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RE: Bike to Work Day - OR: Critical Fucking Mufi
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boni-@aol.com
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May 26, 2007 07:59 PDT
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boni-@aol.com wrote:
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Jess Austin wrote:
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Karl Friedrich Hieronymus Baron von MEchhausen wrote:
| | He probably will NOT be talking about all that sewage he dumped in the
ocean, or why he is at war with the EPA, but he will supposedly have a
bicycle with him... If he can ride without falling off I am hoping to
challenge him to a Race for Pink Slips...
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By the time I got there, he wasn't near a bike, nor did his clothing and
lack of sweat indicate that he had biked recently. My politics may
differ from yours, since I spoke to him specifically to complain about
the bike lane closure on the Ala Wai, which ostensibly is an
environmental project of some sort. Never mind the fact that the
barriers have been pushed into the bike lane solely so that construction
workers can park their personal pickup trucks behind them. (after all
doesn't everyone who works in Waikiki get free parking?) I haven't seen
anyone actually working there in a long time, so I guess they're hoping
that enraged cyclists will toss the barriers in the canal among the
shopping carts and they won't have to pick them up. I don't know enough
about sewage to be sure, but it seems that the mayor probably wasn't the
only person shitting in the pipe last year.
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Speaking as one of among the many who worked with HBL's Director Kristy
(and, new HBL Event Coordinator Mitchell) & C&C's Bike Coordinator Chris
to help plan/organize/implement the Bike to Work; I was very skeptical
that HBL, C&C, or any such "status quo" interests could or would really
do a full-on Bike to Work thang as it should be done. My skeptism was
not entirely warranted and it was an ernest, if a bit half-assed,
effort; and all acknowledged that we would use the experience to make
next year's Bike to Work bigger, better and sexier. Perhaps some of you
might hopefully be interested in having a parallel, if somewhat
contrasting, Bike to Work on the same day & time with the "critical mass
mind-action set". That could be make things really interesting.
(Note that at the initial meeting on Bike to Work, I mentioned the
Critical Mass "movement/group", such as it is, as a possible way to get
more bicyclists involved in the event. I got the general subtle
impression that it was like I'd mentioned something really stupid.
Maybe it was.)
Mufi had told us earlier he could not bike there but that he would make
a token appearance. And, speaking of the Mayor & "his" Ala Wai
bikepath, see the bikepath fuck-up at the other Makai end of it. It
sorta fizzles out into the twilight zone at McCully before continuing as
a one block "homeless lane", then it literally hits Kalakaua where there
is all indication of continuing across the busy (deadly busy)street but
with no corresponding light or even a marked crosswalk(!) across, and,
finally, it just ends at Ala Moana Blvd with no clear connection toward
Ala Moana Park (Ewa) or Waikiki (Diamond Head). Guess that's where a
bicyclist just turns back around towards the sewer project barriers to
toss them into the Ala Wai.> >
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| | By the way, I missed the Ride o` Silence, if any of you went could you
Report on the Thunder of Silence that Shook Honolulu yesterday? How many
Acres of Lycra turned out?
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Many acres of Lycra. I was in the roughly 10% minority that wasn't
wearing any, since I came straight over from work. It was a nice ride.
I guess we thought about safety, and some people who had been in
accidents talked about that. Although we weren't "silent" per se, we
were pretty quiet and the whole speed limit thing produced a chill vibe.
I had forgotten that one actually can ride slow enough not to break a
sweat.
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Therein lies the divide. The "Lycra Folks" make up much of the "status
quo" bicycle interests in power in this Car-town. They tend to put on
their lycra to take recreational rides on expensive super-bikes while
using their SUV's and luxury cars to commute. They belong to the HBL
and support C&C's bike shaped "sculptures" to lock bikes to as C&C's
major contribution to bicycling.
Across the divide are bikers of the "disenfranchised rabble" who tend to
be hard-core bicyclists who have learned to ride while surviving on
Car-town mean streets.
With all things being as they are, most of the "non-bike public"
vaguelly supports bicycling as a politically cool/correct mode of
transportation, but feel bicycle commuting too remotely
uncomfortable/inconvenient or dangerously "out there" for serious
personal consideration. Their attitude tends to be "yea, bicycling is
great; let them bicycle as second-class carfodder and get their cars off
the road and out of the way of mine."
If that divide between status quo & hard-core bikers could somehow be
bridged, it could be a powerful force. With Cartown's relatively short
commutes, generally flat terrain, and especially great biking weather;
it could be powerful enough to even tug at many of the non-bike public
to try a bike...
Big if.
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