I've been sorely disappointed with the last several Critical Mass rides I've participated in, to the point that I no longer make it a point to join them. I understand that CM means 100 different things to 100 different people. However I don't think it any longer reflects what CM means to me, and I get the sense that many other people have the same feelings.
.83 is about fun, flagrantly taking the road as ours, spreading mayhem and anarchy in our wake. CM SHOULD NOT BE THE SAME THING.
How do we take it back? Is it possible? Do we just write it off and ride another evening? I think that would be the saddest resort, as I feel the vast majority of CM riders really are on my side here. We can't let a handful of bullies and jerks take one of the most powerful, visible tools we have and turn it into a chance to reinforce the us-vs-them mentality. That shit isn't helping ANYONE.
_________________ I use my powers for awesome.
derrickito
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 9:09 am
now with 50 percent more EVILJoined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 10566
last time i went to CM (several months ago) i ran into piles of people being assholes. several in particular were corking oncoming traffic for no reason (2nd avenue southbound as mass was going northbound). i called them on it and told them to stop being assholes for no reason and let those cars go their merry way. they did
i think that's probably the best thing you can do, go to mass and do lots of little bits of reeducation. make it positive, de-escalate where needed, and stop people from being boneheads
that said, people try and stop me from being a total bonehead regularly and i appreciate it. :)
jeff
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 9:16 am
SOC pussyJoined: 05 May 2006Posts: 4501
Why? Becuase assholes chose to escalate an already escalating situation.
U-locks are for locking your bike.
When tempers flare it's best to ride away. 99% of the stupid shit that goes down on mass is because some self-rightous douchebag feels the need to excersise his macho instinct and get in some driver's face.
Be polite, talk calmly and let people know they can move freely in a matter of 20 seconds. If that doesn't work, ride away.
Otherwise be prepared to battle and don't be a bitch about it when some guy in a Subaru rolls over your precious fixie.
ksep
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 9:18 am
Joined: 27 Jan 2007Posts: 1879Location: Westlake
I think it can be saved with better leadership and light police support. CM has been known to scale to 80,000 people in Budapest.
We can make it work with 200 people in Seattle.
Police
Had there been a few officers on the ride to explain to irate drivers that they need to just wait a minute, no one would be running over anyone. We don't need dozens of police to wait at every corked intersection, just a few cool heads to deal with problems.
That's how Vancouver's critical mass does it. It's fucking awesome.
_________________ -Kevin
henry
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 9:26 am
somewhat piggishJoined: 05 Aug 2005Posts: 5415Location: on porch with shotgun
Yeah i was pretty upset to read about this when we got back yesterday. I haven't been going to CM for a number of reasons, but the idea that CM is all about fucking up other people's day is definitely high on the list.
I'll be out of town next month for CM, but I would encourage others to go out in force and try to keep the douchebags in check. It's sad to think that CM might cease to be a family friendly fun event.
I agree with ben that Thursdays are the ride for all out douchebaggery.
Joined: 12 Oct 2007Posts: 87Location: Greenwood/Phinney
Glad to see the discussion here. I just added a thread on this to SeattleLikesBikes (http://seattlelikesbikes.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=36) as well.
To really keep CM from going bad like this I think we need folks take organized, principalled leadership positions on the ride, basically around diffusing tough situations. I'm not suggesting trying to 'lead the ride'. I am suggesting that having a dozen folks who are committed to resolving tense situations peacefully would be a great first step.
I like the BC approach too. I wonder if the SPD is already too polarized to provide this kind of support.
joby
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 9:34 am
goes to elevenJoined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 3899Location: The Cloud
henry wrote:
I'll be out of town next month for CM, but I would encourage others to go out in force and try to keep the douchebags in check. It's sad to think that CM might cease to be a family friendly fun event.
This is exactly right. I've seen aggro people mellow out after others yell at them. Peer pressure seems to have a huge effect on these folks.
That said, If somebody ran over one of my friends over and then tried to drive away, I'd probably break their windows and punch them in the face.
Alex
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 9:39 am
Joined: 18 May 2006Posts: 3128Location: Roosevelt
I haven't been riding CM for that long (~2 years), but I think things started to go downhill when CM started going on 99. The group dynamic has changed since then -- it went from being a normal pretty happy bike ride atmosphere to something more antogonistic. I think riding on 99 more or less advertised "we're looking for trouble" and those who weren't looking for trouble stopped riding.
The most common examples that I see today that didn't happen before would be blocking oncoming traffic too or having one driver be upset and having a bunch of mass riders go yell at them instead of trying to calm them down.
I'm torn about giving up on CM and letting it go to the hot-heads vs trying to lead it back to a less antogonistic ride.
Oddly until the Aloha incident this was a much better CM than the last few. I talked with a bunch of regulars about how much friendlier the July ride was feeling than the few previous. Good weather, good riders, drivers who weren't being assholes, cyclists who weren't being assholes, and a pretty good route around downtown.
alex
lantius
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 9:50 am
1337Joined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 6705Location: right over
joby wrote:
That said, If somebody ran over one of my friends over and then tried to drive away, I'd probably break their windows and punch them in the face.
i know you had a friend who tried to do that for you!
Guys, I'm hella enthusiastic to see some like minds clicking in here.
I don't want to see CM become an extension of F'n Cascade. I don't think it needs a leader, or predefined routes, or permits, or full police escort.
But I'm betting if we had a dozen responsible, cool headed people spread throughout the crowd with some resemblance of leadership, in constant communication, that we can trust to keep a cool head, CM could actually turn in the right direction.
There will always be motorists raging. There will always be riders that mistake our strength in numbers for their license to get all vigilante. But as a group, we got to keep this shit in check. It's getting ridiculous.
Damn, I'm starting to think that SPD bike escorts could be a good thing. Is that something we can just ask the city for? how the heck does that work?
_________________ I use my powers for awesome.
btm
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:01 am
Joined: 02 Jul 2008Posts: 493Location: Rural Maine
I rode in the PDX CM this month and there were a few PBB bicycle officers in the ride for most of it. I thought it was pretty swell and when people weren't doing something stupid it felt like they were riding with us rather than being there to catch us doing something wrong.
I read about some newb auguring into the back of a truck down a particularly steep section of the ride. That really pisses me off as much as the Aloha incident.
We got to consider the lowest denominator and our goal. We need to pick routes for their visibility to motorists, not their inconvenience. We need to pick routes considering their safety and make sure everyone along for the ride can traverse them. That means we set the bar pretty darn low.
Taking 99 is stupid as hell.
People that think I'm defending the cager are missing my point. By the point that guy backed into the riders his destiny was written, he's lucky he got away in more or less one piece. What I'm saying, and granted I wasn't there so I don't know crap, but I'm guessing it really didn't have to get to that point. The Slog post that interviews the driver makes me very upset. That dude doesn't sound like some meth addict redneck looking to make hood ornaments out of us. He sounds like a pretty common guy who got pissed off, freaked the hell out, and shit blew up.
When we violate traffic laws, cork motor vehicles, and lead a mass of well-meaning cyclists around town to demonstrate/celebrate our rights to the road we REALLY need to exercise a bit more care and restraint. If we can't claim the moral high ground, we should just give the fuck up otherwise we're just another bunch of self-entitled raging jackasses stuck in traffic.
Last edited by SofaKing on Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:11 am; edited 2 times in total _________________ I use my powers for awesome.
seabiscuit
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:10 am
Joined: 12 Oct 2007Posts: 87Location: Greenwood/Phinney
How can we approach SPD about having some ride alongs? Although I don't doubt we'll have a ride along next month no matter what we do. Who's up for meeting to arrange an anti-douchebag posse?
I'm bummed about having to even consider giving up CM, Alex is right. The July08 ride was going well. I was out with my friend, his Mom (drove up from Oly to ride), and a guy from Germany who's teaching at the U. this year. It was his first ride, and in Volunteer park I asked him how the ride was going. He said he hadn't ridden much in Seattle because he wasn't sure how safe it was, and how the traffic culture would be. When we spoke he said he'd be doing more riding and felt safer.
I'm not sure he had the same opinion after the Aloha incident. I apologized to him for re-living it in front of him.
Who's up for meeting to arrange an anti-douchebag posse
I'd be down. But I want to make sure this isn't a backroom meeting of the critical mass clique. I'd suggest we publicize it a bit, and make sure that everyone who wants to see Critical Mass "fixed" gets a chance to share their vision and be part of the solution.
_________________ I use my powers for awesome.
ksep
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 11:03 am
Joined: 27 Jan 2007Posts: 1879Location: Westlake
criticalmass@scrimass.org wrote:
From: Muir Kumph <mkumph>
Date: Mon, Jul 28, 2008 at 11:48 AM
Subject: request from KUOW public radio
To: criticalmass@scrimass.org
I've been filtering alot of messages through the website. Bike and cars are on a lot of peoples minds and maybe something good can come of the mess on Friday. The woman below is in search of people who might be somewhat pro bike on her show. I did a stint like this a couple years ago when the King County cops forgot to identify themselves during Critical Mass. I find the people on radio are overwhelmingly made up of folks who are driving or who drive very often. I think its just something to do while stuck behind the wheel. That can make the audience somewhat of a hard sell. If your up for it, give her a call. Its public radio afterall.
I tried to explain that Criticalmass doesn't have leaders and rules. Its funny how difficult of a concept that is to explain.
Also... I think its worth mentioning. I moved out of Seattle and am still searching for a person to take over the website and email list. I don't mind taking care of it, but its better if its someone local. Less I be labelled a foreign agitator.
Also. To all the folks who got hurt or had their bikes messed up on Friday. Its not very many people who put their property, freedom and life on the line for something they believe in. In this age of keep-on-shopping no matter what, its a rare person to stand up for what is right. Riding in Criticalmass isn't a particularly safe form of expressing oneself. Its confrontational and its not for everyone. Maybe some day there won't be such a need for Criticalmass and the streets will be safer for cyclists, until then people in over 523 cities will ride every month.
Muir
---- begin forwarded message ----
Ok, thank you. I know it's not an organization.
Please pass along the call in number for the show as well: 206-543-5869.
The show is on from 1-2 pm on KUOW 94.9 fm and we welcome callers.
The overall question we're asking is - how well do cars and bikes share
the road, and how can we improve relations.
Thanks.
Jenny Asarnow
KUOW 94.9 Public Radio
jennya@kuow.org
(206) 616-5708
---- end forwarded message ----
laura
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 11:36 am
Joined: 22 Jun 2007Posts: 1050Location: wherever the dance party is
Alex wrote:
I'm torn about giving up on CM and letting it go to the hot-heads vs trying to lead it back to a less antogonistic ride.
This is the key issue, also raised by Denny earlier.
It was my first Critical Mass that allowed me to integrate and mingle within Seattle’s diverse bike community (CM = hello .83). That first Critical Mass empowered me (cheesy, yeah I know) to feel confident on my bike. All in all, it was a huge turning point. To surrender CM to a bunch of douchebags and deny other n00bs similar positive experiences seems wrong. On the other hand, I don’t want to be: hit, jailed, or involved in someone else’s anger issues. So, maybe ride August CM with a .83 buddy (strength in numbers) and self police as suggested by others? What I don’t want is to end up fighting amongst ourselves, while on the street, blocking traffic.
What burns me up is the fact that in comparison to other cities in the US, SPD has allowed CM to do it’s thing 12 days a year without giving us grief because we don’t cause them grief. Shoot, it was last month officers smiled and even shared a high-five with Miles. This incident also tarnishes their ability to let it slide. Pressure is on them to respond.
stinkbug
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 11:43 am
Joined: 28 Aug 2005Posts: 36
Alex wrote:
I haven't been riding CM for that long (~2 years), but I think things started to go downhill when CM started going on 99. The group dynamic has changed since then -- it went from being a normal pretty happy bike ride atmosphere to something more antogonistic.
eh, the dynamic of the rides seems to be cyclical (har har). there will be happy fun rides, then there will be rides where bad stuff happens, then there will be different types of people showing up, then they get bored after a few rides, and then by then a whole new batch of people start riding.
i do miss some of the fun aspects of past CM rides. like the use of streamers on bikes, multiple clown noses, flyers to hand out to motorists, some wacky bikes, etc.
nowadays things seem to be more clique oriented. hang out with a few buddies you know. ride with the mass. etc. the overall sense of fun seems to be slightly missing. on the flip side, i don't think the last two rides have been that antagonistic (not counting the Aloha stuff).
there have been bad rides in the past and they'll probably be bad rides in the future, but in general things go smoothly.
snyd3282
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:38 pm
could suck the fun out of a blowjobJoined: 23 Jul 2007Posts: 588Location: Ballard / Fremont
seabiscuit wrote:
How can we approach SPD about having some ride alongs? Although I don't doubt we'll have a ride along next month no matter what we do. Who's up for meeting to arrange an anti-douchebag posse?
Pretty much anything posted on the SLB wordpress shows up in the inbox of everyone at SDOT and a lot of other places inside the city of Seattle. If we can't find any other way to make contact, that would be one way to send the word out.
Another option would be to try to have a conversation with this guy (who talked to us about the Taming the SLUT ride):
Lt. Jim Dermody
Seattle Police Department
West Precinct Operations
810 Virginia St.
Seattle, WA 98101
206-684-8718 (desk)
206-684-8751 (fax)
james.dermody@seattle.gov www.seattle.gov
langston
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 4:23 pm
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 5547Location: Columbia City
snyd3282 wrote:
Another option would be to try to have a conversation with this guy (who talked to us about the Taming the SLUT ride):
Lt. Jim Dermody
Seattle Police Department
West Precinct Operations
810 Virginia St.
Seattle, WA 98101
206-684-8718 (desk)
206-684-8751 (fax)
james.dermody@seattle.gov www.seattle.gov
Jim Dermody is good people. He's a very visible and mellow officer here in WSEA, always friendly and learning the names of our neighbors.
heml0cke
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 5:38 pm
Joined: 20 Jun 2008Posts: 28Location: Wedgwood
SofaKing wrote:
.83 is about fun, flagrantly taking the road as ours, spreading mayhem and anarchy in our wake. CM SHOULD NOT BE THE SAME THING.
Er..
What the hell is it, then? A bunch of kids in a parade?
joby
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 5:49 pm
goes to elevenJoined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 3899Location: The Cloud
stuff like this has happened before. The world is not ending. We don't need drastic change.
some "Rules" that have been shared with me here and there:
1) Ride Critical mass. Invite your friends to ride critical mass.
2) Smile at everyone. Don't get mad.
3) Don't block oncoming cars.
4) If you're corking, Don't continue to block cars after the mass has passed. Even if the car in question was a jerk to you.
5) If you see someone breaking rules 2, 3, or 4, ride right up to them and tell them to stop.
6) don't think you're in charge. Don't make silly lists of rules about how people should behave at critical mass.
6) don't think you're in charge. Don't make silly lists of rules about how people should behave at critical mass.
You're list is spot on. I don't want rules. rules suck. And anyone who appoints themselves leader is a fool. But just letting it happen ain't working. Taking Aurora? Taunting motorists? Routes that endanger inexperienced riders? Handstands in front of pissed off drivers? Riding into oncoming traffic? That what I've been seeing, I just don't like it, and I have no faith in the situation fixing itself.
_________________ I use my powers for awesome.
laura
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 6:34 pm
Joined: 22 Jun 2007Posts: 1050Location: wherever the dance party is
SofaKing wrote:
That what I've been seeing, I just don't like it, and I have no faith in the situation fixing itself.
Self-policing/peer pressure/calling people out are powerful tools.
It's not about expecting douchebags to stop being douchebags independently. It's about letting them know certain behaviors are a no-go and they can comply or take their shit elsewhere. The majority of mass doesn't want aggression, violent confrontation, and hoopla. We want to ride bikes, have fun, and get to a park to drink beers and enjoy good summer weather.
Daverham
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 7:13 pm
Joined: 02 Aug 2007Posts: 18Location: Cap Hill
Anyone ever hand shit out (to drivers)? I know there are flyers (not really thinking of the angry-cyclist one), maybe a friendly message or - I don't know - maybe even something fun like a goddam piece of candy or something WITH a friendly flyer... just an idea.
_________________ "Every day you don't ride your bike is a day you will never get back"
- Me
Joined: 03 Aug 2007Posts: 179Location: by that one arco am/pm
i think an explanatory, question-and-answer themed pamphlet with a dorky "Come Join The Party!!!!!" tone to it, taped to a piece of candy, would be an excellent addition to our arsenal. something like
WHY IS THERE A BICYCLIST IN FRONT OF ME?
- You are being "corked"! We apologize for the inconvenience, but we are making sure all of Critical Mass can ride through this stoplight safely.
CRITICAL MASS?
-Critical Mass is a monthly demonstration of bicycle advocacy where cyclists are encouraged to take to the streets, etc. etc
HOW DO I GET IN ON THIS?
Meet at Westlake Center at 5:30 PM the last Friday of every month!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND HAVE A LOVELY DAY!
with dorky 1950s advertising clip-art or whatever
_________________ god damn problem bees
derrickito
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:00 pm
now with 50 percent more EVILJoined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 10566
hit a place with a laser printer and print out a few hundred. i used to print up piles of them to give out
Justine
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:45 pm
Joined: 28 Jul 2008Posts: 1
So... I broke down and joined the forum. I'm Rem's girlfriend for those who haven't met me.
Mass on Friday seriously FREAKED ME OUT. I was some weird zombie reading newspapers and answering phone calls all weekend. That witness, Ryan McElroy, is a friend of Rem and mine, and we invited him... he'd never been before and I for sure felt bad about the whole thing.
Anyway, I'm hearing people talk about "Ride Civil" and what not and I don't really want to do that... I think the thing would be to go in and make mass better. If you want loud flyering, or someone to hand out lollipops to corked drivers, I'd LOVE to participate. Anything to make the whole experience nicer, funner, and culminate in drinking on Kite Hill.... Basically, I feel the need to participate if somesuch Critical Mass improvement effort happens.
No making fun of me at work for this, Kevin. Or Andrew.
_________________ ...not joining the bike club, just the forum.
J
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 11:00 pm
Joined: 03 Aug 2007Posts: 179Location: by that one arco am/pm
thanks derrick. provided i'm here in august i will print out a bonerload of flyers & tape candy to them.
hit a place with a laser printer and print out a few hundred. i used to print up piles of them to give out
seattle public library, put like a buck in the donation jar next to the printer and print out a huge stack of them.
used to volunteer there, and it's a great place to print out stuff like that. they might even be supportive, depending on who you talk too.
as for what happened, i think the biggest problem here is very similar to what happened at the wto protests.
you have alot of good people just trying to make a point, and a handful of guys who are only there to cause shit just for the sake of causing shit. calling them out might not even make them stop, it might just make them feel like their accomplishing their goal of causing shit.
i can't think of too great of a solution to this, maybe identify the big assholes and just tell them to leave when you see them? some people are just going to mess stuff up every time, it's not an accident.
Daverham
Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 5:36 am
Joined: 02 Aug 2007Posts: 18Location: Cap Hill
I'm aware of the flyers, but I don't that that many of them do what we want them too, especially the angry cyclist who looks like he wants to punch your windows in just because he "is traffic". Cool drawing, but I doubt that would make a driver feel any better, even if there was a werthers original taped to it.
I've played around with the idea of making a new one and emailing a PDF to Muir, see if he would post it to that page. I guess I'll do it. Maybe post it here, get feedback etc first.
_________________ "Every day you don't ride your bike is a day you will never get back"
- Me
could suck the fun out of a blowjobJoined: 23 Jul 2007Posts: 588Location: Ballard / Fremont
I'll be there next month helping to cork.
My plan is to make it completely clear that I'm not an angry cyclist by having a flip-book of 8.5x11 sheets:
Hi, This is Critical Mass
Honk if you like bikes!
Smile, it is Friday!
I am here for safety.
I don't carry a U-lock or knife.
5 minutes or less...
...and you have...
...the road back...
...or your money back.
Thanks for your patience.
We meet at Westlake Plaza
We meet at 5:30 PM
On the last Friday of the month
Did you hear the one about
the road and the sidewalk
sitting at a bar?
In walks the Burke Gilman Trail
The road quakes with fear
The sidewalk asks what's up?
The road whispers...
...that guy is a cyclepath.
:)
Cheesy, I know
But it kept you entertained.
We are almost done.
As soon as the group is past
I'll be on my way.
Thanks. Have a nice day.
...that or repeat one of those burma-shave ads. Something along these lines to positively communicate that this is fun and lighthearted and that doesn't require me approaching their window and possibly spooking them.
I'm a dork, but that is my plan.
stinkbug
Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 7:28 am
Joined: 28 Aug 2005Posts: 36
think wrote:
seattle public library, put like a buck in the donation jar next to the printer and print out a huge stack of them.
used to volunteer there, and it's a great place to print out stuff like that. they might even be supportive, depending on who you talk too.
SPL moved to a pay-for-print system awhile back (complete with pay station, etc). So unless there's some secret computer hidden in a corner that's not hooked up to that print network, it's probably not going to be possible to print a huge stack with $1.00.
In any case...
In some past rides (either here or elsewhere, I forget), there have been corking signs used. Basically a sign with messages on both sides, on a pole of sorts. One side with "Please wait for 2 minutes... blah blah" and then the flip side with "Thank You" on it that can be turned to when the corker is about to depart.
Although my guess is that the riders won't be the ones doing to the corking at the next mass.
SeditiousCanary
Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 7:34 am
sorry, can't make it!Joined: 26 Jan 2006Posts: 2315Location: Fremont Troll
J wrote:
WHY IS THERE A BICYCLIST IN FRONT OF ME?
- You are being "corked"! We apologize for the inconvenience, but we are making sure all of Critical Mass can ride through this stoplight safely.
CRITICAL MASS?
-Critical Mass is a monthly demonstration of bicycle advocacy where cyclists are encouraged to take to the streets, etc. etc
HOW DO I GET IN ON THIS?
Meet at Westlake Center at 5:30 PM the last Friday of every month!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND HAVE A LOVELY DAY!r
HOW CAN I HELP MAKE SURE YOU GUYS SAFE?
Thanks for asking! Mostly, it's just patience on your part while we cross this intersection, but watch out for bicyclists when ever you are out driving. Odd are many of the cyclists you see while driving may be riding here.
ethan
Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 7:55 am
Joined: 21 Jan 2008Posts: 920Location: Maple Leaf
Excellent flyer ideas, both the ones for fellow Massers and also those for drivers. Not sure I like this part of the driver one tho:
Quote:
HOW DO I GET IN ON THIS?
Meet at Westlake Center at 5:30 PM the last Friday of every month!
I could imagine that some drivers would get annoyed that you'd think they might actually want to participate.. and would think, or maybe even say: "As iiiff!" .. and then crumple the flyer up and toss it on the street.
Maybe instead have it say:
Quote:
HOW OFTEN AND WHERE DOES THIS HAPPEN?
Last Friday of each month. People meet at Westlake Center (4th and Pike) at 5:30 pm and then the ride starts at 6:00 pm. The ride never has a set route, but it usually ...
(etc etc)
That way, drivers who want to avoid it can do so, and those who want to participate also know where to go.
tehschkott
Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:26 am
daywalkerJoined: 09 Nov 2007Posts: 6108Location: Hatertown
Joined: 28 Jan 2006Posts: 555Location: Wallingford
"Douching it up" may be a bit strong. For those that are too lazy to follow the link let me quote the first two paragraphs which strike me as entirely fair and accurate.
Quote:
Cascade Bicycle Club supports the right of cyclists to assemble peacefully and ride in a lawful manner whenever and wherever they choose. We also recognize that Critical Mass can be a powerful reminder of the disparity between bicycles and motor vehicles with regard to the allocation and management of our public rights of way. Some would go so far as to argue that a “critical mass” of automobiles congests our streets daily.
Unfortunately, based on the actions of a few, Seattle Critical Mass is undermining any potential to create positive community exchange and to draw focus to improving conditions for bicycling in our city.
_________________ Confidential to everybody: "Pearl necklace" is out. "Cheney" is in. Pass it on.
Daverham
Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:41 am
Joined: 02 Aug 2007Posts: 18Location: Cap Hill
CM has always been about generating awareness for cyclists, a demonstration so that we could make some positive change, get bike lanes, etc.
Well, thanks in part to high gas prices and a collective awareness that cars are slowly killing us all (and fucking expensive and wasteful) - we HAVE seen a lot of progress, new bike lanes, 3-bike racks in the buses instead of 2 (they are working on this). Bike parking, Flex cars, Trolleys, etc. Things are moving forward. Change is slow.
Maybe CM should be a celebration ride instead of a protest. Studies show that consumers react to POSITIVE messaging way better than negative/fear campaigns. This is true especially in environmental campaigns where people respond well to seeing the POSITIVE effects they can have. They don't like to hear about all the bad things. Take next CM as an opportunity to celebrate bike culture an the new master plan and celebrate how much you don't pay for gas every day.
A positive vibe (instead of a "protest" vibe) - is way more likely to bring people on board.
How much good has CM done us? It pisses people off. It's fun as hell, I love the ride, but we are generating anti-bikers way more than we are getting pro-bikers. The protest is over, time to celebrate instead. Let's keep doing the ride, change the vibe/reason.
_________________ "Every day you don't ride your bike is a day you will never get back"
- Me
we are generating anti-bikers way more than we are getting pro-bikers.
That's a hard thing to measure.
There are a number of people who are silently anti-biker and when something like Friday's incident happens, they start spewing on the message boards. CM didn't generate that type of anti-biker, CM simply helped identify the person as anti-biker.
When, during CM, I ride by drivers and pedestrians who laugh and smile in reaction to us, I wonder what they ultimately take away from the spectacle that passed by them. Those people are less likely to post to hate-filled forum threads.
If CM ceased to exist you'd still have plenty of drivers mystified (and sometimes angered) by seeing a biker in a street. And even if a CM ride was trouble-free, there would still be people who hate the people riding in it. How do you generate pro-bikers from that group of haters?
tehschkott
Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 10:10 am
daywalkerJoined: 09 Nov 2007Posts: 6108Location: Hatertown
Even if it is a celebration ride instead of a protest - which I'd subscribe Mass already IS a celebration ride - we'd still use Road Guards at intersections, and to block hostile drivers. Every ride I'm on we do that to ensure people cross safely - be it .83 or Slow Sunday.
Last edited by tehschkott on Tue Jul 29, 2008 10:16 am; edited 1 time in total _________________ GREAT UNITER / ORACLE / ELDER
MOOAAR DONGS
tehschkott
Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 10:15 am
daywalkerJoined: 09 Nov 2007Posts: 6108Location: Hatertown
And you're assuming that this was caused by overzealous corkers, which it wasn't. Unless you're referring to the 35yo lawyer who was corking him and ended up under the guys bumper.
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