turbo2L

I look at it this way: If a fellow faster bicyclist wanted to pass you, would you block them? I doubt you would, nor would you probably attend an event where you organized the D group to start before the others and not let them pass.

Could many drivers be more courteous? Certainly. Should infrastructure be changed to be more bike-friendly? Absolutely. Does pissing off drivers by blocking roads do more harm than good to these causes? I certainly believe it does.

dynaryder

And therein lies the issue;how many peacable CM's have you seen? Screaming at car drivers just because they're in cars,blocking all lanes of traffic,interfering with buses and peds,this is a typical CM here in DC.

CM prolly would do some good for cycling if participants concentrated on fostering a good image.

Machka 

How do you start a Critical Mass Biking Event?

You don't. Please don't.

If you must start something, start a Courteous Mass Biking Event. Look it up.

25hz

Wrong. It's obviously you're one of the CM haters. So fine, don't ride, don't even talk about them. Just hang out there in DC and be the bastion for all that's common sense in the cycling world. If you're going to post though, pretend to actually go read up on the history and purpose of CM. It's no surprise CMs go wrong when people like you might have ridden in one (but I doubt it, as the vast majority of haters have never ridden a single CM) but really have no clue why. It isn't about "raising awareness of cycling" - that's just flat out stupid. It's about showing people that bikes are more than just something to schmutz around on a sidewalk with or go for a 10 minute ride once a month or do a couple laps on a MUP with.

If the cyclists around you are morons, that's your problem - deal with it. If the drivers around you are morons, that's your problem - deal with it. The planet is a big place (and, that, is everything that ISN'T DC) and CMs all over have been working just fine, for a long time. You don't get "it", so, don't do CM's then. CM will be just fine without you, and without DC.

drafters65

thanks for showing me how to block traffic with my bike because i was beginning to get bored of just riding around.

BlazingPedals

That is correct. They have no desire to be associated with it, and for the most part have discovered more constructive ways to work for change. CM is the equivalent of a petulant teenager having a temper tantrum because the world "isn't fair."

Most cities that endure CMs have learned the hard way that it's easier to put up with them rather than get bad press for using excessive force when they try to keep the riots from disrupting other valid road users. I would hardly call them trouble-free.

I think this entire thread belongs in A&S, not here.

frymaster

if you can even find anything written about it.... and you probably won't. because nobody pays attention to "courteous mass" or "critical manners" or whatever they're calling the yes-sir-anything-you-say-sir "advocacy" ride these days.

urban_assault

I rode in a lot of CM rides in Atlanta. I even made flyers and promoted it. Critical mass can be a lot of fun. I bought into the idea. After a while though, some riders became more belligerent and confrontational. This got the attention of the Police. When the the balance tips more to protest and disruption than asserting rights to the road and having fun, I think it does more harm than good.

I stopped riding in CM and decided to be active on advocacy in other ways.

wunderkind

^ exactly. CM started out with good intentions. However without a stated mandate and being a leaderless event, those who screams loudly will soon take over.
I am sure in GTA, there exist already various bicycle advocacy groups. Work within these groups to cooperate with the city and its transportation governance area and you will see more improvements. The problem with CM is its negative image that it garnered over the years. It may be a stumbling block towards working with city officials for any cycling infrastucture improvements.
However if you just want a social bike ride, then just head to your local Mississauga cycling club and get something started. UofT campus should have one already.

Robert Foster

If we step back a bit and reason this out it is possible to see why many cyclists have a problem with CM. Many of us are daily cyclists and commute, shop or exercise on the same streets with the same drivers that the CM riders are blocking on a regular basis. Sure they have a right to the road but they aren’t sharing the road they are blocking it. Look up Video on San Diego CM rides or LA and while much of it is simply a party on bikes there is some harassment of car taking place. We get the term Corking from CM rides and they do Cork even when they lie through their teeth and state they follow all the rules of the road like stopping for red lights and giving way to cross traffic. It is the blocking of traffic and corking that angers people the most. Often the police have to be assigned to monitor these events, even if they are done without a permit because they are all just traffic themselves, and that coast tax payer money.

Now the next day after a CM ride some of the same drivers that were blocked, harassed, or just flipped off are still on the road and those of us that ride those streets every day are faced with an angry person in a 3000 pound vehicle. We have worked hard to convince the city councils in some of our cities that we are responsible citizens and need more infrastructures in our cities and then they read in our local papers about a CM party taking up their Police department time and blocking other citizens from functioning in a normal manner on their city streets. While the CM riders are home recovering from the party we daily cyclists have mud on our face and have to try and rebuild the positive attitude we have been working on for years to get more bike paths painted on the road or have MUP added to your community.

In short it is hubris to try and belittle fellow cyclists because they have reservations about an activity that affects them even when they are not responsible for that activity. Toss in an element of civil disobedience and condemning cyclists as haters for not supporting such activity is simply unreasonable. Some people may consider themselves environmentalists but they would not condone the actions of ELF. Many cyclists will not wish to be part of CM for the very same reason.

BarracksSi

Like I keep saying, if CM'ers widen their perspective -- i.e., look in the mirror -- and see how they really affect things, they can't be proud of what they've done.

A belligerent mob is not an advocacy group.

frymaster

you've never actually been to a cm, have you?

BarracksSi

A good reason I haven't was already given by another poster:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.p...3&postcount=56

What kind of credibility would that give me, anyway?

Ooh, look at me, I know what it's like to be a "cork"! I rode on the same street that I usually ride to get to the shop or movie theater except that I rode at half the speed! And, this time, I got yelled at by a bunch of drivers instead of none! Aren't I awesome!!

You've got to f'ing be KIDDING me...

BlazingPedals

You've never worked with a planning board or a city improvement committee, have you?

urban_assault

macteacher, any thoughts?

chewybrian 

Bob lays out a valid argument. You could have reservations, or be against the event on general principles, like not wanting to run red lights. That does not make you a "hater". It's the unsubstantiated hyperbole, from Barrack and others, that I would label "hater".

I went to one; it was positive. So, your argument is invalid. But, of course, I imagine some bad things and hurt feelings could have, probably have, occured on other rides, especially in bigger cities.

One--no screaming, no bad acts. And the public was largely friendly, waving, taking photos. No big deal!

Exactly.

BarracksSi

Critical Mass = the lazy man's advocacy.

Robert Foster

Thanks for seeing my point. I live between San Diego and LA and if you search the videos for the CM rides in those two cities you will see the differences between the riders participating in those events and the ones going to city council meetings and participating in organized group rides. Working with the community to put together fun rides and events to promote cycling involves working with the community and we often have a concern when events like CM turn bad. We are sponsoring an event in conjunction with the water department in our area and I have every reason to expect we will receive a positive response from the surrounding communities.

Events like the Palm Springs Century and many other rides like that bring public awareness and support from the communities they are in. Traffic is made aware of the event and routes to be taken months in advance and in general the response of the driving public is positive. Local merchants also receive additional business when these rides are put on. In contrast a CM ride disrupts because it has no advertised route and can often disrupt drive by and walk by traffic in front of these same merchants.

One of the few CM types of rides that seem to work in the San Diego area is midnight madness. I wouldn’t care much for the event but it seems benign because they don’t look like they have to cork but they also don’t pay much attention to red lights. Corking seems to cause a good portion of the driver conflict in the CM videos we see on the computer. I simply support events that leave the community with a positive impression of cyclists. I have trouble with ones that leave a negative impression.

wolfchild

I live in the same city as OP and I will not support or be part of CM if it ever takes place. My question for all the people that support or were part of CM is : what has it accomplished ? what positive thing has it done for cycling infrastructure in your city ?

WCoastPeddler

I find it rather intriguing that the OP asked a straight forward question requesting information about starting a CM ride in his town and although a couple of people in this thread have provided him with information about doing it, the majority of the 69 other posts in this thread have been people telling him (and ridiculing him) to not do it -- he didn't ask for your opinion of whether or not he should do it -- only that he wanted information about how to go about doing it.

As for the naysayers, if you don't agree with CM -- don't participate! Better yet, participate and show the people who are participating how you think they should be doing it -- lead by example rather than with your caustic and (mostly) unfounded comments.

turbo2L

^^ I would participate if I could find a way not to block the entire road and snarling traffic for the sole purpose of blocking the entire road and snarling traffic.

Any advice?

Machka 

You must not be familiar with Google. Perhaps you should look Google up first, then look up "Courteous Mass"

Machka 

Yes ...... Look up Courteous Mass. I just heard about Courteous Mass here in Hobart, and it makes so much more sense than being complete and utter jerks on the road and defiling the reputations of good cyclists.

WCoastPeddler

Courteous Mass, Critical Manners, and the like, as good as they are, are not the same thing as Critical Mass, nor do they get anywhere near the participation. If you're ideas are so great, it would be completely logical to convince the people who rally for CM to change their ways. Perhaps you ought to go to a CM and convince those who have gathered for the event that they should follow your lead and do the rides that you've suggested. That would make a lot more sense than going on ad naseum in an online forum to those of us here who participate in CM. If your ideas have as much merit as you claim, it should be a slam dunk.

BarracksSi

Hey, they already know you -- what's to keep you from changing your own CM ride?