Should I accept the award from Bike Texas?

MichaelBluejay · 2016-09-21 12:37:28

Robin Stallings called me to tell me that Bike Texas plans to honor me as a cycling advocate at its 25th Anniversary event on 9/25. I told him I didn't think I deserve it. I haven't done anything recently, other than keeping the website going. He said that the recognition includes past work. But even there, I don't really have any real accomplishments to show. I tried to get cars out of the bike lanes on Shoal Creek Blvd., and failed. I researched and published cases of disparities in justice between cyclists and drivers, but again, nothing ever came of it. I tried repeatedly to get the various bike groups in Austin to communicate with the public (and each other) in a centralized forum and with a centralized calendar, but failed there too. I was basically visible as a bike advocate simply because I was a loudmouth, but is that enough to get an award? I don't know, man.

My wife says I should take it. What do you all think? And by that I mean the maybe five or so people who are still left here and actively post. Certainly I won't get replies by the people who do drive-bys to post their bikes for sale and then immediately disappear.

damicoaustin · 2016-09-21 13:19:19

I'd say you were a pretty important influence in bicycle advocacy in the past, and the listserv--although outdated somewhat now with social media--provided a focal point for activists to share and communicate with each other that was crucial at the time.

You also were very vocal about justice issues, and you made some compelling arguments before council. So yeah...accept it!

Jack · 2016-09-21 16:27:15

Sure, accept it.

One, what you have done, and, even if it seems less, what you are doing, is worthy of recognition IMO, and is worthy of recognition in the opinion of Bike Texas too.

Two, it serves as a way to expand what you are doing even if only by maybe letting someone unaware of bicycleaustin.info to become aware.

Three, it serves as an opportunity to voice to invested advocates what you might wish them to do differently in their advocacy.

Is that not enough?

RedFalcon · 2016-09-21 18:36:04

Yes absolutely, you should accept it. You have earned it. It may not seem like you are doing anything, or that your site matters, but it does. More than you know.

Darron · 2016-09-21 19:03:25

Of course you should. Whether you realize it or not you and your website have influenced countless people, including myself, to take cycling advocacy more seriously. I starting using your website as a resource long before I started posting the forums and I doubt I would have ever given input into the 183 north projects and other local projects without the awareness of a larger cycling community that I found through this site.

Darron

cycling74 · 2016-09-21 20:03:28

Yes, I think you should accept it, you deserve it. Way back when I started bike commuting I was influenced to do it by your site, your posts, and the comments of others. While I don't bike commute anymore, I did it for 10 years. You were a big part of why I did it as far as I'm concerned.

This is the second year of no bike commuting and it's because of this, I started running. Also because I have 3 kids in 3 different schools and I bring them and pick them up every single day, so I had to cut back. Running 30 min/day is far more of a workout for me. I still pack up the bikes for camping trips and we do occasional family rides here and there.

The long term impact on bike commuting on me is I'm very careful driver, a pro at defensive driving (bike commuting will do that to you), and did I mention a very careful driver?

Anyway, thanks Michael for all you've done. You deserve some recognition!

JasonATXBS · 2016-09-21 20:40:25

I second what the folks above said. Though oftentimes behind the scenes I know you've been active in your way for decades at this point. Pre-Myspace/Facebook your site was the place folks went to find all sorts of otherwise esoteric and obscure information about local bike events, laws and happenings. Similarly, your listserv has been a handy resource in getting people talking to each other who otherwise may not have.

Personally, your site is one of the reasons I started ATXBS a decade back. I had a great time doing that while I did it, and for a part of that I have you to thank. You also did a lot to up the exposure of Critical Mass at a very pivotal point (in my opinion) in the Austin bike community timeline, and backlash against the in-your-face destination unknown ride style in turn spawned other big local ride organizations, namely the Thursday Night Urban Ride, which became Social Cycling Austin.

I'd say go for it.

chavela · 2016-09-21 21:38:22

Of course you should accept it. No just for past, but for present services: As klunky as this list is, I still read it and find out things that I wouldn't otherwise be aware of. And other people use it too, because they keep posting--some bikesforsale, sure--but also lots of other items.

And as long as I am at it, I had an interesting conversation with a man who is doing his Master's Thesis at Texas State on motivations of people who ride bikes as a way of life. His thesis proposal includes a lot of history (remember the bike wars: cyclists who were totally against separate bike lanes vs those who said physical infrastructure was key?), review of bike sociology, if you will. https://www.scribd.com/document/3231996 … g-Proposal

Jack · 2016-09-22 10:46:32

Chavela--thanks for that link.

lluciano · 2016-09-22 11:40:15

Michael, Of course you should! You were a bicycle advocate before advocacy was "cool"! You have always been a level head, and have had your finger on the pulse of cycling in ATX. Bonus-It's a party, at a cool venue, open to the public!

MichaelBluejay · 2016-09-22 12:17:17

Okay, thank you all for the words of encouragement. I'll accept, though I'm still a little bewildered. I keep thinking of that early Simpsons episode when Homer accidentally saves the power plant and is lauded as a hero, but he's tormented by knowing that he's a fraud. He receives a ham as a thank-you gift, and at dinner the conversation goes like this:

MARGE: How's your ham, Homie?

HOMER: It's so bitter it's like acid in my mouth!

MARGE: It's more of a honey glaze.

MichaelBluejay · 2016-09-22 12:53:43

I don't know who all the award recipients are, besides myself and Chris from Frankenbike, but I can easily think of several people who've had a greater impact than I have:

Tommy Eden, Amy Babich, Eric Anderson, Rob D’Amico, Elliott McFadden, Bobby Sledge, David Baker, Patrick Goetz, and Mike Dahmus

I'm sure there are others.

chuckthomas · 2016-09-22 17:35:31

Your work is more important to the community than you are giving yourself credit for. Accept it. You deserve it.

AusTexMurf · 2016-09-29 00:48:08

Congrats and kudos to you for the acknowledgement and award from Bike Texas for the contributions you make in our community. Well deserved, IMO.
I am also thrilled that your daughter won the raffle for the Tern folder. Perfect that it went to one of the few youths present at the meeting. I hope she enjoys the versatile ride for many years to come !

MichaelBluejay · 2016-09-29 01:15:25

Thank you very much. Ironically, my daughter hasn't biked for three years now. When we bought the car after my wife suffered too many near-death experiences on her bike, she pulled the kids off their bikes too, and I couldn't blame her. And now I'm wary of letting them ride again myself, especially after the Elizabeth English tragedy. We'll see.

As for the Bike Texas award, thank you very much. And I guess what I posted in another thread about that, I should have posted here too, so here goes:

Michael Bluejay wrote:

Since this the title of this topic is whether Bike Texas has gone off the rails, then in the spirit of "biting the hand that feeds you" (since they're slated to give me an advocacy award on Sunday), here are some of my concerns about Bike Texas. Who knows, maybe they'll see this and revoke my award, and then I won't have an ethical quandary about receiving it. Nah, who am I kidding, other groups don't even read this forum, much less participate.
(1) There's no telling what Bike Texas is actually working on these days, because their website doesn't say. In the News section, none of the posts even have dates. If you click the "Advocacy" menu item, you get mostly a list of what you, as a member can do, not a description of what Bike Texas is doing.
(2) Years ago when I inquired as to whether Bike Texas might be interested in lobbying to have license revocation added to the punishment options for drivers who kill cyclists, Bike Texas director Robin Stallings sent this jab back at me, "There is so much to do to improve cycling in Texas and we have to manage with very limited resources. You would be surprised how many 'bike activists' don't join TBC or donate but expect others to pick up the tab."
He dissed me for daring to consider myself a bike activist when I'd never donated to TBC. I was poor at the time, and I felt like replying that in a sane world someone's effort was just as good as their money, or that he had never helped fund *my* activist efforts which I typically pay for out of pocket, but I decided not to bother.
(3) I asked Robin if the advocacy awards are given periodically or if this is the first time, and if they've been given previously, who's received before and where's the list of recipients on the website? He sidestepped my questions, saying they're given biennially but not saying when they started awarding or giving a full list of previous winners, though he listed a few. He did admit that there's no list on the website. (!) And even in their announcement of the upcoming meeting on Sunday, there's no mention that awards will be presented at that time.
(4) [Update, 9/29] At the meeting, Doug Ballew told me that he'd received an award in the past. This is the guy that successfully and secretly lobbied the City Council to pass an all-ages helmet law as an emergency measure in 1996, decimating ridership. It was law before we could even rally the troops.
So, I'm feeling a bit less uncomfortable about receiving the award, because it's not much of an award if it's essentially given in secret, and if the truly deserving have already received it, and if the not-so-deserving have also received it (i.e., that I'm simply the last guy standing).
They did give me a list of the recipients for this year, so since Bike Texas isn't telling anyone, let me recognize the other Austin recipients publicly here:
* Chris Gross, Frankenbike
* Michelle Moore, Frankenbike
* Keith Byrd, Social Cycling ATX
* Greg Weaver, Mueller Developer
I'll presume that Mr. Weaver isn't the one to blame for the lack of bike lanes on Mueller Blvd., even though it's a completely new road.
Here's the list of "some previous folks recognized" that Robin provided:
* Durwood Mayfield of Lubbock
* Annie Melton of Dallas
* Leslie Luciano of Austin
* Senator Rodney Ellis
* Former FW Mayor Mike Moncrief
* Former Irving Rep Linda Harper Brown

AusTexMurf · 2016-12-14 18:51:42

History of Critical Mass in Austin, Texas
from Simon Evans

Very deserved for many reasons, MBJ. Advocacy. Alternate perspective, information, statistics made available to the community. Freedom of Information, Freedom of Speech, and Freedom of Mobility. Providing a protected space for us to gather and connect with our bicycle community in ATX.

We should all review this video as it helps us understand the contributions made by folks such as MBJ, Tommy Eden, Mike Librik, many others. Current heavy hitters also include Christopher Stanton/Ghisallo, Preston Tyree, Tommy Eden, and Tom Wald, to mention a few.

Bicycle Austin forum

#1 2016-09-21 12:37:28

Should I accept the award from Bike Texas?

#2 2016-09-21 13:19:19

Re: Should I accept the award from Bike Texas?

#3 2016-09-21 16:27:15

Re: Should I accept the award from Bike Texas?

#4 2016-09-21 18:36:04

Re: Should I accept the award from Bike Texas?

#5 2016-09-21 19:03:25

Re: Should I accept the award from Bike Texas?

#6 2016-09-21 20:03:28

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#7 2016-09-21 20:40:25

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#8 2016-09-21 21:38:22

Re: Should I accept the award from Bike Texas?

#9 2016-09-22 10:46:32

Re: Should I accept the award from Bike Texas?

#10 2016-09-22 11:40:15

Re: Should I accept the award from Bike Texas?

#11 2016-09-22 12:17:17

Re: Should I accept the award from Bike Texas?

#12 2016-09-22 12:53:43

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#13 2016-09-22 17:35:31

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#14 2016-09-29 00:48:08

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#15 2016-09-29 01:15:25

Re: Should I accept the award from Bike Texas?

#16 2016-12-14 18:51:42

Re: Should I accept the award from Bike Texas?

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