Minneapolis Critical Mass Ride 8/31

[northstar]

http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/mpls/messages/topic/2e8AL0HMIGm5aNYLVc04xu

Thought this might make for interesting discussion...Minneapolis held a critical mass ride on Friday night that turned into a major incident with local police. I'm not sure where I stand on the CM rides, but what occurred was really disheartening. There is video out there on youtube, and I've linked in a board discussion from our local issues forum.

Anyone here involved in CM rides?

[Mr. Bloom]

I know how I feel about any organization that directly or indirectly promotes polarization....and I don't mind going on record with it.

In my state, the law allows cyclists to SHARE the streets within a defined distance from the curb, provided that it is safe.

"Our Streets" refers to everyone...not just cyclists.

Is CM an organization that "Protests the Use of Cars" or one that "Celebrates Cycling"? Those are two very different objectives...

Well, actually, if you go to the "non-official website (http://www.critical-mass.org/)" it indicates that it's not an organization at all, but rather an "unorganized coincidence"...if that doesn't define anarchy, then I don't know what anarchy is...

If there were anarchists in the crowd, the whole group suffers from their tolerance of those few participant's actions.

My very strong opinion is that anarchy is bad and counterproductive to legitimate efforts to get people to "share the road" and has no place in sanctioned cycling activities

[Mr. Bloom]

I know I came on strong with my opinion, but I wasn't trying to stifle debate

[wannaduacentury]

I know I came on strong with my opinion, but I wasn't trying to stifle debate

I found your opinion interesting b/c I work at a college(and go to school there too) and saw posters for a "celebrate no car" bike ride on a saturday in sept" and another for a critical mass ride. I don't know whose doing the organizing and I doubt our local bike group even knows about it(i'm a member), so I wonder about the legitimacy of these events and will it be hoopla? I honestly can't attend one anyhow due to other things going on. I was just curious what it was about and if it's good- get more cyclists educated in the correct fashion about sharing the road and not have immature people disgracing cycling. Now I've inserted my 2 cents. :p Jenn

[Zen]

CM probably started out as a well intentioned idea but everything I see involving them now usually ends badly and doesn't further the cause of cyclist-motorist coexistence.

[maryellen]

I live in nyc, just a few blocks away from the starting point for the Manhattan CM ride. In the days before the problems, it was one fun evening a month--everyone was in a good mood--cyclists, cops, passersby. Well, maybe not all the motorists, but geez, one Friday evening a month?

[northstar]

In the days before the problems, it was one fun evening a month--everyone was in a good mood--cyclists, cops, passersby. Well, maybe not all the motorists, but geez, one Friday evening a month?

What I'm hearing is that this is how things were in the past in Mpls, too. We even have a city council person who rides the CM ride monthly, and the group typically has a police escort at the front and back of the pack. I guess this time around, a protest group was in town to prepare for the RNC, which will be in St. Paul next year, and it totally threw the tone out of whack.

I see the value of the rides, but wonder if the value might be increased if they showed 300 cyclists taking to the streets en masse, grabbing everyone's attention AND following traffic rules...

(sigh...)

[maryellen]

unfortunately, RNC in NYC in '04 was what caused our problems as well. It was thought that the NYPD was using the CM ride shortly before RNC would be a test of the PD's ability to handle mass arrests.