[Mpls] Re: Critical Mass

[Phyllis Kahn]

I was the State Rep checking out the critical mass ride. It was
exhilarating. Nice to see that the police could be there and kind of
participating.....at least not interfering. One of the high points was
the overwhelming majority of smiles waves and cheers from the onlookers,
even from stopped cars. The CM "marshals" were great too. Insuring the
safety of the riders by just staying stopped in front of the first cars
of the cross traffic. (A technique I had seen earlier this year, biking
in Havana with the Cuban Club de Cicloturismo). My guess is the maximum
delay for impeded traffic was 5 minutes.

Negatives- I have never (at least not recently) been in such a mass of
helmetless riders. Also for what's supposed to be a healthy activity,
there were an awful lot of smokers...and for what's supposed to be an
environmentally friendly event, they littered their butts with impunity.
I also didn't see the need  (particularly on wide divided streets like
Washington) to go into the oncoming traffic lanes. That freaks out
drivers and isn't a good way to share the road.

Political notes: Ken Pentel bikes carefully and wears a helmet. Robert
Liligren and Dean Zimmerman exhibited very low self esteem by apparently
not believing that their brains are worth the $20  it would cost for a
helmet to protect them. And Dean doesn't have a registered bicycle.

Phyllis Kahn   State Rep 59B