Comment Archives: stories: Blogs: Seven Days
Re: “AC Transit Made Right Choice to Finally Buy Local”
I’m aware of the bottoming-out problems of the NABI low-floor buses, but I’ve ridden County Connection and VTA Gillig low floor buses numerous times and they had no such problem.
The Van Hool buses have many mechanical problems. But, of course, the dozens of AC Transit mechanics who got trips to Belgium, costing AC Transit about a million dollars, weren’t inclined to point them out. Presently, AC Transit has to reserve a million dollars in its budget for repairs on the last order of 30-ft Van Hools because they don’t pass pollution tests and the correction requires structural changes.
Furthermore, all repairs on the engines are time consuming, because they are all, insanely, located in the passenger compartment. Access to them requires unscrewing many bolts, and working in a constrained space, whereas, on the Gilligs (and most, if not all American buses), it is just a matter of lifting a door at the rear of the bus.
I’ve ridden the DC Circulator system. It is for tourists and as such works quite well. It rides slowly around the federal government sites on well-maintained roads. The entry bottleneck is not a big problem because people with shopping carts were not trying to enter. Many are in family or friends groups so they didn’t mind sitting facing each other, knee to knee. And a bus like the Van Hool, which has low floor aisles but high floor seating give passengers better views and, so, is a plus for tourists. In this instance, a minus for American true low floor buses, is that eye level is at the bottom of the window; the best views are on the rear mezzanine level.
DC was aware of the hazard of the step-up seats, so “Danger: Watch Your Step” decals were placed on the risers. (AC Transit adopted this after I informed a board member about it.)
Note: DC didn’t buy any Van Hools for their normal working routes.
Re: “Thursday Must Read: Oakland Police Consultant Calls for 911 Overhaul; William Bratton Keeps Low Profile”
These consultants stroll in and grandly announce that OPD shouldn't be trying to respond to non-critical, non-emergency 911 calls. Like this is big news worth 250k. But two years ago the local (before they reorganized) Capt T. for North Oakland shocked his audience by matter of factly stating that only a fraction of the hundreds of thousand of 911 calls ever get a cop visit. OPD was already triaging and filtering 911 calls, at least informally. so what's going to change now to free up huge amounts of cop time?
Re: “AC Transit Made Right Choice to Finally Buy Local”
Mr. Lyons, there is a low-floor bus with sufficient shock absorption, and it is made by New Flyer. I hear ACT is getting a delivery of New Flyer articulated buses this summer. I can only hope in the future they use New Flyer instead of Gillig for their 40-foot buses as well. They made for a very smooth, comfortable and car-like ride in DC, and the hybrid models had excellent acceleration.
Van Hools are the bus of choice for DC's Circulator system, and the newer models solve some of the problems with the older ones … instead of three doors there are two, making more room for seating. For some reason they seemed to glide along DC's roads. I think the main spine-rattling problem is with Van Hool's articulated buses. In Europe roads are better maintained, and they just don't have the needed shock absorption, as you mentioned.
Re: “Thursday Must Read: Oakland Police Consultant Calls for 911 Overhaul; William Bratton Keeps Low Profile”
@Mary: the media didn't clearly state what he meant by this. His point was, that quite a number of 911 calls do not truly require a police officer to come out (you'd be amazed at the things people call 911 for). For those calls, we could lessen the load of the police by scheduling an appointment for follow up. Right now, Oakland promises a police officer for pretty much every 911 call (even if it's 6 hours later) and to get through the backlog of requests can be quite demanding of their time. I actually support smart management of these types of situations. It is obvious to most people that a 911 call about the cable being out does not require an officer to show up at your door at some point, however right now, we promise that it will. But if you really wanted to lodge a complaint about the cable company not providing you with service and you felt it was criminal, you could do so after making an appointment with OPD.
Re: “Oakland Might Sue Banks Over Rate-Rigging Conspiracy”
How much of the taxpayers' money is going to be spent pursuing this? Seems awfully likely that the city will spend more than $300K on the vague chance of getting that amount back, and probably more than the putative $1 mil.
Re: “Oakland Makes Divestment from Gun Companies Official Policy”
Wonderful news! Oakland again demonstrates its absolute mastery of the symbolic!
Re: “Thursday Must Read: Oakland Police Consultant Calls for 911 Overhaul; William Bratton Keeps Low Profile”
Um, isn't it kind of the POINT that you call 911 and get a police officer? This is not a matter of expectation management, it's a matter of delivering adequate service to the people who are paying for it. Who, since calling the non-emergency phone number delivers nothing, are calling 911. Earth to Wasserman, you work for us, not the other way around.
Re: “Thomas Frazier Appointed OPD Compliance Director”
It's going to be our job to watch for all the different ways Deanna Santana and the rest of Oakland city government will be trying to sabotage Frazier's work.
Unless they use their heads and just comply with the NSA--and follow it. Seems after all the effort that's gone into NOT complying that would be the easiest route.
Re: “Poll: Most Americans Believe Human Population Growth Threatens Species, Climate”
All this tells me is that one-third to almost one-half of the people polled are ignorant, and that folks like them are going to drive the ecology of this planet into the ditch.
Re: “Thursday Must Read: Californians Support Same-Sex Marriage; Voting May Become Tougher for Minorities in Red States”
The Bible should be banned!
Here are several really loving excerpts from the Torah; the first five books of the Old Testament in the bible -- perhaps read to the congregation on Friday night at a synagogue or a Sunday morning church in the meadow.
1. Kill any friends or family that worship a god that is different than your own. Deuteronomy 13:6-10
2. Kill all the inhabitants of any city where you find people that worship differently than you. Deuteronomy 13:12-16
3. Kill everyone who has religious views that are different than your own. Deuteronomy 17:2-7.
Rabbinical / Priestly rules:
Leviticus 21:17-18 … “No one who is blind or lame or has a defect or any blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God.”
Leviticus 18:22 … “You are not to go to bed with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination ….”
Rabbis; the pope and churches fully aware that Leviticus 18:22 applies to rabbis and priests … refuse to remove this stigma maliciously persecuting gays. Kids are being bullied into suicide …!
Being black, left-handed or being gay is just as natural. It is a sometimes rare occurrence to fall in Love and to hold that person in your heart and be loved in return ... it is something that should be celebrated! If it’s between two guys or two girls -- all the better. It takes even more courage to defend that LOVE!
www.HolyFaux.com
Re: “Tuesday Must Read: Californians Want Stricter Gun Control Laws; Controversial Oyster Farm Gets Reprieve”
God bless the Ninth Circuit and its ongoing legacy of common sense.
Re: “Drakes Bay Oyster Company Turns to Koch Brothers-Linked Group”
God Bless the Ninth Circuit, yet again!
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Drak…
Re: “Monday Must Read: Innocent Man from Oakland Freed from Prison; Lake Merritt Channel Partially Reopened”
As an Oakland taxpayer, I fully support paying Mr. Ross at least twice the legally mandated payout, as long as parasites like John Burris stay the hell out of it. I also support the vigorous prosecution of the cop and all those who put Mr. Ross in this position, because this will keep happening as long as they are not held accountable. And as a Santa Clara alum, I am way proud of the law school's Innocence Project.
Re: “Union Workers at Castlewood Country Club Finally Get a New Contract”
This long, long struggle is a reminder of the importance of labor laws and the good-faith enforcement of those laws. If the NLRB had not found on behalf of these workers, it would have been even more difficult for them to win this contract. In this case, it took an employer particularly brazen in their willingness to break the law and a brave, skilled and extremely determined group of workers and their Union for the workers to prevail before the labor judge.
Unfortunately, many other employers break the law more cleverly, or succeed in confusing or intimidating their workforce. If more lawbreaking employers were caught, and their punishments more severe than just the price of doing illegal business, there would be more justice and a better balance of power at American workplaces.
Re: “Wednesday Must Read: Oakland Enviro Group Sues Over Toxic Nap Mats; New Bill Would Outlaw Lead Ammunition in California”
The bill to ban the use of lead bullets/ammo for all hunting in California will likely be introduced this Friday, Feb. 22 (the deadline). Hopefully, it will be amended to include a ban on the use of lead fishing sinkers, too. Many waterfowl suffer and die from ingesting lost lead sinkers, birds such as swans, cormorants, diving ducks, etc.
Nor is it only birds who suffer. Secondary lead poisoning causes havoc among scavengers such as bears, coyotes, badgers, skunks, eagles, vultures, ravens, crows, etc. Lead's gotta go, for hunting AND fishing. California would be the first, should this no-brainer of a bill become law. And the hunting/fishing community should be in the forefront of this fight, if they're truly the conservationists they claim to be.
ALL LEGISLATORS MAY BE WRITTEN C/O THE STATE CAPITOL, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814.
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Eric Mills, coordinator
ACTION FOR ANIMALS
Re: “Oakland Officials Accuse A’s Owner of Playing Games in the Media”
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Re: “Oakland Officials Accuse A’s Owner of Playing Games in the Media”
Based on the headline alone, rarely has there been a more classic instance of pot/kettle syndrome.
Re: “Army Base Tenants Close to Reaching Deal to Stay”
It seems obvious that Mr. Tagami is dragging his feet as a Property Manager to benefit his endeavors as a Master Developer. Isn't it a conflict of interest to have the Master Developer also act as the Property Manager? If it wasn't for the City of Oakland and the Port of Oakland stepping up and offering to negotiate, these small businesses would have to relocate completely. I'm still amazed that he succeeded in pushing the Oakland Film Center businesses off the property. I wonder what more havoc he'll reap among Oakland small businesses as he gains more momentum in the future?!
Re: “Thursday Must Read: Foreclosure Activity Plummets; Solar Installations Soar”
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