Critical Mass Panic

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! (RANT WARNING) Bicycles are taking over! They are getting in the way of cars! Cyclists are scaring pedestrians! It is a United Nations conspiracy! A blight on our beautiful and efficient roadways! They are killing themselves! A small sampling of fear-mongering and slander against Critical Mass can be found at these links. http://thevillager.com/villager_392/talkingpoint2.html http://www.thevillager.com/villager_387/anticritical.html http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_16390626?source=most_emailed&nclick_check=1 http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_16487931 It probably just an effect of the election season. The bike-hate has been flying in the media the last few months, both on the local and national levels. It seems pretty clear that the Tea Party and the GOP have sought to use bicycles as another spectre of terror that threatens us somehow, to divide the people from each other and distract us from what really matters. And what really matters? Well, havin

Please Forward! Dear New York City Bicycling Community There is a growing movement for safer streets taking shape in Brooklyn, involving new legislation, motorist education and a call for cycling community input by NYPD. The death of cylcist Jasmine Herron on September 11th profoundly affected those involved on the scene that night, including 77th NYPD precinct Community Council President James Caldwell. Caldwell has mobilized elected officials from Brooklyn , including Council Member Letitia James , State Senator Eric Adams , and Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, with the 77th Precinct to the cause for safer streets for cyclists and pedestrians. This started several weeks ago with a prayer vigil for Jasmine, and has continued through community meetings. These politicians have all spoken eloquently, recognizing that bicycles are a viable and growing form of transportation in NYC, and that the culture of our streets desperately needs an overhaul, starting with motorists. I