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Jacques Littlefield’s tanks heading east continued from page 3
World War II bombers that are flown into U.S. communities and available for 30-minute rides. When visiting the Peninsula, the propeller-driven aircraft land at Moffett Field in Mountain View. (Tickets for the 2014 tour will be $450 per person, according to the foundation website.) This reporter was a passenger from Hollister to Moffett Field in a B-25 twin-engine bomber, alternately crouching and kneeling in the plexiglass nose as American bombardiers had to do. The trip did generate feelings, including humility, vulnerability and a sober appreciation of what the bombardiers endured. The ceaseless roar of the engines was overwhelming, their huge propellers whirling almost within reach, and the aircraft itself was memorable for its raw practicality, its interior devoid of anything designed for human comfort and ease of movement. Evolution of a tank
Such live-action experience will not be part of the tank demonstrations, but there will be live-action observation. The reenacted outdoor battles could include scenes from the Battle of the Bulge in Germany, Desert Storm in Iraq and the Korean War, Mr. Collings said. There will be gunfire, but not with live rounds. The collection will include tanks from World Wars I and II, including four American Sherman tanks collected so as to show their evolution, and at least two varieties of German Panzer tanks. The Panzer Panther in the collection took five men working
ALERT COVERAGE continued from page 5
that and officers would also have patrolled the streets announcing the “shelter in place” order via their PA systems. People have said they’re worried about getting inundated with messages from the city, and some have also raised privacy concerns. Blackboard Connect’s database of listed and unlisted phone numbers, according to the police department, is used only for emergency alerts. NIXLE covers alerts as well as lower-level notices such as traffic advisories. As for privacy, the city said the registered personal information is not shared with outside par-
full time for five years to restore it, he said. “It’s just an absolutely remarkable restoration.” The Panzer I, Mr. Collings said, spent its early life masquerading as a tractor, whose manufacture was allowed under the armistice rules after World War I. When German forces overran Poland in 1939, the tanks they used were modified tractors, Mr. Collings said. “It’s very, very historically significant. It was what started it all and today, there are precious few of them left,” he said. “It is truly an amazing piece of history.” The tanks will travel by truck from Portola Valley “at the quietest part of the daylight hours to avoid causing problems,” Mr. Collings said. If they travel by train to Massachusetts, they will be visible to observers, but shrink-wrapped in opaque plastic, he said. The cost of moving them to their new home: at least $1 million. While the total collection may be worth $30 million, even $100 million today couldn’t duplicate the restoration work done by Mr. Littlefield and company — a huge and dedicated commitment, Mr. Collings said. “It’s not going too far to say that they were the best in the world,” he said. “These vehicles are the finest out there. ... the artifacts are simply perfect and functioning.” “The public is the biggest winner of this whole thing, to have access to these vehicles,” he said.
Photo by Dave Boyce/The Almanac
Bicyclists, motorcyclists and drivers, whether they like it or not, share the traffic lanes of Skyline Boulevard. Too often the result is tragedy. The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, in collaboration with the California Highway Patrol and Stanford hospital, is looking for ways to improve the safety of this ribbon of highway.
Troubled beauty of Skyline Boulevard continued from page 5
Cycling on Skyline can be particularly dangerous, Capt. Maskarich says. The pavement is more likely to be wet and there are more situations that complicate cyclists’ efforts to be seen by motorists. “Visibility is a huge concern,” he says. “(Cyclists) may be putting themselves at greater risk than they would be if they were riding elsewhere.” He recommends that they have and use bright flashing running lights that can be seen during the day.
More information
Go to tinyurl.com/PVBG2 for a Boston Globe story from October 2013 on a Collings Foundation battle re-enactment that includes tanks. A
How to sign up There are multiple options for emergency alert notification: ■ Go to tinyurl.com/m32e2oy to sign up for the city’s Blackboard Connect alerts.
■ Register with NIXLE (local.nixle. com/register/) ■ Go to menloparkpolice.org and fill out the alert registration form toward the bottom middle of the page. ■ Contact Carolina Gaskin at the Menlo Park Police Department at 330-6327 or cdgaskin@menlopark. org with your name, street address, email address and phone number. If you use a call-blocking service, add 650-330-6300 to the approved number list.
ties and will be used only for the purpose of notifications.
Riding a ridge line
“If a motorist doesn’t see a cyclist, it’s not the cyclist’s fault,” says Corinne Winter, the executive director of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition. “There’s a lot of education we can do (on both sides).” Trends show, Ms. Winter says, that motorists frequently think they can safely turn ahead of an oncoming cyclist. But cyclists can be traveling a lot faster than motorists think they’re going, she says, and on Skyline, that’s particularly true on long downhill stretches. With the odds permanently stacked against the bicycle in a collision, the best course is not to have one. Flashing daytime lights are a must, she says, a small investment with big safety returns in that the lights give motorists a clue. Why do bicyclists even ride Skyline? There are no bike lanes, hardly any shoulders and it’s dangerous. But on
dry weekends, there are hundreds and sometimes close to a thousand cyclists up there, she says. They do it because it connects the routes up and down the mountains, Ms. Winter says. “Sometimes after you climb a big hill, it’s nice to go on the ridge line. It’s beautiful.” “It’s a challenging road in the sense that there’s really high motorcycle speeds and vehicle speeds and there’s no shoulder,” she adds. The driveways are also challeng-
by measuring the speed of 85 percent of traffic and setting limits to the closest 5-mph increment. The 85-percent rule can be sidestepped if a community really wants a lower speed limit, Ms. Winter says. “It takes a little bit of effort.” Road signs are another option. The bike coalition has been working with Stanford hospital and law enforcement for about a year to devise “really good messaging,” Ms. Winter says. “We’re trying to come up with something good.”
‘Skyline Boulevard is certainly both famous and infamous.’
Racing safely
RETIRED POLICE OFFICER TIM SCARROTT
ing, as is the surface of the road. The state used coarse stones in its latest resurfacing between La Honda and Page Mill roads, Ms. Winter says. “In the minds of most cyclists that I have talked to, the road surface has been significantly degraded.” A rougher surface makes quick maneuvers on a bike more difficult, she says. The bike coalition is talking with state Assemblyman Rich Gordon’s office about the resurfacing and a texture that would be more accommodating to bicycles, she says. The coalition is also pushing for lower speed limits on Skyline, an uphill climb. Traffic authorities determine limits
Asked to comment on Skyline as a high-speed venue for motorcycling, Tim Scarrott, director at large for the American Federation of Motorcyclists (AFM), noted that racing on a track is much safer. The AFM conducts “track days” and actual races for Bay Area motorcyclists to “test their skill in a safe and controlled environment better suited (than Skyline) for the performance and capabilities of the modern motorcycle,” Mr. Scarrott says. “Riding at the racetrack is far cheaper than a speeding ticket and obviously much safer than riders testing their skill in an uncontrolled environment (street riding).” “Skyline Boulevard is certainly both famous and infamous,” he adds, “and as a former Oakland police officer (retired) I can tell you that Skyline Boulevard has been the site of many tragedies over the years.” A
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November 20, 2013 N TheAlmanacOnline.com N The Almanac N 9