Din fericire, dintre apropiatii personali nu am pe nimeni trecut prin vreun accident pe doua roti. Din fericire.

Asta nu inseamna ca nu exista astfel de persoane. In unele cazuri, nu putine, acidentele au dus la plecarea dintre noi pentru unii. Sau urmari grave pentru sanatatea altora. Pentru ei si pentru ca astfel de accidente sa nu se mai intample se organizeaza astfel de marsuri. Unul dintre ele se numeste Ride of Silence si cred ca a devenit necesara organizarea unui astfel de mars si la noi.

Pe scurt, este un mars de comemorare, organizat in multe tari, in fiecare an incepand cu 2003, in cea ce-a treia Miercuri din luna Mai. Anul acesta asta inseamna data de 18 Mai.

Este un mars lent si mai ales tacut. Regula de baza a acestui mars este linistea. Fara claxoane, fara comentarii, fara nici un fel de sunet decat daca este absolut necesar. In general coloanele de ciclisti sunt asociate cu zgomotul – de data asta insa nu. Tacerea este cea care va insoti acest mars.

Vom vedea ce se poate face in asa fel incat acest mars sa fie desfasurat cu aprobarea si suportul instutiilor legale – avem acest drept. Voi reveni cu detalii pe masura ce vor fi progrese in organizare dar concluzia este clara:

pe 18 Mai, ora 19.00, ne vom intalni, in liniste, la intrarea in Parcul Tineretului dinspre Sincai. Plecarea va fi la ora 19.30 iar traseul cel mai probabil va fi Parcul Tineretului, P-ta Victoriei, P-ta Charles de Gaulle si intoarcere pe Calea Kiseleff, P-ta Victoriei, Calea Victoriei, B-dul Natiunile Unite si final in Parcul Izvor, in jurul orei 20.30.

UPDATE:

Traseul si ora de plecare au fost modificate dupa discutiile cu primaria si politia rutiera, dupa cum urmeaza. Punctul de intalnire va fi intrarea in Parcul Moghioros dinspre Piata Moghioros, iar traseul va fi: P-ta Moghioros, B-dul D-l Taberei, Razoare, Panduri, 13 Sepembrie, Mariot, Strada Izvor, B-dul Natiunile Unite cu oprire in Parcul Izvor. Harta este aici.

Ora de intalnire este 19.30 iar plecarea la ora 20.00.

Cred ca o idee buna ar fi sa venim imbracati in alb, ca si evocare a bicicletelor fantoma.

Daca sunt alte orase care vor sa organizaze, le stau la dispozitie cu orice informatii am. Pagina de inscriere pentru eveniment o gasiti pe Facebook, aici:

Cateva date preluate de pe site-ul initiatorilor – Ride of Silence:

DATE: May 18, 2011 (always the 3rd Wednesday of May)

TIME: 7:00 pm

WHERE: Hundreds of locations world wide

Join cyclists worldwide in a silent slow-paced ride (max. 12 mph/20 kph) in honor of those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways.

WHY DOES THIS ORGANIZATION EXIST?

• To HONOR those who have been injured or killed
• To RAISE AWARENESS that we are here
• To ask that we all SHARE THE ROAD

THE RIDE OF SILENCE WILL NOT BE QUIET

On May 18, 2011 at 7:00 PM, the Ride of Silence will begin in North America and roll across the globe. Cyclists will take to the roads in a silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. Although cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists, the motoring public often isn’t aware of these rights, and sometimes not aware of the cyclists themselves.

In 2003, Chris Phelan organized the first Ride of Silence in Dallas after endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz was hit by the mirror of a passing bus and was killed. (Read the full history here…)

The Ride of Silence is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph and remain silent during the ride. There are no sponsors and no registration fees. The ride, which is held during National Bike Month, aims to raise the awareness of motorists, police and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public roadways. The ride is also a chance to show respect for those who have been killed or injured.

Si despre istoric:

A little history of this ride and how it came to be….

The 2003 Ride of Silence™ at White Rock Lake in Dallas drew 1,000 cyclists through word of mouth and email communication over a period of only ten days. There was no registration and no fees. Local media reported the ride to be incredibly moving as these cyclists rode in silence, occasionally wiping away a tear or patting a friend on the back.

Chris Phelan, a friend of Mr. Schwartz and the person responsible for starting this initiative, thought the ride was a one-time event. However, as word got out other cyclists began to contact him with a desire to do the same thing in their own communities.  Read Chris’ report from the first ride here.

Exista si un poem, pe care de asemenea am sa-l redau mai jos:

The Ride of Silence…

Tonight we number many but ride as one
In honor of those not with us, friends, mothers, fathers, sisters, sons
With helmets on tight and heads down low,
We ride in silence, cautious and slow
The wheels start spinning in the lead pack
But tonight we ride and no one attacks
The dark sunglasses cover our tears
Remembering those we held so dear
Tonight’s ride is to make others aware
The road is there for all to share
To those not with us or by our side,
May God be your partner on your final ride

Mike Murgas