Your Critical Mass Ride experience

[shootingstar]

Let's see ..have been a regular cyclist last 17+ years, have been involved in different times on cycling volunteer work, been on some group rides including MS rides (in Toronto), etc. Yet, I've only been in 1 Critical Mass Ride..during first 2 yrs. after we moved to Vancouver. We've been living here nearly 7 yrs. In Toronto, I can't even remember cycling in a Critical Mass Ride. If I did, it's too long ago. I joked to dearie, that we've been cycling too long with many cycling things happening during that time! :D

Right now the local press is overblowing the Critical Mass Ride that happens locally once each month. It's been going on for years but gotten bigger. There was an incident where there was cyclist that got into a physical confrontation with driver (?).

http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/thesearch/archive/2009/07/31/critical-mass-bike-ride-quot-alienating-quot-and-quot-uplifting-quot.aspx

Just curious, have you cycled in your local /another's city's Critical Mass Ride?

[MartianDestiny]

Right now the local press is overblowing the Critical Mass Ride that happens locally once each month. It's been going on for years but gotten bigger. There was an incident where there was cyclist that got into a physical confrontation with driver (?).

http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/thesearch/archive/2009/07/31/critical-mass-bike-ride-quot-alienating-quot-and-quot-uplifting-quot.aspx



At least the article you linked to is far from "overblowing" it. I thought it was a fair article that tried to describe the what, why, and opinions of both sides without getting caught up in all the drama.

I've not seen or participated in a Critical Mass ride. From what I have seen/heard/know of these events, their aftermath, and their consequences I will NEVER align myself with one (lived in a suburb of SanFran for 2 years, that was enough!).

I fall on the side of thinking that they are extremely counterproductive. Especially when strings of thousands of people on bikes block entire roadways and disobey any and every traffic ordinance/signal they can manage, typically during the height of rush hour.

I'd love to see cops pull over the whole lot of them and write each 5 or 6 tickets. Bikes have to follow the rules of the road too. I guess I can dream...

Now, if they broke into groups of manageable size for the routes, rode single file, and obeyed traffic law it would be a whole different story from me.

[Biciclista]

they're short and sweet. They're gone in just a couple minutes. Motorists get pissed off...

[shootingstar]

mayor was in June's ride:

http://www.straight.com/article-245085/critical-mass-hysteria On front right of photo. But now he's distancing himself just a bit now.

Actually right now there are some streets blocked off...the International Fire and Police Games are having their parade now.

More jams..

[MartianDestiny]

Actually right now there are some streets blocked off...the International Fire and Police Games are having their parade now.

More jams..


Yes, but I can almost guarantee those roads were legally blocked off, special event permits obtained, and proper signage placed in effected areas in advance of the event.

There IS a difference.

[shootingstar]

Yes, but I can almost guarantee those roads were legally blocked off, special event permits obtained, and proper signage placed in effected areas in advance of the event.

There IS a difference.

You're right.

And note, I said I've participated in 1 Critical Mass ride after all these years of monthly Critical mass rides in Toronto and Vancouver where I've lived in past 17 yrs.

Tonight I just finished listening to an archived radio broadcast from this morning. My dearie was interviewed by a radio talk show host who kept harping about the cyclists paying a license fee. I went to have a shower because I couldn't sit beside him and watch him, reining in his annoyance (mildly put) while he was radio-interviewed by phone.

And here dearie was explaining in shortest sound byte (because that's how media is these days), that cyclists ALREADY pay the construction and maintenance of roads/bridges (with their bike lanes, etc.) through property tax (well if you are a renter, you ARE paying the landloard/building owner). Controversy of Critical Mass Ride was used as a jumping off, inflammatory topic for the talk show host's real beef: get cyclists to pay usage fee.

It's tiring to hear this old argument. Cyclists' aren't taxpayers?? Give us a break.

And his cycling advocacy group does not organize the Critical Mass Ride nor does it influences its ride tactics/planning. The group actually distances itself from the CM Ride. But as we all know, all cyclists of all stripes get lumped in with CM Ride in the eyes of some drivers/non-cyclists.

Anyway I consoled dearie in his public on-air defense (call-in talk show listeners were mostly negative against the cyclists who seem to be lawless, don't have to pay carbon tax (forgetting what carbon tax's purpose was), etc.

There's other info. that's budgetary needs to be dug up ...later as ammunition.

[KnottedYet]

I'm partial to the Critical Manners rides that have sprung up in response.

Here's where you can start: http://criticalmanners.wordpress.com/category/the-ride/

They are everywhere now. Started by a woman in Arizona, and they've spread like wildfire.