Cyclists generate critical discussion

Today I had my first article published on the main Editorial Page (aka View From the West and Beyond) of the Winnipeg Free Press. Unlike the stuff I wrote for The Tab this article is fairly serious, although I did try to have a little fun with the idea of rampaging cyclists setting city hall alight. Here it is:

Cyclists generate critical discussion

Tue Aug 29 2006

By Ryan Kinrade

CRITICAL Mass demonstrations in Winnipeg have created a heap of controversy this summer, but ultimately they have generated an equal amount of discussion, which must be seen as a good thing. Winnipeg needs to think more seriously about its reliance on single-passenger motor vehicle use. And winter, harsh as it can be, is no excuse to continue indefinitely with our unsustainable status quo.

The protests have divided our socially conscious citizenry into two distinct camps. On the one side, there are those that condemn this event and see it primarily as a way for young people to display their hatred of authority. The police, the mayor and many angry motorists seem to be firmly rooted in this camp. During the last ride on Friday, the police presence, though generally friendly and non-provocative, was so heavy you would think riders were intent on burning down city hall before rioting and looting their way through the rest of downtown.

However, what I observed from my bicycle seat was a wide array of citizenry intent on peace rather than the destruction of civil order. The perception that Critical Mass protesters are anarchist malcontents is only partially true. Every movement has its share of radicals and mischief makers, but people who level this accusation on all riders are making a grave mistake. I noted professional people in attendance, people with children, people who care about our environment, and people who support a strong and healthy community, along with the much reviled cadre of young agitators.

My intent as a participant was not to support disassembling the body politic, or even to flaunt a hatred for motorists and/or law and order. I rode because I believe in my rights as a commuting cyclist, and because I insist that our civic government address the issue of a lack of infrastructure for those of us who wish to use this superior form of transportation as our main means of mobility.

I rode because I believe it is imperative that cyclists feel safe on the streets -- which is where they belong at all times -- and because I feel that this protest has created an atmosphere and appetite in the media to further this vital discussion.

Troublemakers

I realize that there are those who will never see Critical Mass participants as anything more than troublemakers. The free-form nature of the protest is undoubtedly too much for the more conservative rank of citizenry to ever come to terms with. Their minds are indelibly imprinted with images of unwashed radicals fighting it out with police in the May and June rallies. To them Critical Mass is an inconvenience, and ultimately an ineffective protest with no greater aim than to give a great big middle finger to social order and "decent" law-abiding folks.

To a certain extent, I sympathize with this segment of society. I believe Critical Mass has made its point. As an apolitical, leaderless movement it will never have the clout required to change minds at city hall. All it can do is continue to serve as a reminder that a growing number of pedal-pushers demand rights and a place in the consciousness of the motorized majority.

It is my sincere hope that the result of these demonstrations will be a greater vision for this city, along with the political will to enact positive change for everyone who rides a bike on the dangerous streets of Winnipeg, along with those who would join us if they felt safe enough.

Ryan Kinrade is an avid Winnipeg cyclist.

The Right to be Stupid

Frankly, I'm a little surprised that the Sun ran my letter (in the previous post) on Friday, and even more surprised that their editoral comment on it was: "Solid Rebuttal." Sadly, I'm not surprised by this ignorant and bigoted response, as published in yesterday's Sun.

Riders totally without merit

Re: Police brutality feared (Ross Romaniuk, Aug. 25).

These "demonstrators" allege to be protesting in the name of environmental sustainability, but I'd be willing to wager very few, if any, even know what those words mean. No you're right, I was just talking out my ass when I wrote that, I have no idea what sustainability even is, I'm a grade 8 drop out like you. Now, they're going to have cameras to document incidents with police during their ride. I wonder if they'll also be documenting their own members purposely breaking Highway Traffic Act laws wherever and whenever possible? Turns out there was a total of one ticket handed out during the ride, in spite of the presence of half of Winnipeg's police force.

It's a matter of record that they've not only totally disregarded the law over and over again while obstructing traffic at the worst possible times but have also shown they have absolutely no regard for motorists' rights -- and in one case, no regard for human life (the ambulance incident). It may not be a matter of record, but stupid and ignorant motorists often block emergency vehicles for as long or longer than the cyclists allegedly did during the last Critical Mass. As for "motorist's rights" motorists own the streets every other hour of the month last time I checked. for an hour and a half on one Friday afternoon a month cyclists get to take ownership, I don't think it's too much to ask. These demonstrations are totally without merit, since any three-year old knows you save on gas and pollution by riding a bicycle. It's not the three year olds we worry about, it is their parents who drive solo everyday from suburbia to downtown and back. So what's the real reason for these bike rides? To cause trouble. Period. That's certainly a bigoted and uninformed opinion. There were a lot of professionals and people with kids at that rally. As a participant I saw no-one who had come to stir it up with the law. I and many other drivers certainly hope that the police and the courts will begin to take meaningful action against this group of lawbreakers and show them they are not a law unto themselves! I and many other cyclists hope the police will find something more meaningful to do with their resources than persecute people who are trying to raise public awareness of an important issue through a peaceful, and reasonable demonstration.

P. Zurawel

Winnipeg

(Editor's Comment: The message appears to be registering.)

Actually Critical Mass Riders Do Care

This is The Winnipeg Sun's Letter of the Day for today, followed by my response.

They simply don't care

I respect those people who choose to use a bicycle over a car. It's good for their health and for the environment, so ultimately it's good for everyone's health!

However, blocking traffic does not promote a healthy lifestyle. What it does do, however, is it tells everyone that the organizers of "Critical Mass" do not care that some people have to travel a great distance to get to work. It shows that they don't care that someone has a job interview to get to, or that someone else is unable to walk to get their groceries. It shows that they don't care that somebody's going to be late for a date, or a wedding, or a birth or a funeral. It shows that they don't care that my friend who is a courier for the hospital is late for a blood supply delivery or that someone has to suffer in pain because he's late with their medication. It shows me that they don't even care if an ambulance is late, which tells me they don't care if someone lives or dies.

If you break the law, then you should get a ticket. If you break 10 laws, then you should get 10 tickets.

I respect people who promote healthy living. I do not respect people who break the law and show they don't care.

David Hansen

Winnipeg

(Editor's dumb comment: Our roadways are not playgrounds.)

Letter writer David Hansen (“They Simply Don’t Care,” Aug. 23) says “Critical Mass” cyclists show nothing but disrespect and disregard for their fellow citizens by holding a monthly rally in celebration of the freedom to ride. He seems to think that riders join in this demonstration only to thumb their noses at the authorities and put fellow citizens in life threatening circumstances. First of all he should lighten up on the hyperbole—nobody is going to die because they were forced to miss a green light on the way to a job interview at 5 pm on a Friday, or because a courier was late getting to the hospital with a supply of blood. These are not even reasonable arguments.

Secondly, he should note that many riders attend this rally precisely because they do care. They care about the environment, they care about the rights of those who wish to cycle as their main form of transportation. My aim as a participant in the last “Critical Mass” was not to mock motorists and flaunt the law. I went because I believed that our reliance on single-passenger vehicles needs to be questioned, and because I believe in the rights of future generations to inherit a sustainable and healthy planet. I didn’t go to protest people who are unable to walk to the grocery store, I went because I love my city, and I care about its future; and I am absolutely positive I was not the only one.

The Unlikely Summer

Sporadic writing this summer
and rough, working hands
not how I'd pictured it
but it's all good for me.

I like to sweat on floors
in fabulous homes
watch rich kids coast up
in their Lexus SUV's.

So interesting to see this city
one house at a time
a tourist in my own town
on a working visa.

When I see it all done
looking just right
I love the feeling
of accomplishment.

Rhetorical Questions

Can I stand atop
the Golden Mountain
looking down on you
shattered and mangled?

Is it right for me
to breathe the alpine air
when your lungs
have collapsed?

If I climb
all the way back down
will I be able
to help you at all?

Or will I cede
everything I have struggled for
and end up
lonely and broken too?

Why can’t I enjoy
this perfect vista
and these fabulous people
if it is my will?

Where is it written
that I am not entitled
to frolic
because you’ve stumbled hard?

Who made me
a slave to circumstance
isn’t life
my choice to make?

What if I want to be
everything you were not
how can your failure
stop me?

When will I meet someone
who understands
that your ghost
doesn’t haunt me anymore?

Stoicism is the answer

Here's a letter I sent to the Free Press today:

Your editorial “The war gets closer” points to the fact that air travel just got a whole lot more difficult for everyone, and ends by wishfully positing that the new restrictions will help reverse Canadian nonchalance towards terrorism. But threats like these should be treated with stoicism rather than the hyper-vigilance you praise. Are acts of terrorism so common on commercial jets that from now on we must suspect every mother with a bottle of formula boarding a plane as a potential terrorist? Should we lock down every airport in the world because of a closely monitored and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to terrorize? I think not.

Original Article:

EDITORIAL - The war gets closer

Fri Aug 11 2006

THE war on terror struck a little closer to home yesterday for travellers using Winnipeg's airports and other airports across Canada.

Travellers have become accustomed to the stringent security measures that were put in place after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, but the announcement by British authorities that they have uncovered a plot to blow up several aircraft flying from Heathrow Airport near London to the U.S. raised security requirements at airports around the world, including Winnipeg's, to new and extraordinary levels. Britain was on its highest level security alert and the United States went to "red alert" for the first time since 9/11.

The alleged plot involved smuggling liquid explosives and detonators aboard passenger planes concealed by suicide bombers in carry-on luggage. If it had been successfully implemented, the result would have been catastrophic, resulting in the deaths of hundreds, perhaps thousands of people and a crippling blow to the air travel industry.

Lives may have been saved by good police work and counter-terrorist intelligence, but terrorists did not fail entirely -- the affair is hurting the industry, at least for now. It has left Heathrow in a chaos of stranded travellers as flights were canceled and delayed, as they have been in Europe, the U.S. and Canada. This may quickly get back to a semblance of normality, but normal is not likely to be what normal used to be. The new security measures pretty well eliminate carry-on luggage. No liquids are allowed except for baby food, prescription medicines and milk that mothers bring for their babies -- mothers must sample the milk in the presence of security guards before it is allowed on the plane.

These measures may be annoying, but they cannot be considered extreme when the bombs that were intended to be used were to be made out of a sports drink mixed with a peroxide-based gel, detonated by an MP3 player, all of it corner grocery stuff and all of it easily taken aboard a plane until yesterday.

There will be delays at airports, inconveniences and frayed tempers. That is understandable -- airports are aggravating at the best of times. The anger, however, should not be directed at airport or security officials. It should be directed at al-Qaida and the other Islamist terrorist organizations that bring this threat of death to innocent civilians around the world.
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It should also be directed at ourselves. Canadians have been complacent about the war on terror -- Canada's contribution to that war in Afghanistan is increasingly unpopular. Even an alleged plot by Canadian Islamists to behead the prime minister and blow up buildings in Toronto did not really catch Canadians' attention. Perhaps airport line-ups and luggage restrictions can accomplish what the terrorists themselves could not.