Critical Mass Panic

It is the end of bike month, and I am pretty sick of it. But not as sick as I am of hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil being pumped into the ocean everyday. Not to mention millions of tons of greenhouse gases emitted by automobiles. And of course I am very sick of the disrespect bikes (and pedestrians) get on the streets of NYC. But certainly I am not as sick of it as I am of cyclists, pedestrians and motorists being killed or maimed by cars everyday here. I am sick of the police wasting tax-dollars to harass Critical Mass riders, but not as sick as I am over the hypocrisy of Bloomburg's "green" NYC. The truth is, it has been a beautiful bike month. This spring has brought so many more bicyclists, both new and old, it is hard to not have hope. More group rides, more community, more courteous and safer riding. Every time a three or four or even a massive five find themselves waiting together at an intersection, I realize that I am seeing the future of traffic. It is ...

I had a new experience yesterday which has opened my eyes to some of the reality of transportation in NYC. I was traveling in a rental van from the Flatiron district to Bed-Stuy, then Park Slope, to move some furniture and plants. I'll add that I was responsible for making sure that the semi-precious cargo which was only semi-secured did not get completely ruined, a task that involved a bit of physical strain and some mental stress as well. The main feeling was an urgency for the task to be over. Now I am no stranger to stress; I typically embrace a physical challenge and pride myself on my patience. This attitude might be both the cause and effect of urban bicycle commuting. But let me tell you: it is no preparation for the nightmare which is New York Rush Hour on four motor-driven wheels. It sucks so hard! You can't move very fast. You can't avoid the potholes. You have difficulty changing lanes, or turning. The streets are locked down! It took us over two hours of drivin...