Originally Posted by jeffpoulin

I suddenly understood how frustrated drivers must feel when they get caught in CM demonstrations.

Originally Posted by spare_wheel

I guess your "convenience" trumps freedom of speech and the right to assemble.

Originally Posted by Telly

Had the displeasure of attending one a few months back and bailed out quickly because of the ridiculous anti-social behavior of a large majority of the riders; towards cars, pedestrians and even fellow riders. I'm pretty sure that most if not all car occupants which came into contact with the CM mob now have a very negative idea on cyclists.

Some of the behavior witnessed:

* Total lack of following traffic regulations; running red lights, salmoning, riding on sidewalks dodging pedestrians
* Ninja cyclists without lights, reflectors or helmets
* morons showing off by popping wheelies and other stupidities while surrounded by other cyclist
* abusive behavior towards cars even though there was no provocation on their part

In other words a circus taking place on pavement, made me ashamed of being a cyclist.

Originally Posted by spare_wheel

I guess your "convenience" trumps freedom of speech and the right to assemble.

Originally Posted by Terry66

Dayton has a monthly courteous mass ride. Same concept but with a different agenda. We basically cruise through downtown obeying traffic laws, trying to encourage biking to other cyclist and to coexist with cars. I think they are on Facebook if you want to check it out.

Originally Posted by PatrickGSR94

I think what we have here in Memphis is much tamer than all that CM stuff. Back in 2011 a couple guys started Cycle Memphis, where we meet at the same spot the first Saturday evening of each month, and ride a different route each time, to some different destination each time that always involves food or drink. We usually have 30 to 40 people each month. The anniversary ride last summer we had just over 100 riders, which I thought was huge lol.

What makes this ride cool is it is very social, everybody is quite friendly to one another, and everybody is willing to help out anyone in need along the way. Also there is a definite leader as he is the guy pulling the big speaker behind his bike with music blasting. Riding with music is simply awesome.

We might get one, maybe two cars honk at us on an entire ride. We always stop for red lights, and roll through stop signs only if it is completely clear. If some people make it through a light and it changes, those who made it through will wait up ahead for the rest to catch up.

I have attended every ride since last May, and I've had an absolute blast every single time.

https://www.facebook.com/cyclememphis?fref=ts

Originally Posted by mulveyr

going out of their way to annoy drivers, including hurling verbal abuse at people they'd corked ...

...it's impractical for the police to arrest everyone who is going out of their way to act like a jerk.

Originally Posted by Chris_in_Miami

My experience with the local ride (Ft. Lauderdale) has been similar, though it's becoming a bit less comfortable to me in the last 6 months or so, as our numbers have increased to nearly 200 riders. The vibe here is more fun than protest, and the interaction with pedestrians & motorists is usually pretty positive.

As for the music, I could probably do with less of that - it seems like every other rider on last month's had their own sound system blasting crappy trance music. IMHO, that makes it difficult to call it a social ride if you can't socialize over the noise.

Originally Posted by timvan_78

I have done a few here in Vancouver, BC, a few years ago, and am still really torn about it.

- The vibe was super positive, and it was a LOT of fun!!
- Even 99% of drivers/pedestrians were positive about the event, and there was a lot of cheering. A few dicks, but not many.
-Most of the corkers were polite, well-spoken individuals who carried a good dialogue with the motorists and pedestrians, and things remained very civil on both sides. (This is in the same City that rioted/burned a part of the City when we lost the Stanley Cup--that was an anomoly.)
-Cycling awareness was created, and the City poured $$ into cycling infrastructure...maybe CM helped create that awareness?

But maybe I shouldn't participate:
-The City of Vancouver has poured a lot of $$ into cycling infrastructure (and they still are), so CM is not really protesting that.
-Most Vancouverites are very 'aware' of cyclists so we are not creating any (positive) awareness. Some drivers are still just plain stupid/inattentive/unaware and some are rude, but CM won't help that. Generally the attitude is fairly positive towards cycling already.


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So...should I be doing it just because it was FUN for me? (At the expense of a lot of people's time.) Not really, so I haven't gone in a few years. But I'm still torn. Awareness/advocacy is important, and CM is another method...maybe not the right one though.

Originally Posted by spare_wheel

I guess your "convenience" trumps freedom of speech and the right to assemble.

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

i've never participated in one. it's always seemed counterproductive to me.

and i'm not a joiner by nature.

Originally Posted by Brennan

When I first heard about it back in the 90s, I thought it was a great idea and sounded like fun. But I was not living in the SF area at the time, so I never got the chance to participate. Now, 20 years later, it doesn't seem like such a novel idea anymore, and it does further strain the relationship between motorists and cyclists. Another large group ride has cropped up in the Bay Area called the Bike Party. It occurs one Friday night a month, well after the commute traffic has died down, and it stops at traffic lights. I've been on a few of those, and it's been great fun with a lot of positive feedback from bystanders, and even some motorists.