I was pleasantly surprised today when the town of Los Altos Hills responded quickly to my report of broken glass on the pathway connecting Stonebrook Drive and Laura Court. (This is part of the so-called "quarry ride" that I do from time to time.)Here's the timetable, which is in itself somewhat amazing:
10:19 p.m. Monday: I send email to a contact at the town's Public Works Department that I found on the town's website.
11:13 p.m. Monday: I get a response (yes, practically in the middle of the night!) that the problem will be investigated. An actual response, not an auto-reply.
10:21 p.m. Tuesday: I get a note saying that the pathway was cleaned today, and thanking me for my report.
The moral: When you encounter a hazard while riding, always report it to the appropriate authority. You might prevent some other cyclist or road user from a flat, an injury, or something worse. If you want to do it the old-fashioned way via a voice call, the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition has a list of phone numbers for most jurisdictions.
Photo: Laura Court at the quarry, from Google Street View. It's actually far more scenic than it looks here, and if you've never been up there, it's worth the climb.
