I was just thinking the same thing. I can imagine the mindset of the purely recreational types riding in the street and thinking, "Thank goodness there aren't any cars here today or else I wouldn't be riding at all. I'll have to wait until the next street party."

The pictures of Lake Washington Blvd aren't helping, either. Yeah, it's nice to have a sort of party, but if you really want to promote cycling as transportation, you've got to give them a destination. Riding to ride is like going to an empty kitchen to play with the cookware.