Tune in to 106.3

Friday's "!st fR!deay" was immensely successful! Thank you to all who came out and made the streets a little more fun and kind. A few auto-automatons called riders harmless names, while a few used their motor-boxes to threaten fellow road users in a not-so-harmless way. Other than this, the reception on the streets from the car-free street-users was warm and friendly, especially thanks to the radio transmitter that kept the funky tunes flowing from several radios that riders strapped on to their bikes. "Tune your radio to 106.3!" became the ride's rallying cry.


!st fR!deay did, however, experience a bit of token police harassment. While traveling with traffic eastward through the Chelsea district, riders were joined by a lone NYPD Interceptor vehicle. At ninth avenue, the group stopped at a red light. The physically-separated bicycle lane running down the avenue creates a marked bike-box beyond the pedestrian crosswalk. Most of the riders stopped before this crosswalk, and a few traversed the striped pavement to wait the light change in the bike-box. As they were doing so, the NYPD vehicle pulled up into a position blocking the ninth avenue bike lane (which had the green light) and engaged with one of the riders moving up. "I thought you guys were obeying all the laws," she mockingly commented, seeming suggesting that at that moment riders were committing some violation.

It is certainly true that the riders momentarily obstructed the empty crosswalk, but it is also certain that the police vehicle was blocking the right of way for bicycles going down ninth avenue, seemingly for the sole purpose of harassing law-abiding road-users.

The traffic signal changed, and the group proceeded east with the NYPD vehicle. At seventh avenue, all riders provided the exceedingly lawful right-turn signal (right arm straight out, or left arm bent up, your choice!) and flawlessly executed a turn into the far left lane, and the policewoman zipped away in her three-wheeled gas-box, but flashed riders a thumbs up out the window as she proceeded straight (gaily-forward?).


Is it wild speculation to think that maybe the NYPD policy, as ordered from on high by Bloombooger and Ray Smelly (if I may resort to juvenile name-calling), against Critical Mass has tainted the hard-working, honest police officers in New York City? Has a culture of bias against bicyclists permeated through the department at all levels, officially affirmed by a constitutional judge and apparently moderately successful in discouraging people from riding bikes or traveling safely in the streets? Does this bias breed any contempt for the police among the community of cyclists, eroding trust and faith in the legitimacy of law? When you treat certain people as outlaws long enough, do they not have much choice but to behave in an "outlaw" manner. Wild speculation indeed! And at what cost in resources, safety, and personal freedom?

A good radio show aired recently on the subject of San Francisco Critical Mass, largely due to the federal court ruling here in NYC. Check it out, and try not to wonder why we can't have some more courteous discourse on the subject here. http://www.sfcriticalmass.org/2010/03/06/kgo-radio-on-critical-mass/

Finally, a good old-school film about bike safety, which all Critical Mass participants might heed, lest we lapse in minding our own personal safety. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoj9DkcUTRU Definitely check out the cool remixes with alternative music too. Surreal!

Ride safe even if it is not lawful. It is your life.