The Amgen Annoyance
I confess. I can’t stand bicycle riders on the roads. I’ve pretty much kept my opinion to myself and a few friends, that is, until now – because the Amgen Tour recently descended on Solvang and its environs, bringing with it a host of visitors - at the cost of considerable inconvenience and financial loss to many locals.
For the most part, bicycle riders and I have not had much direct contact. I know a few avid biking enthusiasts personally, and like them. But the problem for me is the attitude and manners that many bike riders have or lack thereof. Too often they can act as if they own the roads; riding two, three or even four abreast on Highway 246 and other high-speed thoroughfares (like Alamo Pintado and Refugio Roads).
Maybe they think they’re bullet proof and that nothing can hurt them or that they have the right-of-way no matter what. In general, I have found them to be self-righteous road hogs, often arrogant and rude.
Bike riders frequently ride so close to or even sometimes in automobile lanes that drivers are forced to move to the center of the road, toward oncoming traffic. It’s worse when they have children with them, who don’t always stay close to their parents, putting both themselves and passing automobile drivers at greater risk.
My guess is that a bike rider will eventually be seriously injured or killed on one of our roads and that the driver of the auto involved will probably be in a lot of trouble, even if he or she is not at fault. On more than one occasion, I have witnessed an errant bicycle rider swing out into traffic or briefly lose control and come close to falling or being hit by a passing car.
I have often wondered why the City of Solvang has gone to such lengths to encourage bike riders to come to the Valley. They certainly don’t seem to have brought much business to the area, other than perhaps for the hotels and restaurants. It’s not as if the hospitality businesses in the area are not doing well without them, what with the proliferation of wineries, wine tasting shops and tours that have developed over the last 20 years. And, crowds of bicycle riders are not likely to help improve business for the shops in Solvang.
So, who needs the bikes?
A News Press article (February 23) noted the complaint of Dr. Jeffrey Marmelzat, who was quoted as being so “livid” about the road closures “that he tried to file an injunction to stop the race...” His reaction is fairly typical of the attitude that many local residents had about the Amgen Tour in general.
Many businesses closed on the day of the event, and my question is: who covered their losses? I wonder about those establishments in the zone that was closed to traffic during the race. For the restaurants, their loss of business was no doubt even more frustrating because free food was provided by the race organizers, which surely left those Solvang restaurants that did open with no customers to attract. How fair was that?
Looking at another issue, how did the organizers of the race handle the problem of access to the hospital, which is located within the area that was closed off? I’m sure provisions were made so ambulances and emergency personnel could get to the hospital, but what about those who might try to get to the ER in their own cars? I thought about an incident my wife and I experienced a while back, when she had to drive me to the hospital for a serious medical emergency. I was in pretty bad shape, and a delay trying to get through an area that was closed off could have had very serious consequences. Something like that on the day of the Amgen race would have been more than just an inconvenience. Case in point, an emergency did occur at the starting gate in Solvang and, according to the police radio broadcast at the time, the ambulance had a great deal of trouble getting through.
My wife and I also noticed a group of Highway Patrol officers eating breakfast in Buellton on the morning of the race. We counted about a dozen motorcycle officers, and I suspect there were more elsewhere in the area before the event. We wondered who paid the cost of bringing them in for the Tour. Perhaps Amgen, perhaps not, but one thing for sure, if it was a freebie due to the generosity of the State, I would like to know why.
And, how about situations like that of Union Bank, which I was told had to pay the cost of having some of their employees stay in the closed “zone” the night before the race so they could get to work on the day of the event. They also found it necessary to have some of their employees work 10-hours on the day of the race, which I assume meant overtime rates for non-exempt personnel. I don’t know how many of the people who work for Union Bank were involved, but my guess is that no one reimbursed the bank for any of their extraordinary costs.
I know, I know, one man’s profit may be another’s loss, or in this case, inconvenience. But, I believe using the power of government to set up an event in which a few profit at the inconvenience and/or expense of many others is wrong.
Here are some questions that occurred to me:
Who benefited financially and who lost money on the event? And, how much? (NOTE: The City of Solvang was reported to have received $83,000 from the Amgen Tour and spent about $71,000. However, what appears to be a profit was surely a loss because the City’s calculations did not include the costs of their employees who were involved in preparing for or staging the event.)
Was any consideration given to the inconvenience of the residents in the community?
Was anything like a business impact report prepared, analyzed and discussed in advance?
Who approved holding the event in the Solvang area? The City of Solvang, Santa Barbara County? Both, I assume. If so, were any hearings held, or was the Tour the type of event that only requires an over-the-counter-permit?
Why were no provisions made to recompense those merchants in Solvang who found it necessary to close their businesses? They either had to close for the day or those who did open and were not able to conduct business during the event still had to pay their employees and other operating costs, which was a dead loss.
One final point: It was reported that something on the order of 25,000 spectators followed the Amgen Tour to our fair valley. What on earth for? What sort of sport is this for spectators, who stand somewhere along the way to watch a bunch of bicycle riders whoosh by for about 30 seconds or, as in the Amgen Tour, watch a stream of riders pass by who are not competing head to head but are individually racing the clock? That’s fun to watch? Not for me, that’s for sure.
Call me a Grinch, but, that’s just my opinion.