Bicyclists Not Spinning Wheels
The bicycle-riding movement known as Critical Mass may have caused confrontations elsewhere, but its demonstrations in Spokane have been relatively tame and quietly successful.
“Very carefully over the three years,” said Roark Stephens of Spokane, “we have had several people who, because our message was not being heard, wanted to take a more radical approach, and we have consistently tried to snuff that out.”
Stephens was among some 50 Critical Mass participants in a ride through downtown on May 16.
Some motorists expressed impatience when the ride slowed rush-hour traffic. Even some who agree with Critical Mass about reducing vehicle emissions have misgivings. Self-described bike activist Julian Powers of Spokane says he refused to join the May 16 demonstration.
“‘In your face’ tactics do not encourage cooperation,” he wrote.
“Police enforcement of traffic laws by bicyclists is badly needed both for public safety and to improve bicyclists’ image,” Powers said.
Another participant in the ride, Kai Huschke, a member of the Bicycle Advisory Board, called the Critical Mass ride a success.
“The group rode through the city streets, obedient to the laws, in coexistence with motorists,” he said. “We passed by police officers who smiled and waved. We talked to motorists at stoplights about what we were trying to accomplish. We even had motorists, pedestrians and other cyclists cheering us on.
“Critical Mass is not a hinge happening,” he continued. “Every day people make a statement in support of bicycling. “It is the 10-year-old who rides to school. It is that group of early-morning riders putting in their miles before work. It is the citizens of the Addison corridor who voted to stripe bike lanes throughout their neighborhood. It is the STA, who installed bike racks on the front of buses. It is businesses who support their employees who commute to work. It is a citizens group like the Bicycle Advisory Board, who insist on bicycle access throughout the whole city wherever possible.”
Huschke said people devoted to bicycling issues know they must coexist with other transportation.
“The dilemma,” he said, “is not with those cyclists who don’t follow the rules. The dilemma is in finding workable solutions to ease the traffic problems in this city. One real option is having people bicycle more.”
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