Comments for Fragmentary Evidence

Comment on Good News: Endangering Pedestrians Really Is Illegal in Oakland by dc

dc — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:15:39 +0000

I know that San Francisco has done a couple of those pedestrian stings in the last year or so as well. Meanwhile, the slaughter continues---a woman crossing the street in Berkeley was hit and killed last week by a drunk driver, a guy was hit and killed by a driver in Union City (10 miles south of Oakland) this week, etc. In happier news, Oakland is having its first two Ciclovías (called, naturally, Oaklavías) later this year. SF has been doing them periodically for a couple of years now, with great success. Do they still block off Memorial Drive in Cambridge to car traffic on Sundays, the way I remember them doing in the late 70's? I always expect to see the Memorial Drive closures mentioned in articles about Ciclovías-type events, but I never do.

Comment on Dumpster Diver by dc

dc — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:46:53 +0000

Styrofoam hasn't been banned yet in Oakland, although plastic bags are now forbidden at our farmer's markets and the city council tried to ban plastic bags in the whole city a few years ago (the ordinance never went into effect for legal reasons). Curbside compostables pickup, and those neat green latching kitchen pails, have been around for years here in Oakland too (they even talk to us in thought bubbles, too). My apartment building doesn't seem to participate, maybe because the food scraps pickup is combined with the yard trimmings pickup, and my building doesn't really have a yard (I've never inquired about it, because I produce almost no compostable waste anyway.) One thing Toronto does have that we don't is diaper recycling in their curbside pickup.

Comment on Dumpster Diver by eric

eric — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:19:04 +0000

Wow–look at all that styrofoam!

Toronto, whence I’ve just returned, has curbside compostables pick-up, and neat green latching containers for the stuff to go in…

Comment on Good News: Endangering Pedestrians Really Is Illegal in Oakland by eric

eric — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:13:48 +0000

Public pressure is the key element, here as elsewhere. I’d like to see the same sting operation in my town.

Comment on Dumpster Diver by dc

dc — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:45:08 +0000

Don’t get so hung up on l’orthographe, Monsieur Ouerdenerde. Fragève is French for FragEv.

Comment on Dumpster Diver by wordnerd

wordnerd — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:24:27 +0000

“Chez Frageve” strikes out on Google. Even “frageve” only has 4 hits….Help!

Comment on Good News: Endangering Pedestrians Really Is Illegal in Oakland by dc

dc — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:26:30 +0000

Sean: I hope the message gets out, among drivers and pedestrians, that OPD is willing to crack down on reckless driving if enough public pressure is applied. These stings get some publicity and raise awareness of the issue, which is good, but I suspect that dangerous driving habits only change when drivers perceive there to be a significant risk of getting a ticket. A few sting operations a year in specific trouble spots are no substitute for day-to-day enforcement when it comes to changing drivers' expectations of getting a ticket. (I understand that police officers are usually rushing from crime scene to crime scene, and don't have time for a lot of routine traffic stops, but I hope pedestrian and bicyclist safety remain in the mix as OPD weighs its priorities. Routine traffic stops often turn up outstanding warrants for more serious crimes, and they also send mischief-makers the message that the streets of Oakland are not the lawless wild west, so there are benefits to cracking down on reckless driving which go beyond ped/bike safety.) Reading through this post again, I realize that I should clarify one point: I wrote that "I have literally never seen" a car get pulled over for speeding in Oakland, but that's not true. I came upon a speed trap on the Park Boulevard Speedway once and praised the OPD here at the time (I even linked to that old post in the post above). What I should have written is that never before have I seen a car be pulled over for speeding outside the context of these sting operations, although I'm sure it does occur sometimes.

Comment on Good News: Endangering Pedestrians Really Is Illegal in Oakland by Sean Sullivan

Sean Sullivan — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:58:46 +0000

Thank you for acknowledging OPD’s efforts here.
The corner in question is a major pedestrian area with a number of low income senior centers and senior housing and a major bike and bus corridor.

This is a real problem in our city and I’m sad to say that today and EBMUD pick up blew right through the pedestrian crossing and waved to me while doing it.
Last week, a 2 person full City of Oakland ticket jeep did the same but with out the apologetic wave.

Comment on Watch Out by jabel

jabel — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 07:44:58 +0000

I know what place you are talking about and the name escapes me but I can’t find the North Star either searching online.Most links for the North Star show a place in Philly.

Comment on Watch Out by dc

dc — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 07:37:55 +0000

I had the same thought—that it would make a good sign for a bar of that name. Someday when Alameda County is broke, maybe they’ll sell off the sign (or the whole building) for that purpose. I don’t know the North Star, but wasn’t there another famous old bar on Causeway St by the garden? I can’t remember the name of the one I’m thinking of, and all the places I find on Google seem to be cheesy new sports bars or brewpubs…