Those times are gone. Crime figures are rising in Los Gatos and Monte Sereno, and it's important that area residents are aware of the potential hazards so that they do not become part of the statistics.

So does that mean that this is no longer a safe community? Not at all. This remains a safe place to live, work and raise a family, a place with a "very low level of assault or physical violence," says Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Chief Scott Seaman. It's just that property crime is on the rise, and residents need to know it. The main targets in the community are unlocked vehicles, which seem to be easy pickings for petty thieves. They'll go from car to car until they find an open door, then help themselves to everything from cell phones and laptops to sunglasses and loose coins.

Such crimes are not just limited to the downtown area either. In fact, one area resident recently reported that a small amount of money was taken from an unlocked car in her Monte Sereno neighborhood while a laptop was left in the backseat--leading neighbors to suspect young people in a hurry to grab something as the culprits.

Still, whether it's teenagers looking for a thrill or drug abusers looking for quick cash, it's a phenomenon that Seaman and his police force are taking seriously. And they're asking the community to take it seriously, too.

No bikes, please

Another bicyclist was hit by a car on Highway 9, and the stretch on Blossom Hill Road from Union to Camino del Cerro is an accident waiting to happen. In a community where motorists and cyclists coexist, it seems that it's time for some changes in an effort to avert a potential tragedy.

There are areas in town where it plainly is not safe to ride a bicycle. While Highway 9 is one of locations where riders often glide over the white line of their "safe zone" into traffic, the stretch of Blossom Hill Road near Union is clearly another.

There is no safe zone in this stretch of roadway. There's barely enough room for two cars to pass, let alone a cyclist or two riding on the shoulder. When an emergency vehicle flies down the road, as it did just last week, there is certainly no room for cyclists.

That stretch of Blossom Hill Road needs to be closed to bicycle traffic for the safety of all concerned. While Los Gatos-Almaden Road is not as convenient, cyclists should use it as a much safer route for bikes traveling in that direction. The stretch should be closed before a cyclist is forced off the roadway and down the hillside or, worse yet, there's a head-on collision because a motorist swerves over the middle line to avoid a bicycle rider.

It's an accident waiting to happen.