FrenchFit 

You may have gotten the email from MountDiabloCyclist.org ,
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I'm thinking: Really? Someone needs to die before this matter is taken seriously?.

bobwysiwyg

Is this new? If so, who or what agency approved it? They are crazy! Better have uber good liability insurance.

cthenn

Wow that seems crazy. I can think of several curves on both NG and SG that a bus would have no choice but to swing across both lanes in a blind curve. Does the school/district have no clue as to what the roads look like on the mountain? Seems completely ridiculous to have a driver (who is just doing their job) make the drive up that road with a bus load of children. I'd be scared out of my mind. However, why did the kiosk attendant allow such a vehicle up there in the first place? Are they required to allow such vehicles? If they were turned back by the Park employees, we wouldn't even have this problem.

Joe Bikerider

As a lifelong resident of the Diablo Valley (and a cyclist) I'm going to say this. You don't own the mountain. When I was in fourth/fifth/sixth grade we made field trips up there at least once a year with no incidents. Now that the internet has created this aura of it being some kind of bicycle playground/challenge you think you own it. It's not, it's a public road. I am not in favor of buses killing people but I am in favor of access. How about cyclists try to share instead of own. Thanks.

prathmann

Yes, it's a public road, but it's fairly common for public roads to have restrictions on vehicles with respect to physical characteristics such as weight, height, length, and width. If a road, such as those on Diablo, is too narrow and winding for a long vehicle to be able to stay in one lane while going around a blind turn then it's reasonable and proper for such vehicles to be restricted from driving on that road. Field trips for schools can still be provided by using more suitable vehicles like vans that can be driven on the mountain roads without endangering other users.

Joe Bikerider

prototoast

That seems like money well spent to me. If they couldn't take vans, I also wouldn't be opposed to schools working with Park staff to close the roads completely while school buses were traversing the mountain, but then again, I'm not sure school buses would be considered safe on that road even with no other vehicles present.

Full length buses on Mt Diablo, taking up both lanes in blind turns represents a significant danger to anyone else on the mountain at the time, be they cyclists, drivers, pedestrians, equestrians, or other. If an accident is avoided, it is basically just luck. I want as many schoolchildren as possible to experience all that Mt Diablo has to offer, and I want that to be done safely.

cthenn

As prathmann said, there are all kinds of vehicular restrictions on roads when it is not safe. Ever traveled over the Sierra? There are a multitude of restrictions on some of those mountain passes, simply because they are too steep, too narrow, and too windy. Trucks carrying hazardous materials have a ton of restrictions on them, mostly based on time of they day they are allowed to travel, for the safety of the general public. Do you actually ride Mt. Diablo? There are A LOT of tight, blind curves that simply are not suitable for large buses. It's a SAFETY issue for ALL users of the road. I would not want to be in a car heading up the mountain only to have a bus swinging around the corner in MY LANE because they simply cannot make the turn otherwise. Boohoo, the cost goes up, that is simply a ridiculous counter argument. Let's endanger other road users, and put cyclists and other drivers in harms way because it costs money to transport people in more reasonably sized vehicles that can actually stay in the lane around corners. Talk about being selfish, sheesh. You act like people are entitled to drive up the mountain, in whatever vehicle they want. Sorry, it's not your world, there are considerations for other people, and it is incredibly unsafe for full size buses to be on those roads.

I'm going to send off an email now, hopefully it will make a difference, and we can keep the mountain safe for all users. Thanks for the motivation.

FrenchFit 

The problem isn't their using, the problem is their use interferes and potentially injures others. If you watch the video, that bus is often in the wrong lane, at blind curves, Anyone who uses that road in the wrong lane should be banned .. bike, motorcycle, bus or car.. The driver in the second video says there is no way to get that thing up the mountain without using both lanes - hence, he shouldn't try,

SClaraPokeman

Was this bus run for a public school summer school? (Is there even such a thing any longer?) I have to wonder who authorized this trip. Irregardless of cyclists on the road (who I'm pretty certain were never considered) it looks like a pretty hazardous drive if the vehicle provided is incapable of staying remotely in its lane. Then there is an issue with brakes perhaps fading, etc. These are not robust driving machines after all. Simply feels like a bad idea taking it into a challenging area loaded with children.


I don't agree with an earlier post that biking Mt. Diablo is akin to the Mission Peak hike. The NYT article on the hike last year pointed out that the whole business of the parking problem and crowds was sort of absurd because there is a plethora of other similar hikes in the area whereas there aren't that many paved roads that climb over 2,000 feet that are nice to bicycle on in the east bay.

Cyclist0108

Article about this in today's Comical:

Buses, RVs pose risk to cyclists at Mount Diablo

DiabloScott

Summit Road is 4.5 miles total.

First I've heard of this - maybe just weekdays?

cthenn

The "repairs" are needed on NG at the washout, and other areas on NG and SG where the road is starting to fail. Summit road is in fine condition, not sure to what this is referring...although based on "17 miles", it wouldn't be shocking if the author was wrong on this as well. Also "rest of the summer" is only a few more weeks as it is, and I've seen zero signage. I've seen no pavement marking above the junction, whereas I've seen plenty of markings on both NG and SG. So who knows, I'll keep an eye out.

DiabloScott

17 miles probably refers to the total paved roads... NGR+ SGR + Summit Road.

cthenn

Then it's incorrect to say ALL Mt. Diablo's roads are double striped. There are sections with a dashed center stripe. So, any way you cut it, it's incorrect information.

Cyclist0108

Next, you are probably going to tell me that @DiabloScott is not the individual pictured in the avatar.

cccorlew

Trust me, discovering this fact is the single most disappointing thing that's ever happened to me on BF.

DiabloScott

I'm the pretty one:





Diablo road repair/closure update: There is no work being done that I can tell. No lane closures, no construction equipment, no signs.

spdntrxi

this thread continues to disappoint