Advocacy & Safety - Planning a Critical Mass Ride

Hey all! Hope this message finds everyone well.

Some groups of cyclists and MBikers are planning a critical mass ride in our community because it seriously lacks the necessary infrastructure for us to get around the community safely (no bike lanes, not even a single trail). The community boasts about 37,000 people and we are in desperate need of this awareness.

Anyone have any experience with this? We already have two very important contacts with the police department, but I'm really looking for some creative ways of planning these sort of events and appreciate ANY AND ALL information and tips you can give me.

Also, we are having police escort (via patrol car, and will also have an officer of the local police department (our community's only officer on a bicycle) actually riding his bike in his uniform with us. SO exciting!

Again, any feedback is welcome! Positive/negative experiences too!

Look down the Forum about 7 lines to this thread and get all the feedback you can read.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=108058

make sure any participant in your critical mass ride don't do the
common critical mass angst against motorists, like flipping them off and
intentionally blocking cars for no reason. this is what happens a lot
on critical mass rides and you need to make sure the group polices itself

make sure any participant in your critical mass ride don't do the
common critical mass angst against motorists, like flipping them off and
intentionally blocking cars for no reason. this is what happens a lot
on critical mass rides and you need to make sure the group polices itself

Easier said then done.

-Kurt

Easier said then done.

Perhaps the group will have help in this case:

Also, we are having police escort (via patrol car, and will also have an officer of the local police department (our community's only officer on a bicycle) actually riding his bike in his uniform with us. SO exciting!

Times-up! of New York promotes critical mass on their website (http://times-up.org/index.php?page=critical-mass). Here's an illegal, but creative way of promoting critical mass on the williamsburg bridge.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/74/196055790_5bd46896db.jpg?v=0

Just come to a consensus on a time and a place and let it happen. Traditionally it happens on the last friday of every month, though Brooklyn Critical Mass happens on the 2nd friday of every month, is police escorted and strangely civil compared to the Manhattan CM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUkiyBVytRQ) (we didn't have to stop traffic to run red lights, a fleet of scooter cops did it for us). Good luck, and where are you located?

stay on the arterials and off streets with lots of stop signs and off streets with bike lanes on them

I'd call it something other than Critical Mass. Group ride bike advocacy needs a fresh start.

Best of luck to you. They can get your message across and also be fun.