to have tossed the snow out onto the sidewalk so that the handful of people who park in there could do so. Maybe I'm mistaken but the snow and ice had to come from somewhere, and it was directly outside of where the old turn-in access to the parking lot is (though currently blocked off from traffic). I don't know what to think.
All in all the snow and ice did give me a tough little work out, especially on the uphills, on the sidewalks. Perhaps I'll change my tactics when the roads are dry through that Market St stretch, and the traffic is slow and backed up, at least until the sidewalk clears. And ain't it great to think about the winter solstice coming up in less than a week, so that the light starts coming back already, yeah!
Commuting song of the day: Stop by the Spice Girls (if you must know, I got it into my head while watching parts of their documentary at my parent's house during the Thanksgiving visit, and it just won't leave me alone!!)
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