JERUSALEM FOR BICYCLES
Registered Amuta # 6-613-028-58
"Our aim: to promote bicycling in Jerusalem"
http://bike.org.il/jm

Critical Mass Ride this week for February

In this mailing:

1. Critical Mass bike ride reminder and message from the Chairman
2. Group rides organised by the Amuta: an update
3. Send in those "Successful Struggle" entries
4. Past announcements are on the web

Note: All rides currently advertised by the Amuta in our newsletter or on
the Internet are only suggestions. The Amuta takes no responsibility for
these rides or their participants. People come and ride spontaneously. (See
“Group rides organised by the Amuta” below for more information.)

1. Critical Mass bike ride reminder and message from the Chairman

February is a short month, so the CM ride comes this week on 22 Feb. See you
there!

CM REMINDER: Fri., 22 Feb 1pm. Meet in front of the HaMashbir in the city
center. Critical Mass, last Friday of the month demonstration for cyclists'
rights. Bring the kids. Ride single file. We don't disturb the traffic. We
are the traffic. We will be polite to everyone including motorists. Come
early and get sign for your bicycles 1/2-hour before the CM.

Further CM questions? Call Leon (053) 801-867.

Critical Mass means the mass that makes the difference. I would like to tell
the few disappointed riders who came to the CM on the last Friday in January
that they shouldn't be disappointed. Struggling for a worthwhile cause or
struggling for a cause that you think is worthwhile can never be
disappointing. If we achieve the objective of our struggle would we still be
disappointed?

Say if the City council completed the building of the path and it was
crowded with riders, and the city streets were full of cyclist, would we
stop being disappointed? Would we then sit back and say our job is done?
The answer is a resounding “No”. We will never stop fighting to improve the
environmental conditions in which we live. There will always be better
conditions to achieve and more people to convince of the worthwhilness of a
clean, healthy environment.

The struggle is a goal in itself. The only disappointment we can feel is
that there aren't more people who feel the way we do about the environment
and about the part the bicycle has to play in the better environment. The
concept of struggle is by its nature a thing that the few do. If it were
something that the many do it wouldn't be called "struggle".

The struggle is double:

1) to get more people to struggle and
2) to achieve the thing we're struggling for: the bicycle path.

Wishing you a good day. Your chairman, Leon Gork.

2. Group rides not yet organised by the Amuta: an update

Problems have arisen with plans to start officially organised rides because
of the requirement that would arise: to insure the riders against injury, so
that no rider will come to the Amuta with a claim. We will have to solve
this problem once and for all before we can organise riding activities.

I suggested a wonderful activity for youth. This was a programme together
with the Matnas at Kiryat Yovel to teach children safe riding habits.
Unfortunately without insurance the programme would not be able to function.
It's vital to teach kids these riding habits. They will be safer on the
roads even when they later begin to drive motor cars, but the programme is
stuck on the issue of insurance. We have wonderful people who are planning
the course and we are working on the insurance aspect. As soon as we have
solved that problem we'll organise rides.

All rides currently advertised by the Amuta in our newsletter or on the
Internet are only suggestions. The Amuta takes no responsibility for these
rides or their participants. People come and ride spontaneously.

Wishing you a good day. Your chairman, Leon Gork.

3. Send in those "Successful Struggle" entries


Leon also writes,

P.S. I'm still waiting for letter about what you've achieved, in the way of
fixing bad cycling conditions, by writing or demonstrating to the City
Council. So far we've only had a letter from David Beninga about a great
achievement in getting a sidewalk repaired also a great achievement by Tom.
Tell me about a successful struggle you’ve undertaken. So far either Tom or
David will have to get the prize.

All entries to be sent to "Successful Struggle" at

e-mail: jbike@...

or post to: Jerusalem for Bicycles, P.O. Box 8294, Jerusalem 91082


4. Past announcements are on the web

Of course our great new website is at http://bike.org.il/jm/ and regularly
updated by our webmaster Dan Velber.

Just want to bring your attention to one of its many features: a link to

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jmbicyclist/

where anyone can read the archive of past announcements, in case you wanted
to go back and find something.

= = = = =
REGULAR (no fee, free) RIDES CALENDAR:

Critical Mass
The last Friday of every month at 1:00 PM in front of the HaMashbir in the
city center. Demonstration for cyclists' rights by circling the city center
for 45 minutes.
Details: Leon (053) 801-867.

Mountain Biking Sat.
Every Saturday at 7:00 am. We leave from the Binyanei Ha'Uma (Convention
Center) parking lot. This is a fun and challenging 3-hour ride in the
Jerusalem hills. No prior registration required. Details: Benny van Vlymen
phone: 561-9416 e-mail: belavi@...

WOW:
Women on Wheels (WOW) women only, once a month around Jerusalem (20 km).
Confirm ahead of time with Laurie: 652-1541.

Road Bikes: Sat.
Every Shabbat at 7:00 am from the Binyanei Ha'Uma (Convention Center)
parking lot. This is a two-hour light ride on streets and paths around
Jerusalem, for fun and exercise. No prior registration required. Details:
Benny van Vlymen phone: 561-9416 e-mail: belavi@...

Road Bikes: Fri.
Friday at 7:00am leaving the "Mifletset" sculpture in Kiryat HaYovel and
heading westward; return at about 12:00pm. Covering about 90km. Details:
Mike 02-679-0018

JERUSALEM FOR BICYCLES
Registered Amuta # 6-613-028-58
"Our aim: to promote bicycling in Jerusalem"

website:
http://bike.org.il/jm

Address for membership dues (NIS50 for individuals; NIS40 for youth,
students, retired; NIS100 for families):
POB 8294, Jerusalem 91082
TEL/FAX:_02-540-1641
e-mail: jbike@...

Chairman Leon Gork
Tel/fax 02 5810732 e mail
leongork@...,leongork@...

Rakaz: Promotion and Local Authority and Government contacts:
Ohad Greiner. Tel: 054 501511 e mail: ohad2@...

Treasurer: Shaul Porrat Tel: 052 531667 e mail: porrat@...

Committee: Menachem Ben-Or, tel: 643-3816, e-mail: benor_1@...

Committee: Ro'i Golan Tel: (H) 02 6790533, 053 840870

Committee: Yossi Feibish Tel: (058) 613643


Contacts with Society for Protection of Nature and Keren Kayemet.
Roi Golan. Tel: (H) 02 6790533, 053 840870

Bicycle paths and transport regulations. Menahem Ben-Or
Tel: (H) 02 6433816, 054 433816

Email list:
Tom Harris jbike@...

Webmaster:
Dan Velber dan_vel@...

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else's behalf, email to jbike@...

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