I meant to comment on the local elections the other day but I just didn’t have the motivation to get into it.  That is probably a good thing because, I’m not doing this to be overtly political.  I have no platform or agenda other than I want to get from point A to point B on my bike in the best, safest and easiest manner possible.

In the interest of full disclosure, I didn’t vote yesterday and I’m ashamed of myself.  I’ve skipped elections in the past but for some reason, I feel deep shame this time.  I don’t know exactly what it is that is making me feel this way although I want to be clear about my feelings.  I don’t feel guilty, it’s definitely shame and it is confusing me.

This feeling has me vexed because I dont’ know were it came from.  As previously stated, I’m not political, I’m new to Worcester and I’d be hard pressed to name 3 people on the ballot.  I guess that’s beside the point, but at the same it is the point.  I can live with a little guilt but I refuse to live with shame as I feel that guilt is (in some ways) imposed on me from the outside while shame resides deep inside.  The fact that I can sort of name 2 candidates Jim Kersten & ?? Rushton yet still feel that I should have voted must mean something.  What that means I leave up to you!

Regardless of my voting status, who won, etc.  Now is a good time to send an open statement to the newly elected and/or re-elected politicians in this and your local area.  I simply ask that they consider biking and public transportation as two parts of the same system.  They should work together to help everyone.  I don’t want rhetoric and speeches or “bike-friendliness” to be an agenda item on every public appearance.  I’d prefer it to be a logical step forward for our community.  The way I see it, Worcester is in a perfect position to make enormous steps forward in a variety of areas including “bike-friendliness”.  The bus/public transit/bike infrastructure is inadequate at best and non-existent at worst.  The positive is that EVERYONE knows it and NO ONE is happy about it.

It is a part of the community that affects all of us whether on foot, bike, car or pedicab.  It slows us down, inconveniences us and puts us in danger.

That’s it and to let you know I only know those two candidate names because one is the brother of a friend of mine and the other is my girlfriends former neighbor.  Like I said, not a big politics guy!