Friday, January 29th @ 6:30pm
Government Center
101 NW First St
Downtown Miami
First ride of 2010. The ride will be passing through Downtown, Overtown, Wynwood-Edgewater, Little Haiti, Design District, Midtown, and Mary Brickell Village. 12.5 miles total. See you there!
The rides leaves at 7pm sharp, it's ideal to arrive around 6:30pm to view the route, safety check your bicycle & meet other cycling enthusiasts.
Here's a link to the route. The ride starts & ends at Government Center.
Don't forget to bring bicycle lights! It's the law.
While on the subject of safety make sure to check out the Miami Critical Mass tips & guidelines.
Please add the "last Friday of the month" Miami Critical Mass group on Facebook or Myspace if you have not already done so.
Download the 8.5" x 11" Miami Critical mass 2010 calendar here. Feel free to print & distribute throughout S. Florida.
No where in your tips/guidelines is it suggested that riders wear a helmet. With the increased volume of riders (and, as you posted, new to riding and possibly inexperienced) and the fact that you are riding at night (with lights, it's the law, as you posted) on streets in downtown Miami, I think it's rather irresponsible for the organizers of this ride to not make helmets mandatory, or at the very least, highly encouraged. No where did I see mention of wearing a helmet! It doesn't take much to crack open a skull even at a slow pace. I've seen many cyclists fall at a slow pace and injuries can be devastating. Just a thought......
ReplyDeleteLaurie:
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I am many decades removed from being "...new to riding and possibly inexperienced".
I've been a bikemessenger for over a quarter century.
Two experiences that I have yet to have are the wearing of a bike helmet and a head injury.
What you see as "irresponsibility" is rather respect for individual decision-making; to the contrary, a social behavior far too uncommon, as it loses out to politically correct herd mentality such as yours.
The question of whether or not an individual should wear a helmet must by nature be determined on an individual basis, based on each individual's experiences and judgement.
It depends on how the individual experiences and responds to impacts and falls.
I have discussions on these matters with people; in some cases I advise them to wear a helmet, in others, I suggest they not bother.
But in all cases, I recommend a considered individual decision.
Of course, this is both blasphemy and treason in this day of Obama-care supplanting medical treatment.
After all, if we're sanctioning our President to tell Afghans they must restructure their multi-thousand-year-old society in accords with his judgement or he will slaughter them wholesale by remote control, then we can hardly afford individual cyclists here in Unfree Socialist Amerika the option of not wearing a helmet, now can we?
---The Bikemessenger
Leaving all the political stuff aside -which is completely out of place in Critical Mass- I can see both sides of the fence, and although I prefer to use a helmet -just in case- I also realize the concept of "safety in numbers" which Critical Mass affords us.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Laurie that helmets should be encouraged, somewhere. However, there is a huge difference in how the law treats lights vs. helmets. Lights are required by law. Helmets are only required for those under age. I gather this is why helmets are omitted. It is not "irresponsible" it's just not required.
Making helmets mandatory implies exclusion of individuals who don't like, don't own or cannot afford a helmet. Critical Mass is an inclusive event.
Use of a helmet doesn't imply anything on the skills or experience of a cyclist. Lance Armstrong uses a helmet. I choose to use one for that extra layer of protection and luckily, I still have to see if it will work or not.
Finally, I'm glad Critical Mass welcomes me regardless of my helmet choices or political beliefs, the latter being left out of this response, as they don't belong in a biking blog.
Eddy.
Dear Mr. Bike Messenger,
ReplyDeleteI really like your angle on this, and unlike some others (Laurie and Eddy) I can read between the lines. As such, I will spell it out for them and others of their ilk:
If you are a career bike messenger--and yes over 25 years in that profession more than qualifies you as such--you really shouldn't be wearing a helmet.
What Robert is obviously implying is that when you have made the type of life decisions that he has made, your situation can only be improved by a head injury.
Is there any information available for the Loose Cannons Rides? Are those still going on?
ReplyDeletebditroli:
ReplyDeleteYou may be of the opinion that my "...situation can only be improved by a head injury."
But I hope you excuse me if I don't test your theory...
---The Bikemessenger