I must admit that I am not a regular biker. I biked yesterday to support the effort. I certainly learned a great deal.
My son biked with me yesterday and I dropped him at school on Franklin and 13th on my way downtown. It would be way too scary for him to bike by himself. Franklin is scary and traffic is scary. Even with the bike lanes, it is a little intimidating when people race by you on Park Ave. or the other major thoroughfares in town going 50 miles an hour in a 35 mile an hour zone. Especially, those big booming trucks. The road rattles when they drive by you. The exit ramps off freeways are scary to cross. People race up to them and jut out into traffic leaving no space for pedestrians or bikers to cross the street. I was afraid to trust the stop sign because the cars were moving pretty fast. I wasn't sure they were going to stop. And then there were the crack heads and prostitutes on Franklin we encountered. My son told me to stay on the South side of Franklin because most of the crack heads and prostitutes are on the North side. He is right. I am sorry that he has to be knowledgable of that stuff however. I also confronted a group of 8 people who were drunk crossing from somewhere in Elliot Park to Ventura Village at 18th and 11th Av. That was a little intimidating since we had about a 3 foot swath of sidewalk to share at that space. 11th Av is better for going through downtown because it didn't seem as intimidating as Park. The construction was another barrier for a biker. Man, it gets dicey when the street is blocked for construction and you have to squeeze into a small little lane you may be sharing with two cars. As I said, I learned a lot. I learned that I will be way more respectful and accommodating to bikers and that I have a lot of respect for those who using bikes as their main mode of transportation. Barb Lickness Whittier (named after John Greenleaf Whittier) U.S. poet and reformer. A Quaker born on a farm near Haverhill, Mass., Whittier had limited education but was early acquainted with poetry. He became involved in journalism and published his first volume of poems in 1831. During 1833-42 he embraced the abolitionism of W. L. Garrison and became a prominent antislavery crusader. Thereafter he continued to support humanitarian causes while publishing further poetry volumes. After the Civil War he was noted for his vivid portrayals of rural New England life. His best-known poem is the nostalgic pastoral "Snow-Bound" (1866); others include "Maud Muller" (1854) and "Barbara Frietchie" (1863). ===== "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
