Hopefully, I Won't Have To Cry "May Day!"

Today, the first of May, is "May Day."

I didn't know, exactly, what this holiday commemorated--or even why it was on this date--until relatively recently.

According to several accounts I read, this date marked, on pagan calendars, the beginning of summer.  On or around this date in the Northern Hemisphere, the Earth is halfway between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice.  So why this would be considered the first day of summer--especially in the climates of some pagan lands--I don't know.

This date is also significant in the labor movement--again, for reasons I learned only recently.  In some countries, particularly in Europe, it's celebrated in much the same way as Labor Day (the first Monday in September) here in the US. Ironically, the origins of the European holiday--which is called International Workers' Day or some translation thereof--started as a commemoration of the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago.

From National Bike to Work Day

Another thing I learned only recently is the answer to this question:  How did "May Day" become a call of distress?  I thought it had its origins in how oppressed some workers were (and are); they would call "May Day" in much the same way others might cry "uncle" or call for their mothers.  That may be the case, but it seems that it originated with Frederick Mockford, a senior radio officer at London's Croydon Airport.  At that time--in the 1920's--air traffic over the English Channel was increasing, but still treacherous.  Apparently, Mockford took the French pilots' distress call, "M'aider!"--which means "Help me!" and sounds like "May Day" to Anglophone ears--and popularized it.

Today sunshine refracted through clouds is glinting off pavement and trees as it does after a night of rain.  The air is brisk, but not cold.  I am going for a ride--and I hope I won't have to call "Mayday!"

Tongue Twister On A Straight Path

 Say this three times fast:

Even at my age, I can ride faster than I can say it!

Moins de Voitures, Plus de Vélos

 A new study confirms an impression I formed during my most recent visits to Paris.

According to L’Institut Paris Région, 11.4 percent of all trips in the City of Light are made by bicycle.  In contrast, only 4.2 percent are made by car.

Perhaps even more encouraging for members of the Institut and cyclists, in the banlieues (suburbs) are 14 percent and 11.8 percent respectively. I say “more encouraging” because even though some of those suburbs, especially the ones that border on the city itself, have more access to mass transportation than some major American cities, they still don’t have as much as Paris, where no point is more than 500 meters (about .3 miles, or the equivalent of five or six NYC blocks) from a Métro station.

That availability of trains (and buses) in the central city is reflected in the 30 percent of trips made on them.  That the remaining 53 percent are on foot is also  not surprising, given Paris’ (deserved) reputation as a “walkable” city.

Still, some believe that mayor Anne Hidalgo—who has done more than any of her predecessors to promote cycling and reduce auto traffic—could have done even more.  And, to be fair, she plans to do so, especially with the upcoming Olympic Games, which some see as a showcase for “green” technology in a similar way to how the Exposition (Worlds’ Fair) of 1889 highlighted the technological advances made possible by the “Expo”s centerpiece: the Eiffel Tower.