City events should not make people late to work

(ON OCT. 28) as I rode the city bus to church as usual from the Downtown ABQ Ride terminal on First and Central to get to Menaul, our bus had to suddenly wait at Lomas for quite a few minutes for a crowd of bicycle racers/marathoners to cross Lomas to points westward.

A(s) I am off work on the weekends, I was merely inconvenienced by having to arrive late at church. The other passengers, however, had to go to jobs. Being late for a job is quite different than merely being late for church. My late arrival to church does not jeopardize my weekdays-only job, whereas a late arrival to a job very well may.

I really felt for these other commuters. Suppose I had to work that Sunday morning and a poorly located marathon delayed me from clocking in on time. I am surprised that these commuters don’t actively protest city festivities that interfere with their safe and prompt arrival time to work. Many of them probably need their jobs more desperately than I need mine. They may have bigger bills to pay than I do or even live from paycheck to paycheck.

I love marathons just as much as the next person, but I draw the line when these festivities violate the rights of commuters to have a prompt and safe ride to their jobs.

While most of these commuters are complacent or resigned for the time being to this serious inconvenience, there may come a time when one person loses it and physically lashes out at the marathon participants. Lately, the nationwide breakdown in civility, along with the dreadful rise of hate crimes, as what happened at a synagogue in Pittsburgh or in the elections (in) countries like Brazil of right-wing thugs like (Jair) Bolsonaro could one day come to Albuquerque. It could be in the form of an individual who has suffered one indignity too many, even if the particular indignity by itself is an otherwise very small thing, like either a rude remark by somebody else or an event that prevents a person from getting to work on time, thus jeopardizing their livelihood.

The city of Albuquerque when it plans Downtown events needs to be more mindful and considerate to the bus riders who depend upon public transportation as their lifeline.