California roads are in such terrible shape that you really have to pay attention. If you don’t see the potholes in time, your car may rebound and your head may hit the roof. If you brake too suddenly when you hit them, you might flip over. California highways are among the worst in the United States because the state government is deeply in debt and has no money to maintain them.
Even on your bike, you have to be extremely careful. I am so happy with my new bike that I think it almost rides itself. We go up and down the hills, panting and puffing. Coasting downhill however, potholes may all of a sudden show up and sometimes I am almost smacked down by the cracks and tears in the road. The combative California Bicycle Coalition organized a campaign this spring to raise awareness among bicyclists – everyone was encouraged to improve the condition of the roads by reporting potholes. It’s not a long term fix, but for now it’s probably the safest solution there is. Repairing roads that are in complete disrepair is of course much more expensive than regularly maintaining them. The latter doesn’t seem to be an option at the moment.
However, former eBay CEO Meg Whitman – super star of Silicon Valley according to some, opportunistic and evil politician according to others – will fix all of this. At least, that’s what she promises us if she gets elected to replace Governor Schwarzenegger. I am very curious to see whether she’ll succeed. Meg is against gay marriage, against education for illegal immigrants and against welfare. With this less-than-positive attitude of hers, let’s hope at least that she’s against potholes in bike lanes as well.
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