I once thought of myself as a nice person. I was polite; I listened; I was compassionate; I was helpful; I was (somewhat) brave; and I am beginning to sound like a Girl Scout. But once one reaches a certain age, though rules of etiquette ingrained in (or beaten into) one are mostly retained, one may regard the world with a more jaundiced eye. If female, one also becomes invisible to or at least blurry in the perception of younger folks (who usually think they know better), which can be used to some advantage in certain situations (not always). In this blog, I expect to vent (mostly) politely about various -- things I observe, administrative incompetency, lazy adults who have some modicum of power but who do not do their homework, "getting over" more generally, unfairness, and other subjects that annoy me.

For example, I was almost hit by an e-bike while crossing a street in Manhattan recently. This is not unusual. One sees e-bikes, e-skateboards, e-scooters on sidewalks, in bike lanes, and elsewhere in the city that I love but that I also regard as dirty, garbage-laden, and lawless. I am a native New Yorker, and I am not moving; I embrace the filth, the pigeons and most of the other mess, but almost being maimed or killed on a sidewalk is outside my limits. Unfortunately, one also sees e-bikes and other e-vehicles on sidewalks elsewhere as well, even while on vacation (though the Grouchy Old White Lady never rests).

The city of Paris was very wise to ban them. We should ban them. I would also suggest posting HUGE signs that say NO BIKES or E-VEHICLES on the sidewalk at any time and then in smaller print (unless you are under 10 years old and possibly cannot read this sign). People will, of course, ignore this signage and continue almost to hit or directly hit folks on the sidewalk. Legislation is needed. Generally, I growl at the offender and say something like -- no bikes on the sidewalk, a-hole (ahem). I often fantasize about carrying a metal rod with me and just sticking it in the spokes as a bike passes but that would likely not be a solution.

On the upside, in NYC, there is a small group of activists under the rubric EVSA led by the amazing, beautiful and energetic Janet Schroeder. If you are interested in supporting or joining this group, please see www.nycevsa.org or contact Janet directly at NYC-EVSA@outlook.com

That's all for now, and thanks for reading!