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| Mountain residents upset with bike tour spectators |
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| Written by Jonathan Partridge / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Wednesday, 02 April 2008 | |
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“If they want to do (the race) again, I would say, ‘Bring it on.’” — Mark McDonald, Police officer who patrols Mount Hamilton’s Lick Observatory SAN ANTONIO VALLEY — Residents in the hills between Patterson and San Jose said at a meeting at the Sweetwater Cal Fire Station last week that they had no real problems with February’s Amgen Bicycle Tour of California. The spectators and nonprofessional bicyclists who followed are another matter. “By making a little bit of money for the city of San Jose, you’ve ruined our lifestyle up here,” Mines Road resident Neil Jorgensen told a San Jose city official.  Residents in the hills between Patterson and San Jose have complained that bike traffic on the roads they live on has at least tripled. Elias Funez /Patterson Irrigator Jorgensen said the number of bicyclists who travel down his road has tripled or quadrupled since a leg of the Amgen Tour of California bicycle race passed nearby on Feb. 20. Santa Clara County representatives hosted the meeting March 26 to allow rural residents to air concerns about the race and about life in the region. Tammy Turnipseed, special events program director for the city of San Jose’s Office of Cultural Affairs, said the Amgen tour drew 10,000 to 12,000 visitors to that city. However, she did not have details on the financial impact of the race, though many attendees wanted to know whether sales tax revenue made up for the expense of police services. “We have borne the majority of the problems with (the race), so we should get our cut,” Del Puerto Canyon Road resident John Chamorro said. Those problems included spectators who trespassed on private property and reportedly defecated on one Del Puerto Canyon resident’s land. Glenn Dolfin, executive director of the Mount Hamilton Range Improvement Association, said some spectators also marked roadways with paint instead of chalk. Chamorro said he felt the California Highway Patrol did nothing to stop problems with spectators or keep people off private property, though he said the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department was responsive. Cheryl Jorgensen, wife of Neil Jorgensen, said Amgen officials had led residents to believe at a Jan. 16 rural roads meeting that trash concerns and basic sanitation needs would be addressed, and that never happened. “They didn’t go past my property,” she said, “but I guarantee you, if they had defecated on my property, I would not be fine with it.” Several residents also said they felt Amgen organizers did not keep their word after indicating they would try to keep spectators to a minimum in rural areas. Turnipseed said Amgen officials counted about 400 people on the rural roads between Patterson and San Jose during the race, but other attendees gave much higher estimates. “For (Amgen course director) Eric Smith to say there were 300 to 400 people out there, he’s out to lunch,” Chamorro said. “He’s nothing but a politician.” Neil Jorgensen estimated there were thousands of spectators that day. Smith was out of state last week and could not attend the March 26 meeting. He said by phone that because he was not at the meeting, he would refer inquiries about the event to Amgen’s corporate office. Amgen officials could not be reached for comment this week. Turnipseed said by phone that no promises were made about portable toilets and that they could have seemed to be a welcome sign to spectators. She said traffic was closed off to spectators west of Mount Hamilton the morning of the race, but officials initially neglected to close off Del Puerto Canyon Road in Patterson, allowing spectators a window of opportunity to get into the hills. Also, tour officials did not close off Mines Road near Livermore, Turnipseed said, because the road was not part of the race, though it connects with Del Puerto Canyon Road. Turnipseed said cities must make their bids to participate in the Amgen tour by mid-May, and she expects the city of San Jose will put in a bid to join the tour again next year. She said the city had to get an encroachment permit from Santa Clara County to let the tour to use this year’s route. Tour opponents have talked about lobbying to prevent the county from granting a permit next year. Mark McDonald, a police officer for University of California, Santa Cruz, who patrols Mount Hamilton’s Lick Observatory, said police had to remove 14 cars camped on top of the mountain the night before the race. One spectator, he said, almost fell off the side of a hill, and another nearly slipped in front of a car. Still, despite logistical worries about closing off the road to prevent such problems, he said, the event seemed to go smoothly. “If they want to do (the race) again, I would say, ‘Bring it on,’” he said. Others also appeared to support the race. Del Puerto Canyon Road resident Susan Conyers, for example, said she had no problems with Amgen spectators. “My section was all polite and respectful,” Conyers said. Race supporter Clare Bell, who lives off of Del Puerto Canyon Road, recommended after the meeting that organizers could set up a spectator shuttle for any future races. Cheryl Jorgensen also said good things came out of the event, though she did not elaborate. The newly formed Eastern Santa Clara County Rural Roads group hosted the meeting, which drew 30 to 40 participants. In addition to the race, residents discussed police protection, road maintenance, unwanted dumping and the possibility of Patterson-based NetVelocite installing equipment for wireless Internet service on Mount Hamilton. Verizon put up a new cell phone tower for digital phone service in the area last month, after planning to get rid of analog service in the area. Mines Road resident Adrienne Swart said after the forum that it was the first rural roads meeting she had attended, and she thought important issues were discussed. “Everyone has good concerns,” she said.
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