[*BCM*] reconsider routes to prevent public safety threat

[Greg Lockhart]

Oh Dear Miss - Guided Karen,
  You must join us some time. You have no idea what critical mass is about.
Not all things in life are as planned and neat and organized as I'm sure
your small little world is. The gridlock in the South End on any Fri. night
is caused by the number of single occupancy drivers scurrying to get out of
the neighborhood to Wellesley or Scituate or the Cape. Our 15 minutes on
Tremont St. had an impact all right, but you missed it.
  Small children sitting on stoops cheering and clapping in amazement as we
rode by.
  Honks of joy and high fives from some of the aforementioned lone drivers
laughing at their brief predicament and wishing they were on a bike and not
on the way to Rte. 3
  A couple of inebriated guys coming out of the liquor store near W. Canton
who thought it was a Mardi Gras parade.
  A tourist from San Francisco shouting "Hey man is this Critical Mass ? I
ride at home. Ride On!"
  And perhaps my all-time favorite critical mass moment ever: A spontaneous
"Chicago Hold-Up" in front of the ghost bike out front of Community Bike
Shop to honour our fallen comrade, Raul Matos, age 73, a South End resident
killed by a motorist at that very spot just weeks ago while riding his bike
home.
  Yes you missed alot on your little walk last Fri. You need to come down
off your high horse (Volvo or BMW is my guess) and actually experience the
power of banding together in unplanned civil action designed to raise the
consiousness of those who are riding as well as those who are "Lucky" enough
to be inconvenienced and enlightened by the brief spectacle of critical mass
riders passing by on their monthy bike ride.
  You might have been one of the few pissed off people I saw that night.
Keep the faith True Riders!




On 9/1/07, Karen Martakos <kmartakos at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Hi, guys -
>
> While I'm not a Crititcal Mass participant, I am an
> avid cyclist in the greater Boston area. I do
> understand the need for more bike-friendly roadways
> around here. I am, however, also a motorist. So, I see
> things from both sides. Any mature person with an
> ounce of common sense should understand that
> activities that generate more hard feelings against
> cyclists from the average citzen are not going to help
> our efforts.
>
> During your most recent ride ( August 31), you rode
> down Tremont St. through the South End. I  know
> because I was walking through the neighborhood at the
> time. What you may or may not realize is that by
> blocking this portion of Tremont St, you caused a
> gridlock that spread 6 blocks away, onto other major
> roadways in the area. See, most streets in that
> neighborhood are one-way, all eventually leading to
> Tremont St. If a long section of Tremont is
> obstructed, it causes severe backup onto Shawmut Ave.
> & East Berkeley.
>
> Why should you care about this? Because, while
> Critical Mass claims that they will make way for
> emergency vehicles, how could you possibly know about
> an emergency vehicle that is stuck 4 blocks away in
> the gridlock that you created? Drawing attention to
> cycling issues by riding en mass through the city is
> one thing; completely locking in an entire
> neighborhood is something entirely different.
>
> These activities only serve to generate further
> hostility towards cyclists. This is the primary reason
> why I do not participate in your rides. While I do
> follow any efforts to improve conditions for
> alternative transportation, I don't believe that your
> methods are effective.
>
> Perhaps if you consider your routes more carefully, to
> prevent the type of public safety threat that you
> caused in the South End last Friday, you'd have more
> support.
>
> There is no progress without dilalogue. There is no
> dilague when your mission is solely to piss off as
> many people as possible.
>
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Greg
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