12th Street Blues

I would build a gulag for the jerks who decided to close the ground level of 12th Street over the tracks. But the middle deck of the 12th Street Bridge has finally reopened to legit traffic.

Don't get me wrong, we cyclists have been using it all along; it's freshly repaved and the road blocks at either end must only be meant to deter cars, they were so easily ridden around.



One night I saw headlights coming the other way as I went down the bridge. The two lights became three. It was a cop car, and I knew the signs said the bridge was closed. I figured I was in for a hassle, maybe even a ticket. But as I passed the squad car, the cop just said, 'Good evening.'



Anyway, the road blocks have finally come down, and they've painted a double yellow line down the middle of the bridge. I had stopped to shoot some tags when I realized I was standing out in the lane and a van was coming at me. I'm not used to having to watch out for cars in this venue. I think I liked it better when the bridge was pseudo-closed.