November 2012 - Stop and Move

Fresno’s best chicken and waffles closing, come and get it while you can

On November 30, 2012February 19, 2018 By jamesinclair

It was with great sadness that I read this week that “Come and Get it, Chicken and Waffles” will be closing at the end of the month.

Besides having some truly delicious Chicken and Waffles, the restaurant was unique in many ways. The owners took a big risk with location, and their attempt to help grow downtown surely had some affect, as they drew customers from all around.

They first located on the Fulton Mall, but then moved on to an even less commercially successful district, Fresno’s own Chinatown.

Not only did they pick an area in need of a lot of help, but they also had very special operating hours, which filled a very important niche. Click to read more!

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Megabus officially skipping Fresno again

On November 29, 2012February 19, 2018 By jamesinclair

A month ago, I wrote about Megabus making their return to the California market. Sadly, for the Central Valley, their announced route structure is mostly a repeat of what they offered the state in 2007 and 2008, before pulling out.

They will be offering the following routes (no intermediate stops, aside from a possible rest stop for 15 minutes)

Los Angeles – San Jose – San Francisco
Los Angeles – Oakland – San Francisco
Los Angeles – Riverside – Las Vegas
San Francisco – Sacramento – Reno (Sparks)

In 2007, they had also served San Diego and Phoenix. Click to read more!

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Just to make it extra clear….

On November 26, 2012February 19, 2018 By jamesinclair

Yesterday, I mentioned that the Fresno Bee is littered with stories every day about pedestrians being killed, motorists dieing, people shooting cyclists, and so on and so forth. I posted a screen capture indicating the toll that autoviolence takes on the region.

I just wanted to make it clear that I didn’t cherry pick a list of headlines. It really is something we see day in and day out.

It really is a pattern. And it’s time that it changed. City government and the local police need to take a look at the violence and maybe start connecting the line between the number of unnecessary deaths and the way the roads continue to be designed. Click to read more!

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Spot the pattern?

On November 25, 2012February 19, 2018 By jamesinclair

Here’s a screen capture from the headlines on the Fresno Bee website on Saturday November 25, 2012. It’s not a special day, it’s something you notice pretty much every time you read the paper. The same type of stories, week in and week out.

There’s a theme, I think, and it doesn’t take much sleuthing to figure it out.

Fresno, and the entire Central Valley has a serious problem, and it revolves around the way the streets are designed.

As the area continues to ignore the transportation and economic consequences of the auto-based design, maybe it’s time those in charge start to pay a little bit more attention to the crime, injuries and deaths it facilitates. Click to read more!

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Will early Black Friday push people to shop online?

On November 22, 2012February 19, 2018 By jamesinclair

It’s Thanksgiving, a day of relaxing, eating, conversation….and standing in line for hours in the cold to shop?

Many retailers announced this year that they will open as early as 8pm on Thanksgiving day. That means, to get a good spot in line, you’d have to leave the house no later than 5pm – for some, many times earlier. Retailers want people to abandon their Thanksgiving dinner and time with the family to save some money on unneeded goods.

Of course, that’s an individual choice, but what’s worse is that millions of people who choose not to partake are forced into it….all the men and women who work in retail who now have to clock in at 7:30pm on Thanksgiving to staff the store. Some must start earlier for crowd control. Add in commuting time, and their dinner gets cut short as well. Click to read more!

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New Google satellite imagery for Fresno (summer 2012)

On November 16, 2012February 19, 2018 By jamesinclair

Google has just pushed out updated satellite coverage of the Fresno area on Google Maps. This happened in the past 24 hours, because just yesterday I coincidentally booted up Google Earth to see if a secret update was available (one not shown on Maps). Nothing was there, and yet today when looking up something completely unrelated, I noticed a roundabout that wasn’t in the last update…meaning brand new recent pictures. The roundabout caught my eye because a couple of months ago someone emailed me to let me know it was being built. I’ll write about that in the near future.

The imagery updated today was taken on August 26, 2012. That’s pretty damn recent for Google. There’s a lengthy turnaround time from when the images are taken because of all the processing and such required to make sure all the pictures line up perfectly, and there are no clouds or shadows. Click to read more!

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Impaired driver? Honda knows you

On November 12, 2012February 19, 2018 By jamesinclair

Honda has been running an ad campaign about the new Accord for over a month now. This past week, I’ve been watching some shows on Hulu (possibly too many) and it seems like every other ad is the same Honda piece which shows off their newest and greatest safety feature. That feature is the car beeps at you when you are so incapable of driving, that you’ve found yourself driving into the lane of oncoming traffic.

A version of the ad (Youtube)

I’ve two main problems with the ad. The first, is that you can only
see the same video so many times before wanting to torch the product
featured, regardless of what it is. Seriously, watch 4 shows on Hulu
over a week and you’ll see it at least 15 times. Click to read more!

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SUV passenger shoots cyclist in back

On November 8, 2012February 19, 2018 By jamesinclair

Shocking story in today’s Fresno Bee. A man cycling in the outskirts of Fresno was shot in the back by a passenger in a vehicle, using a rifle.

Mike Montanez, a 22-year Sheriff’s Office veteran, was cycling when he heard a sound and felt something strike his back, a sheriff’s spokesman said. The deputy was knocked from his bike.

When he looked up, the deputy saw a passenger in the rear of an SUV pull a rifle back inside the vehicle.

The deputy said there were three people in the vehicle, which was driving north on Friant Road.

The vehicle was described as a dark blue Chevrolet or GMC Suburban-type SUV. It appeared to be a model from about 1990. Click to read more!

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NJT gets message, offers some replacement bus service

On November 6, 2012April 3, 2020 By jamesinclair

A few days ago, I wondered why transit agencies generally don’t offer substitute bus service when their trains are down for extended periods due to severe weather problems.

Looks like New Jersey Transit finally got the memo, and began offering some form of bus service. One major concern is that commuters still need a car to get to the park-and-ride lots, as the buses won’t be stopping at the train stations. That is, if you walk to your local station, you’re out of luck.

The issue NJT looks to try and solve is having too many customers coverge on the few trains that are operating. Click to read more!

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Amtrak California offering 20% college discount

On November 5, 2012February 19, 2018 By jamesinclair

Amtrak has been offering college students in California a discounted ticket option for travel from now until June 13, 2013. Sadly, there are blackout dates, like Thanksgiving weekend, but there are many opportunities to save money.

Not all college IDs are valid for the discount, but in the Central Valley students at Fresno State, Fresno City, Bakersfield State, and UC Merced are among those included in the promotion.

Tickets must be purchased online at least three days in advance at this website, which also has the full list of details and restrictions. ID is presented on board if requested.

If you’re making the trip anyway, why not save money. If you plan on driving for your trip, do the math and there’s a good chance taking the train will save you money. Click to read more!