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Critical Manners
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dltakemo-@ucdavis.edu
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Apr 15, 2007 13:47 PDT
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The original article can be found on SFGate.com here:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/04/14/MNGB6P8R1U1.DTL
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Saturday, April 14, 2007 (SF Chronicle)
Critical Manners takes a stand for sharing, harmony, red lights
Steve Rubenstein, Chronicle Staff Writer
A bunch of bike riders pedaled through San Francisco on Friday night,
and
nobody got mad at anybody.
The cyclists were polite. The motorists were respectful. The
pedestrians
were happy. The cops were incredulous.
And it all comes, said ride organizer Reama Dagasan, from stopping at
red
lights, which is not at all a bad thing to do.
"We're making a statement tonight," she said. "We believe in sharing
and
being nice."
Dagasan is the founder of Critical Manners, which is her response to
the
controversial Critical Mass ride that features hundreds of cyclists
riding
as a pack through San Francisco on the last Friday night of the month.
At
the last Critical Mass, there were several confrontations with
motorists,
including one that ended with someone smashing the back window of a
minivan.
There was none of that for the Critical Manners ride. That's because
Dagasan put her foot down. She put her foot down at Grove, McAllister,
Turk, Sutter, Bush and California streets, and that was just during the
first half mile. A law-abiding bike rider puts her foot down a lot.
The ride departed at 6 p.m. from Civic Center, after a brief
refresher
course.
"Let's review our signals!" Dagasan hollered to the group. "Right
turn,
arm up! Left turn, arm straight out! Now put your helmets on! And be
polite!"
Sgt. Ed Callejas, one of four cops assigned to escort the chivalrous
cyclists, double-checked with Dagasan about the good-manners angle. Like
any good cop, he was just a bit skeptical of human nature.
"You're really going to follow all the rules?" he asked.
"Yes sir," she replied. "You've never seen a bigger bunch of nerds in
your
life."
There were exactly 16 cyclists on the ride, which is a lot less than
the
500 or so that Critical Mass usually gets. On the other hand, Dagasan
said
cheerily, it's a lot more than the four riders she got last time.
The pack rode single file in the Polk Street bike lane, stopping at
every
light and stop sign. It made for a slow trip, and it took about 20
minutes
to get to Fisherman's Wharf. On the other hand, it was faster than a
Muni
bus, which trailed the procession and never did catch up.
"Nothing wrong with stopping for red lights," Laura Mendoza said.
"Not if
you like staying alive."
Greg Rodgers said he was riding to "reduce the level of antagonism
between
bicycles and cars." Geoff Schneider said he was riding because he was
"sick of all the yelling" during Critical Mass. And Toni Truong said she
was "trying to let motorists know that not all cyclists are
belligerent."
At Beach Street, everyone stuck his or her left hand skyward before
turning right, to the amazement of one Yellow cabdriver who yelled "Way
to
go!" out his window.
After cruising through the Wharf and along the Embarcadero, the pack
crossed Justin Herman Plaza -- after dismounting and walking among the
pedestrians. Callejas was there, too, and he made a command decision.
"I don't think you need us," he said, and he radioed to his
lieutenant
that he was calling off the escort. Even after the cops went away, the
cyclists kept stopping at the red lights. Market Street being Market
Street, there was no shortage of red lights to stop at.
"I like red lights," said Gred Anlandtbom. "Gives you a chance to
stop and
talk and look around. You know, there's nothing really wrong with red
lights."
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