So, participating in the CM in Baltimore was interesting. I didn't witness the confrontation, as my sister and I split off earlier, but there was an incident between an SUV and a cyclist. Hearing this news the next day, I put my two cents in for suggestions and thoughts for future Masses.
Apathy to others safety was more what I was meaning, but yes, even before we departed I began noticing increased anger from some of the drivers.
". . . riders to disregard traffic laws and inconvenience motorists...that behavior I believe would incline potentially sympathetic drivers to hate us, and reinforce the negative militant/flake/anarchist stereotype that unsympathetic drivers already have of us. But what Critical Mass DOES do is get drivers used to seeing bicyclists on the road."
I feel that Baltimore's CM would certainly be more effective were it to be larger, and obviously this is the intention, to grow in numbers. But I am inclined to wonder, would the number of CM riders increase in Baltimore if the ride was more "safe" and was closer to a sense of community.. As it appeared to me, the numbers were too small to convey a positive movement, rather they convey simply a nuisance.
I'm only putting my two cents in here, but the suggestion is this: while you're small perhaps be less of a nuisance/inconvenience to the cars, but simply be a presence. The negative "word on the street" could be keeping your numbers and enthusiasm low. Instead of taking up both lanes of, say, St Paul, take up only one lane. This would still be a presence that most motorists/commuters would notice (obviously still keep the mass together, cork when needed, keep it wide in the lane) and perhaps this would generate positive "word on the street", and thus more Baltimore CM riders.
I know from experience, Baltimore’s cyclists need more support and need to be brought out of their apparent invisibility. None of this is to say I didn’t enjoy and appreciate the Baltimore CM, and whenever I visit in the future I will make sure to visit during Critical Mass, and participate myself.
Michael Webber
On 08.28.05 13:45, "Rob Carlson" wrote:
> Apathy would have been turning on to a different street (like Guilford,
> for example) to get around us.
> What we saw was anger.
>
> --
> Rob Carlson
>
>
>
> miguelAron wrote:
>> Goddam! My sister and I evidently left early. This sort of apathy from the
>> drivers in Baltimore was one of the reasons I felt it necessary to move
>> away.
Apparently my opinion has stirred up some good discussion and debate on their list. I thought this dude's contribution to the discussion was worth sharing.
From: "mark counselman"
Subject: [cm-baltimore] A New Critical Mass!
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 10:39:42 -0500
I propose Baltimore needs a new Critical Mass- one which celebrates the joys
of bicycling; one based on a commute that‚s healthy and fun; a Critical Mass
which grows and attracts new people, embraces drivers to try something new;
a ride where passers by get swept up in the parade, forgetting, momentarily,
the monotony of the daily traffic.
I rarely make Critical Mass anymore, something I regret, for years I
considered it a monthly highlight. I rode part of the ride on Friday,
departing when we turned off Charles St., I was not around for the later
incidents, but they could have been predicted. The current Critical Mass
isn't growing, isn't winning support, and worse, people are getting hurt.
Marches, protests, sit-ins, etc. all create tension that can be used for
positive change- tension that can be focused, famously to civil rights, or
to auto dependence, or simply that bikes are fun. MLK would say the tension
from nonviolent, direct action can help men rise to majestic heights and
brotherhood. Baltimore Critical Mass has certainly perfected the means of
creating tension, some riders seem to thrive on it, but creating tension for
no reason, or creating more tension then we can handle doesn‚t get us
anywhere.
Riding up Charles, taking all lanes for 27 blocks. Blocking the #11 bus
from Baltimore Ave. to nearly 25th street. Does anyone know how long it
takes to ride the #11 bus to GBMC? How do you think Friday‚s ride affected
the opinions of the MTA driver and the people on that bus?
I generally dismiss criticism that Critical Mass sheds bicycling in a poor
light. I‚ve seen it overwhelmingly well received by drivers, passers by,
even police and politicians. Sure there are individuals who bring their
aggressions to the Mass, I‚ve done it too, but I‚ve seen aggression tempered
by the wisdom of others focused on keeping the ride positive.
Is it coincidence that the rides that are so positive grow to be the
biggest, while the more Œaggressive, in-your-face protests‚ remain on the
fringe? Until moving to Baltimore, I hadn‚t seen a Critical Mass so caught
up in confrontation.
Rather then ride aimlessly into violent situations, a new Critical Mass will
use the ride to engage new people, to grow the ride, to get more people on
bikes, to get more people smiling and waving, to build a better Baltimore.
Folks in other cities can tell you it isn‚t a good idea to ride up a main
street for more then 4 to 5 blocks at a time. Turning now and then lets
cars pass, „releases some steam.‰
People will also debate the wisdom of using all lanes, particularly with so
few riders, maybe it‚s worth discussing?
If we get organized and police ourselves, we could head off confrontations,
the police wouldn‚t have to step in, no one would get hurt- and maybe the
ride would grow?
I won‚t excuse automobile violence, but the victims- all of us- do bear
responsibility. We created the situation, sought out the confrontation;
we‚ve got the responsibility to manage it.
The beauty of Critical Mass is that it is structure less- but that means we
all have the responsibility to lead. We could all do a better job exerting
pressure on those who act like jerks. We can encourage people not to block
busses, we can de-escalate confrontations rather then make them worse, make
sure we never hinder ambulances or fire trucks responding to emergencies, or
do things that could get people hurt.
I‚m not suggesting being Uncle Tom Cyclists, nor am I suggesting that
Baltimore CM back down- what I‚m suggesting is that we get more done by
building a viable movement. Does using all of Pratt Street help or hurt
this goal?
You‚ve heard the expression that you catch more flies with honey. We‚ve all
seen people along the route cheer and ask what‚s going on, we‚ve also seen
conflict with enraged drivers. Think how the ride might grow if we focused
on celebration rather then confrontation?
A new Critical Mass can grow to make Bicycling and important part of
Baltimore‚s landscape.
Mike - I really enjoyed what two cents you did put in, and found the statements that both you and that Mark character put in. I think that to a small scale we have run into some of the same problems in both this last CM and the mass before that.
Taking lanes is fine in my opinion. It allows us to establish, for one day, that we belong on the streets too, that these streets were not only constructed for automobiles, but also for other forms of transportation.
July CM we seemed to run into alot of Auto-Bike confrontation where this CM was marked with police intervention. I think cop presence may have been fueled by the activities in previous masses. The idea is not to inconvenience totally, but to make aware.
Mark, the writer of the second article well states the idea of letting up on the tension occasionally, taking side streets for a block or so, dropping off the main path, but making your presence known. I believe that this would have worked well on Broadway, and would work if we were ever to do it again.
I don't like seeing people get hurt, or unneccessary violence. I'll stand for my friends and fellow bikers, but I won't try to get in unreasonable confrontations.
I believe that in the case of CM, we need to practice smart riding, and thus create an environment for fun riding for everyone. I'm not trying to make life easier for a car driver, but it should be stress free for a bike rider.
iro1751
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2005 1:50 pm
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 723
Here's my reply to someone else's comment (in quotes contained below) that echoes these same notions.
Nothing I said was intended to "blame the victim". (I myself have been
struck, with painful consequences even a year later, by an SUV.) I
therefore, sympathize and understand the rage:
"right now i'm too pissed about cyclists being hit by
cars & assaulted by drivers to agree that it might not
be a good idea to take up all 4 lanes on pratt.
rationally i know its valid, but @ this moment it
feels a little like "blaming the victim"."
I by no means think that any of the cyclists from that Mass deserved to've
been struck, but a little perspective could help prevent future incidents.
That said, I'll continue to add my two cents (I am currently no longer
living in Baltimore, but am avidly interested in CM and bicycle advocacy
everywhere) in this discussion. I think that when the group is only
consisting of 30 people, as was my estimate from the recent Mass, only
taking up one lane (or perhaps two on streets like Pratt) would still
suffice to slightly slow drivers and create the positive presence which is
the desire result of CM. This is really a demonstration to bring about
awareness, minor civil disobedience, revolt and mayhem will bring nothing
positive to the cause. (Not yet at least).
But safety is the question here. I'm not sure exactly, will the cars speed
past? Give an inch they'll take a foot? I think the presence of a group of
bikes that are moderately sharing the road will send the message that we
exist. As taken from the CM directory page: "CM is about asserting our
right to the road, not denying others their right to the road."
Michael Webber
"CM is about asserting our right to the road, not denying others their right to the road."
erin
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2005 9:34 pm
Joined: 26 Jul 2005Posts: 277Location: Seattle
I really appreciate everything that both of you said.
I've always been of the opinion that Critical Mass should be about celebrating the sustainable transportation option that cycling represents, about celebrating difference rather than asserting opposition. We should act strategically to expand that celebration as broadly as possible, rather than being satisfied with maintaining smugness in the face of SUV drivers. The whole point is that there doesn't need to be any opposition, that cyclists and motorists of all kinds should be able to share the road (given a context of well-reasoned and balanced traffic laws that protect vulnerable users like cyclists and pedestrians). Enacting that opposition just makes it more of a reality.
Of course, there are instances that call for something like an oppositional stance. But normally when I see this in the context of Critical Mass, it's just a bunch of macho dudes who think that this is their opportunity to get up in the man's face. I mean, what the fuck? Blocking a fucking transit bus? Great. That's really socking it to "the man", making a commute difficult for a bunch of kids, seniors, single moms, low-income citizens and others just trying to make responsible transportation choices? I don't care how many crap encounters you've had with bus drivers. That is just bullshit. And commandeering the road completely? Why? Is that really the kind of visibility we want?
I'm not saying I respect traffic laws all the time. I seriously don't, I run red lights when I think I can do it safely. But I don't flout them on some kind of juvenile oppositional principle. I believe that the laws should be fairly enforced and, of course, refined to better protect those of us on bikes. For example, private automobiles should be banned or at least discouraged from centre-city streets through the imposition of tolls, taxes, incentives and traffic-calming schemes (similar to what they did in London) . We should be fighting for these sorts of reforms.
But at Critical Mass, we shouldn’t be flouting traffic laws to try and make up for how many times we’ve been wronged on the road. What we should be doing is having fun, being considerate, raising our visibility, and fighting for transportation changes in venues where we can actually make a difference.
Of course, if a bitch steps up to me she’s gonna have to to get beat down. But I think the more people who act good-naturedly at Critical Mass, the more infrequent altercations will be. They’re gonna want to be us, be with us, or get with us. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. Critical Mass has gotta be about seduction.
_________________ ...but we want to be the poets of our life—first of all in the smallest, most everyday matters.
—§299
Aaron
Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 1:34 am
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 4645
well said angel girl!
Love your "neon wings"
iro1751
Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 4:17 am
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 723
erin wrote:
. . . They’re gonna want to be us, be with us, or get with us. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. Critical Mass has gotta be about seduction.
Well put, totally awesome!
terrydean
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 8:49 am
rocker boiJoined: 24 Jul 2005Posts: 1535Location: santa fe, i think
but the whole "we are traffic" argument seems to go out the window when we're crawling along at 5mph.
I'm not saying we should haul ass or anything, just that most drivers I've spoken to or chatted with in these fantastic intronet forum thingies all say that crawling along isn't promoting equality in their heads, but feeding their bikes-belong-on-the-sidewalk mindset.
futurenorth
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 10:16 am
Bed BleederJoined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 839Location: Ballard
I am guilty of being the asshole on CM sometimes. It feels good to give it back, but I agree it's not helping anyone.
But the one thing that I can't stand is the slow pace. I understand it's hard to keep everyone together, but when those at the front have to stop every five minutes after rolling at 5mph it gets retarded. The constant shouts to stop and slow down get old. We're not winning anyone over by being a huge nuisance.
_________________ We have met the enemy, and he is us.
sekai
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 10:19 am
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 1466Location: on the lake
i half agree, those up front need to keep the pace easy, this is not our thursday ride. however those in the back need to try to keep up. there were some slow motherfuckers that were not even breaking a sweat rollin up pike. maybe we could herd them a bit, cattle prods?
futurenorth
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 10:26 am
Bed BleederJoined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 839Location: Ballard
Well when I am up front and I look at my computer and see that we're going 5mph and the back can't keep up I see a problem. I'm not saying we ride 20, but people in cars are never going to respect us or want to be a part of us when we're blocking the whole road and moving extremely slow.
If we want to advertise bicycle commuting and the greatness of the bicycle for getting around, perhaps we should move in mass as traffic and not a slow moving parade.
Jake and Mike, how fast we your masses moving this time?
_________________ We have met the enemy, and he is us.
Jake and Mike, how fast we your masses moving this time?
5mph. Sometimes slower. Sometimes we stopped completely.
And no one in the mass seemed to mind.
iro1751
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 11:52 am
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 723
futurenorth wrote:
Jake and Mike, how fast we your masses moving this time?
About the same really, 5 mph, there were a few people that would speed up, and a couple controlheads that would shout at them to slow it down. This I'd say was more of an apparent problem when there were only 30 people. I personally think Mass is more effective when it is more parade-like. SPECTACLE.
joby
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 12:04 pm
goes to elevenJoined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 3899Location: The Cloud
Yah. I think the biggest thing any of us can do to help Critical Mass is get more people involved.
Bug your friends with bikes to come, even if they aren't bike nuts. Loan bikeless friends your extra bike for the day. Put up posters all over the place.
I'm amazed how many people I talk to who have NEVER HEARD of the Seattle Critical mass.
Yah. I think the biggest thing any of us can do to help Critical Mass is get more people involved.
I agree 100%.
But I think that there is also more we can do DURING the mass. We can take advantage of being a large group and knowing one another to help the mass in motion (if that makes sense). Some of the following things come to mind:
Get people really pumped up! -we've been wearing costumes, which is an awesome idea, but we can be more amped than that.
Take turns corking- If all of us are keeping an eye out for the side streets there will be fewer cars going unnoticed.
Turn the mass frequently- we're a big group and can influence the mass to keep changing it up
Be Ambassadors- We know what's up with Critical Mass, we can also be the people to stop and explain to confused people (both in cars and on foot) what's going on.
Communicate! - Let people know if a car doesn't pose a threat and maybe doesn't need to be corked, keep the mass tight, try to aleviate any discomfort caused by a police presence, pass the word along that a bus needs to get through, etc...
And maybe there's more that we can do. That just comes to mind. .83's origins are in Critical Mass, I figure we owe it to Critical Mass to help make it more successful.
Oh, and when was the last time anyone participated in a postering party, or a CM meeting? I think it was just Derrick and I at the last one...
iro1751
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 12:31 pm
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 723
I'm not sure how effective this would be, but it just popped in my head.
What about free hand off bikes to the numerous pedestrians we see during Mass? Get random people really stoked about bikes with a free bike (probably a shitty bike, something along the lines of those public bikes some towns have. Could have a poster or something mounted in the frame "This bike was donated to me by Critical Mass" or some shit like that? Peds that like what they see about CM could immediately be absorbed into the ride.
I'm not sure how effective this would be, but it just popped in my head.
What about free hand off bikes to the numerous pedestrians we see during Mass? Get random people really stoked about bikes with a free bike (probably a shitty bike, something along the lines of those public bikes some towns have. Could have a poster or something mounted in the frame "This bike was donated to me by Critical Mass" or some shit like that? Peds that like what they see about CM could immediately be absorbed into the ride.
And be a fan forever. . .
i don't know, just a thought
Similar ideas have been tossed around before, and I think they're very viable ones. Having a sign mounted in the frame is a brilliant idea. I'm also in favor of doing up some custom trailers, side-car bikes, and other such things to let people ride along for a while.
Some of you may remember when some random kids came running out into the mass and were given rides in some people's trailers for a while. They were so stoked! Adults can be kids too if we take the right approach.
iro1751
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 12:45 pm
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 723
j_ryde wrote:
iro1751 wrote:
I'm not sure how effective this would be, but it just popped in my head.
What about free hand off bikes to the numerous pedestrians we see during Mass? Get random people really stoked about bikes with a free bike (probably a shitty bike, something along the lines of those public bikes some towns have. Could have a poster or something mounted in the frame "This bike was donated to me by Critical Mass" or some shit like that? Peds that like what they see about CM could immediately be absorbed into the ride.
And be a fan forever. . .
i don't know, just a thought
Similar ideas have been tossed around before, and I think they're very viable ones. Having a sign mounted in the frame is a brilliant idea. I'm also in favor of doing up some custom trailers, side-car bikes, and other such things to let people ride along for a while.
Some of you may remember when some random kids came running out into the mass and were given rides in some people's trailers for a while. They were so stoked! Adults can be kids too if we take the right approach.
yeah, sidecars and trailers, that's great. maybe even try to get something like those assholes down by the stadiums have. those bike rickshaws, give people a ride!
terrydean
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 1:00 pm
rocker boiJoined: 24 Jul 2005Posts: 1535Location: santa fe, i think
Once there's a welder at Colin's again, I plan on building some sort of bike taxi. that would be cool to have for Mass
joeball
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 1:07 pm
Joined: 24 Jul 2005Posts: 6037Location: Ether
Theresa was cool with letting me tow her at the last mass. Notice the crutches, she couldn't ride. I was mostly thinking about pedaling and keeping in the pack, not getting squeezed out the back after every stop light when we compacted. She had a lot of fun, more observing and talking to other riders.
We ended cutting out on Broadway after the front of the pack surged once the Cops started enforcing and confiscating that dudes bike. It wasn't so much that we slowed down as we respected the officers who were blocking our path during red lights.
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