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2011-01-25 7:07 PM

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Member
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2525
Long Beach, Ca
Subject: City complaint, who to call?
Today, my wife was riding her bike on a street designated by our city as a "bike blvd." Basically, it's a street with roundabouts instead of stop signs, and additional signs alerting cars to the high frequency of bicycles used in the lanes. It is a residential street in a very quiet area. As she was riding, a trash truck pulls from an alley without stopping to check for vehicles or pedestrians. My wife is forced to lock up the breaks, yells out a "watch out" type of phrase, and has to stop in the street to avoid hitting the truck. The truck never stops. As a means of response, the driver flips her off as he finishes his turn and drives down the street. We're not the type to complain about trivial stuff, but this one got to me. I can't believe a city employee would flip off a citizen while in a city vehicle.

My question: Who do I contact? Do I call the refuse department and ask for a supervisor? Do I contact my city council representative? City Manager? Local paper? All of the above? I don't want to overreact, I recognize that people make mistakes while driving, but the flipping off is totally unacceptable. Let me know what you think.


2011-01-25 7:22 PM
in reply to: #3321494

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Champion
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Menomonee Falls, WI
Subject: RE: City complaint, who to call?
I would begin by calling the police and filing a report.
2011-01-25 7:27 PM
in reply to: #3321494

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Champion
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Two seat rocket plane
Subject: RE: City complaint, who to call?

I think calling the refuse department would be your best place to start. Go to the immediate supervisor first and work your way upward if necessary. The city manager's office might be a more productive second step than a council member because, typically, the city manager serves as the overall directday-to-day administrator for the city employees. Council is the policy/ordinance creating body.

2011-01-25 7:32 PM
in reply to: #3321494

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Veteran
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Surf City USA Huntington Beach, Calif.
Subject: RE: City complaint, who to call?
If they are a contact service I would suggest Public Works. Contracts can be terminated if they vendor doesn't live up to the city's expectations.
If it a city ran agency call the coppers and ask about pressing charges (it's a stretch) for right of way violation AND call public works to complain.
2011-01-25 10:07 PM
in reply to: #3321494

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Champion
6285
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Beautiful Sonoma County
Subject: RE: City complaint, who to call?
I would start with the police, and then the refuse company. We have had more than our share of bike vs trash truck interactions around here, and they always end badly. Our trash trucks now have "share the road" stickers on them.

I'm glad she's OK. I had a similar close call last week. It's certainly quite unnerving.
2011-01-26 8:08 AM
in reply to: #3321494

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Champion
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Philly 'burbs
Subject: RE: City complaint, who to call?
Call the Municipal Public Works Department. Also call your local rep and the mayor (if you have one). Make a big stink (pun intended) make sure you have exact location, day, date, time of day, description of driver, and numbers off the truck, etc. No excuse for that behavior.

On a side note, I would have chased them down.


2011-01-26 8:53 AM
in reply to: #3321494

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Champion
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Atlanta, Ga
Subject: RE: City complaint, who to call?

To those that said:  Call the cops

For what?!  Seriously.  They have better things to do then investigate an almost accident.  Would you call the cops if you almost ran into someone if you were in a car?  It's the same thing because bikes are vehicles.

Call the sanitation dept.  That's where the complaint goes.

2011-01-26 10:09 AM
in reply to: #3321494

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Lafayette, CO
Subject: RE: City complaint, who to call?
I agree.  The only time to get the cops involved in an almost is when it's happening currently (I called them on a truck driver ignoring chain laws and driving like a bat out of hell last week on snowy/icy roads because I was afraid he was going to hurt someone driving down the mountain highway) but for post incident call their supervisor and bark up the tree if you don't get a proper response.
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