the uncritical mass . . .

. . . Otherwise known as S.P.I.N. is tomorrow at 6:30pm. I'm hoping to be there. Would be nice to see the FGBC out in full force. Click here for more info, and see below--stolen from the MCA site.

S.P.I.N. Ride Wednesday Sept. 6th - 6:30pm

Words from Lindsay Gauld

I'm sure most if not all of you have followed or taken part in the Critical Mass rides this summer. I'm very much in favor of bringing the lack of cycling facilities in our city to the attention of the city politicians. I think the turnouts that they have been getting points out the frustrations that many cyclists feel when it comes to the lack of cycling lanes or paths.

That being said, I've had some concerns that the rides have not accomplished their intended purpose as the focus in the media and any comments from the police or city officials have dealt almost completely with their actions, with little or any mention of their aims.I feel that a Mass Ride that attempts to obey the laws will force those groups to deal with the cyclists concerns.

Therefore, I am inviting all of you (and hopefully your friends as well) to join me for a ride on Wednesday, September 6th at 6;30 pm. The ride will start at The Assiniboine Park zoo parking lot and proceed down Wellington Crescent, over the Maryland Bridge, up Sherbrook to Portage Avenue, along Portage to Main Street and up Main to City Hall.

We have applied for the necessary permits and hope to work in co-operation with the police. By starting the ride at 6:30 we will not be disrupting rush hour traffic.We have sent invitations to all of the councilors, the mayor and hope to have a large media presence as well. The aim of the ride is to have a SIGNIFICANT NUMBERof concerned cyclists. In this way, we can show the politicians that there are real concerns about the cycling infrastructure in our city. We will be putting together a wish list in terms of the types of cycling related projects and presenting it to the politicians as well as the media. I'm not naive enough to think that one ride will solve all of our concerns but a large rally of law abiding cyclists will make people take the cycling community seriously.