Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Lake Worth Critical Mass bike ride in the City.: let's hope they turn the message in a positive direction

Sadly, from some gloom-&-doom City residents and even Lake Worth's paper of record, we'll always be known as "good old Lake Worth". Even when the crime rate plummets some will find a way to spin the news in a bad way. It's a terrible shame some cannot acknowledge the great strides this City has made the last few years and now our friends in Critical Mass join that sad group.
Very clever Lake Worth Critical Mass (LWCM). Trashing our little City. All this time we thought Lake Worth was a place you wanted your friends like in Ft. Lauderdale to see and show off. I know, because I've met many of them on my 8+ Critical Mass rides to date.
You've blocked traffic all over the City with your bikes and the people here mostly enjoyed the show and wished you well. Many waved and honked horns in support. Our PBSO stayed out of the way and let you do what you wanted to do. Everyone turned a blind eye to children not wearing helmets and all those bikes without the required lights.

How many people showed up thinking the purpose of LWCM was to engage the public and teach them to share the road with bikes. We thought it was about 'bikeability' and Complete Streets and showing people that a culture without a motor vehicle is possible. Many thought the LWCM, mostly composed of Millennials, were trying to make a statement. The image above isn't quite the statement the good people of Lake Worth were expecting.

You stopped traffic (illegally) with 'corkers' on FDOT right-of-ways, Dixie Hwy, Federal Hwy, and disrupted traffic downtown but Lake Worth said 'fine', have fun and we wish you well because Lake Worth is a cool place and what's not to like? Lake Worth welcomed you into our cool, funky town and in return you end up trashing us? That is very sad.