comments on Critical Mass

[Eli_Damon]

1. There are too many people who don't follow the rules. This makes bike advocacy look bad. It sends the message to motorists that cyclists are just a bunch of punks, which helps to justify anti-cycling policy.

2. There's too much tootling around. I would like to see Critical Mass specifically targeting roads where cyclists get harassed. In my area, I get harassed the most on Rt. 9 in Hadley and Rts. 5 and 10 in Northampton for example.

[pirate]

talking about critical mass is such a can of worms, plus there are already a ton of threads on this same topic.
to address your points:
1. Yeah, and there are alot of drivers who don't follow the rules either, creating a daily automobile critical mass. alot of it is the pack mentality of the fair weather activist kids who don't ride their bikes that often besides in CM, in my experience. I don't know what it is like in your city, so that might not apply. I follow traffic rules maybe 80% of the time but that is my choice. Some people don't want to, and that is at their own risk.

2. This is why I like to ride in CM. I like riding around for an hour with people I never have meet and riding to places I wouldn't normally go. I don't see CM as a bicycle advocacy thing per se. If you want it to be, then fine, but I go because it is fun. sometimes. and sometimes it sucks.

[straightedge]

1. There are too many people who don't follow the rules. This makes bike advocacy look bad. It sends the message to motorists that cyclists are just a bunch of punks, which helps to justify anti-cycling policy.

2. There's too much tootling around. I would like to see Critical Mass specifically targeting roads where cyclists get harassed. In my area, I get harassed the most on Rt. 9 in Hadley and Rts. 5 and 10 in Northampton for example.

Follow what rules? Critical Mass means different things to different people. There isn't a ride in my city but I've ridden Chicago a few times when I've been up there. I find it to just be a really fun ride around the city with other cyclists and a way to have a good time. So maybe to me its not advocacy, rather just a time to have some fun, if it makes other drivers mad, oh well. Plenty of drivers cheer, wave and give hi-fives as well, so not every person held up is going to be running down cyclists. Besides, if you are still having problems with motorists and you've been "advocating" through following every law/rule, how well is it really working? Maybe Critical Mass is a bit of push back after being "harassed" by some drivers all month. And of course there is always some riders who take things a little too far but again that's only a few.

As for your specific situation, is a loosely planned route decided before hand? Could you come up with a map or something and put it up with the other suggestions?

[randya]

I don't mean to burst your bubble, but this has been discussed a million times on these forums already. No one's changing their minds, and you'll get the usual responses from the usual suspects, both pro and con.

[San Rensho]

What are we talking about here, obeying the rules during the events called Critical Mass or biking in general? If we are talking the event, then yes, every biker should obey the rules of the road since they are purposely attracting attention to the fact that cyclists belong on the road and should be respected and they should be on thier best behavior.

If we are talking about cycling in general, then I'll let you in on a little secret, MANY CAR DRIVERS HATE CYCLISTS for no other reason than they exist, period. Following or not following the rules of the road makes no difference to these people as far as their opinion of cyclists goes. The proof is that I get screamed at all the time to GET THE F@CK OFF THE ROAD, even though I am following all of the rules.

In my day to day cycling, I ride in a manner that is safe for ME, and that means I will run lights, stop signs as long as I in no way violate the right of way of any traffic, because I have found this method to be the safest for me and it has the byproduct of being completely safe for everyone else around me.

[ckassor]

critical mass down rte 9 in hadley is a death wish. you'd have traffic backed up for miles, and a lot of pissed off drivers.

[Bikepacker67]

I get harassed the most on Rt. 9 in Hadley and Rts. 5 and 10 in Northampton for example.

What's this??? The bastion of east coast liberalism is anti bicycle???

Actually I never had much of a problem in the Amherst -> Ware section of RT. 9, but around ZooMass, I'd rather take the bike path (too much ugly stripmallness along that stretch of 9).

This is making me homesick.

[genec]

Critical Mass would have the most impact in getting the message across that cyclists are traffic too, if...

The cyclists rode according to the rules of the road of the state and area in which they are riding... stopping at stop signs and stop lights just like every other vehicle.

Further, their message would have far more impact if CM was conducted all over the city by small groups of cyclists acting in the most legal manner... actually using the laws as written.

As long as CM continues to be a mass ride that runs stop lights and yells and whoops at motorists, the message is lost. It just looks like a parade without a cause.

Yeah, this all has been discussed a bunch... but it doesn't seem to sink in.

[fordfasterr]

critical mass down rte 9 in hadley is a death wish. you'd have traffic backed up for miles, and a lot of pissed off drivers.


This sounds like a perfectly justifiable reason to me.

=)