On Thursday, a day before what city commissioner Rose Gowen hailed as the "last Cyclobia" of the year, city Health Department administrators passed around fliers to downtown businesses warning them that their cars would be towed if they left them in front of their businesses on their street.On Friday, as the event approached, city Traffic Dept. crews went around placing hoods over parking meters warning motorists their cars were not to park there.
Then, as the evening approached, Public Works crews started placing barricades on streets leading to the downtown area and cordoning off the route. Downtown was basically off limits to motorists and shoppers.
Before long, police officers and auxiliaries were standing guard at just about every corner in the area leading to the route.
Virtually the entire downtown business district came to a standstill as small groups of cyclists pedaled down empty streets and shuttered stores.
For downtown merchants counting on Christmas shoppers on the last weekend before the holiday, the event was a business killer. Most – if not all – closed their stores and bid the business goodbye.
"There were maybe 90 to 100 cyclists just riding around in a circle while shoppers from Mexico and the city just gave up and went Christmas shopping elsewhere," said a downtown merchant. "Did anyone ask the merchants their opinion on whether to hold this event in one of the most important commercial periods in the entire year?"So livid were the tempers of merchants downtown that a petition against holding the event was signed by just about everybody except for one or two timid managers who didn't have their bosses' permission to sign it.
"The people who cam to ride the bicycles downtown have never bought beer at the Sportsman Lounge or even know where Rutledge Hamburgers is," said an angry merchant who emailed El Rrun-Rrun. "No on asked us whether we were in agreement with holding the event on Friday, probably the most commercially-active day of the holiday shopping season. We had to close and let our employees go."
"The only cyclists we see during the week are the people from Matamoros who recycle cardboard and aluminum from the alleys," said one. "They don't usually even use the bike racks out in front of the post office or the HEB. The ones that Gowen brings for the occasional weekend may do it for their health, but it is killing the businesses that generate the sales taxes that fund the event."
Just how much did it cost the city to pay the extra manpower in Public Works, Traffic Dept. and Health Dept. employees not including police, auxiliary and fire personnel for thie event?
Our public information request is on its way.
7 comments:
Rose Gowen is an arrogant bitch....easy to come by as a Zavaletta. In the poorest town in the state, is makes no sense to close down the commercial downtown area so people can ride bicycles around....and it hits harder because it it Christmas and people want to shop. This event was poorly planned and the planners obviously don't give a shit about business owners downtown. WE have lots of areas to ride bikes that would not limit business....but our city leaders have some sort of agenda that requires this to be done downtown...an area they seem to hope to save.
There is no use of holding cyclovia events, that is why we have the trails. If people want to use their bikes all they have to do is ride hem, trails or streets. This events costs a lot of overtime and people hardly participate.
What do you expect from STUPID DUMBOCRATS bola de pendejos.
Amazing how one fat doctor's actions affected so many people. I would say that roughly 200-300 people actually participated in this event.
I'm sure each Cyclobia costs a pretty penny seeing how many city employees are used to make it happen. On top of that, the route was POORLY planned. Lines and lines of cars circled around as drivers tried to make sense of how to get to their destinations. That later turned into chaos as Gateway traffic was backed up on International Blvd. all the way to Taylor St.
Thank you Dr Gowen! Why don't you spend your own money instead of THROWING our tax dollars away?
Stupid move. This is the busiest time for merchants in downtown Brownsville, not to mention the thousands of dollars in parking meter fees being missed out on. I work for the City and we pay our employees overtime to work this event. They will mask actual costs in some way or another. We're never going to Bogota, Columbia or Austin, Texas or Oak Cliff/Dallas. We need to do this in moderation until a big company steps up and puts some match money to help pay for city services. Get Tenaska to donate or Spacex.
Brownsville politicos for you, no common sense!!
Gowen like to ride her bike through the bumpy roads of Brownsville with out a seat...vieja bofa!
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