Starting in 1994 with only 1,500 bikers participating, Street Vibrations has grown into the nation’s 6th largest bike event. It was estimated (no info supplied on how) that slightly more than 25,000 motorcycles attended Street Vibrations in 2010. About the same as previous years, however, hotels like the Peppermill, Grand Sierra Resort, the Nugget and Atlantis all reported shorter stays for guests on average vs. other years.
During the event period there was an increase in motorcycle accidents. It’s unclear if the increase was attributable to the split-event in Sparks which many riders complained about. Here is how the stats break down:
Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) arrested 39 people of which 21 were DUI arrests. There were 15 accidents investigated, which included 2 fatal crashes, including one with a motorcycle. In total there were 8 injury crashes and 5 crashes involving property damage only. NHP didn’t report which arrests involved only motorcycles.
Reno Police reported making 72 arrests for various offenses stating alcohol was a factor in most. They handed out 533 traffic citations and placed 4 people in civil protective custody (public intoxication). They also handed out an additional 428 traffic warnings. There were 6 stolen motorcycles (which the Pepper Mill Casino seemed to be hit most often) and 10 stolen tour packs (saddle bags).
Stealing saddle bags? That is just down-right mean! I hope they set up sting operations in the future to take down the jerks.
In addition, there was a brawl reported between 30 people (unknown if it was bikers?) that left one man stabbed in Sparks and was sent to the hospital. The Carson City man was treated with multiple stab wounds which were non-life threatening.
Speaking of large groups… it’s unclear if related to last month’s HAMC and Vagos MC shootout in Arizona (Chino Valley, north of Prescott) where 27 people were booked on charges ranging from attempted murder to participation in a criminal street gang and where more than 50 rounds were fired between the two clubs… but, there was an extraordinarily large mass of the “Green Machine”, and the “Red & White” along with support clubs like the “Miscreants” on the corner of 4th and Virginia Street on Saturday. I was on the street at the time and the atmosphere was most tense, it looked as if a confrontation would explode similar to scene’s from the problem-oriented “Hot August Nights” event. Even the few LEO’s looked somewhat threatened. Fortunately no confrontation occurred and within a half-hour the groups had mostly cleared out.
And speaking of the Reno police, they worked a lot of overtime and were paid based on a grant called “Joining Forces”. The “Joining Forces” grant program is one of the many Nevada Office of Traffic Safety’s proactive safety initiatives coordinated directly with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to provide grant funding for special enforcement campaigns, education, equipment and training throughout the calendar year. There are currently 28 law enforcement agencies in Nevada that participate in this program. Some of those enforcement campaigns include DUI saturation patrols and checkpoints, speed enforcement, traffic signal enforcement at identified high-accident intersections, and crosswalk & pedestrian safety enforcement initiatives.
Lastly, is my rant about the fact that Nevada has over 49,000 miles of road and nothing is more treacherous than the I-80 and U.S. 395 interchange (known by locals as the “Spaghetti Bowl”) in downtown Reno. Motorcyclists have seen at least 2 years of congested traffic flow from this construction project, but more important is trying to navigate through or ride over and avoid the deep crevices and cracks in the concrete. It’s dangerous for motorcycles and get it done already!
Stat sources: Daily Sparks Tribune #1; #2; News 4; Carson Now.
Photo’s taken at the event.
Street Vibrations is a 4-day event that brings two-wheel enthusiasts from all parts of the country to show-off customs, parade the vendor booths and enjoy the entertainment. Oh did I mention the local rides? Yes, there are plenty from Virginia City to Lake Tahoe as well as the various poker runs.
Back to the rally. I missed the roller derby battle between the Rose City Rollers and the Battle Born Derby Demons, but you have to make a call since you can’t take it all in! The sponsors brought back the firework display which had disappointed many last year when it was cancelled. And then there was the tattoo expo which put body art on display and inspired one of the posse to get inked. A big shout out to Randy Burke, owner of Road Shows who puts on Street Vibrations because it was a great event and the rally was kept fresh with some new activities.
We entered the Northern Sierra Nevada Mountains, rolled onto I-5 and pressed on through beautiful scenery. Arriving at the Oregon border we crossed the 4300 foot mark at the Siskiyou Summit which is the highest point on I-5. We then dropped down in the Rogue River valley through Ashland, Medford and Grants Pass. Occasionally, I’d catch a whiff of toasted brake lingering in the air, proof that not everyone enjoyed the ride as much as we were! We traversed the three passes of the Umpqua Valley and after Roseburg it was back to rolling hills. We continued to deal with forest fire smoke. There was a small mechanical delay which baling wire fixed in short order with a shift linkage, but otherwise we were all about miles and stops were limited to fast food and fuel. It took just under 12 hours to make the trip home.
Northwest Harley Blog 