Fixed.

They expect to move faster -- especially when in a peloton.

thread subject should be "cyclists mete out justice"

Hi Guys. I usually go to Seattle CM events, but did not last weekend. I heard first hand from the guy who did the attack what happened. Yes, the guy they are searching for still is a friend of mine. I don't condone what he did, but it is not all CM who is to blame. He is not a representative of CM and is not typical of their message.
The attacker claims that the driver simply gunned it from an intersection after saying "F**k it"" and was not being threatened at that time. He was just angry about waiting for the 2-block long crowd to pass by. He ran over and through 10 people. One guy got his legs ran over. Other people have said he said he was late to a "reservation". My friend claims that he acted alone and caught up to the car 2 blocks later at a stop sign and bashed the window with a u-lock. When the driver got out to confront him my friend hit him with the u-lock. Thats when 2 others caught up and slashed the tires. It was not a mob. That comes from the mouth of the guy who did it. He called me immediately afterwards but I havent seen him since. Even though I'm glad I wasn't there, I honestly ask you to put yourselves in his shoes. If you witness a car run over a crown of people, would you act? What would you do? Use harsh language? You would want to stop the driver somehow. Emotions were high, one person hit him one time with a ulock. No mob attack. OK?

Right, and we're expected to believe this completely unbiased account of the story too? What did or didn't happen doesn't matter now. The guy who got beat up was the motorist and the story that everyone is hearing is about a group of thug CM riders attacking a motorist. How many years of work by actual advocacy groups went right down the toilet because the cyclists decided to take justice into their own hands instead of calling the cops. Good job.

I don't get why cyclists who participate in CM type group rides get so shocked when drivers get pissed while riders are "plugging" an intersection. The hypocrisy in CM's blows my mind. "We have the right to the roads, but since we are on bikes we can totally bend the rules and hold up traffic because we are special little snow flakes out to save the world by riding bikes" Cut your hair hippies.

This CM ****e is becoming increasingly self-defeating. seems to me that by commandeering the road, CM provokes justifyable annoyance from drivers that get held up at green lights. I'm not defending violence and aggressive behavior by anyone on the road. While I've been know to roll through red lights when its safe to do so, I think it would be much more shocking and positively influencial on the public at large if they witnessed a giant group of cyclists stoping at red lights (as they really should).

More from CM in New York:

https://gothamist.com/2008/07/28/cop_...lting_cycl.php

because the drivers are only being blocked for a few minutes at most... same as if prez bush's motorcade came through town... in fact i've seen seattle cops "cork" an intersection for the governator when he was in seatown.

point being, drivers only get pissed when it's a bunch of bikes in their way. had this guy waited for about three oir four minutes, he could have saved us all a bunch of trouble.

btw, i like my long hair dammit!

Are you talking about uncontrolled intersections or does CM stop traffic against the lights? If a light turns red in the middle of the CM group does the trailing half stop?

It doesn't matter though, lots of groups of guys get together on motorcycles and cars for group rides and they don't plug intersections to get their group through. A political motorcade is far different from a CM. It's a group of people out for a ride, they have no special rights, no privilege, why should the drivers have to become late for their events because a group of riders wants to stay together. How about CM's start planning a solid route and printing out maps or positing the routes online so people can catch up. It's just another one of CM's hypocrisy and double standards.

if a light turns red (against the flow of CM), people "cork" the intersection (block it) until all the bikes are through, so as not to split up the "mass."

why is a political motorcade that much different than CM? besides the money involved, official business, etc.. it's still traffic blocking traffic. the way i see it, CM has the same rights they do. sure, you car-huggers out there might not see it that way, and that's ok with me.

CM doesn't plan routes (there is no "leader"), besides the general areas to hit up. whomever is at the front of the pack can decide where it goes next.. so a pre-defined map wouldn't work.

there may be some double-standards going on, but that's only assuming that CM is trying to "fit in" to the framework of the world as it is. which CM isn't planning on doing anytime soon, i can promise you that. it's kind of the point of a protest, last time i checked.

i'm not saying that the attacks on this driver were OK, i'm just trying to explain the rationale of CM to the car-huggers in this forum.

Are you serious, really, honestly?! You're right, CM does have the same rights as cars do, which subsequently means they have to apply to the same laws cars do, one being STOP AT A ****ING REDLIGHT. Drivers shouldn't have to suffer because CM's can't get their **** together.

Oh, OK. Thanks. You want people to be considerate to your inconsideration.

You're missing the point of CM. It is organized anarchy. And it's also a political demonstration done almost parade like. Does the Rose Bowl parade stop at lights? Do political marches stop at lights? No. CM is not an normal group ride. It is unfair to hold them to those kinds of standards. (It is my understanding that the route is planned and adhered to on the NY CM rides... I may be wrong.)

Drivers suffer only because they get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just as a driver would if he came across any organized protest marching along the avenue.

(I can't believe I'm defending CM

It's funny how organized anarchy sounds alot of like unorganized douchbagary. Face it, it's a group of mostly immature bored kids looking to get noticed, riding their bikes responsibly isn't enough for them. A CM is not like a parade, the public enjoys parades, parades and protests are typically organized and the city often times grants permission for both. Most of all, protests matters, CM's do not.

I'm not from Pasadena but I'll bet the Rose Parade has an event permit and a traffic control plan.

****, many of those immigration protests that take over down town LA get permits, and let the police know ahead of time.

I used to think it wasa certain mentality that would deliberately side swipe or just try to graze you when riding. While riding locally about 4 months ago a very reserved woman who I know very well did the exact thing to me. She didn't recognize me with the riding gear on but she has a very recognizable vanity plate. I really don't think it would do any good to confront her on it she would deny it and make it look again like a weeny biker complaining again about Share the Road. It's frustrating!

I've been waiting for that to happen to me, to catch one of my friends messing with me. There is maybe one or two of my friends who would recognize me on the road and even then I'm not sure about that. I wouldn't be as polite as you though.

Car huggers....what a load of nonsense. Some people are actually interested in making roads safer by working within the law rather than riding around being a nuisance. Motorcades are planned and often when when it's expected to block major roads they are announced the day before so people can plan accordingly. There's no clear point made by CM other than just a buch of people blocking traffic so who's the protest intended for? No one is holding up signs or anything that would indicate it is a protest, so the point is lost on anyone other than those participating.

Exactly for all people driving cars know, a large group of friends just decided to hop on their bikes and ride to a party.

on-lookers that ask "what's going on?" and are handed leaflets, and/or told what it's all about (at least here in seatown). so the message isn't totally lost on the "victims" being held up or watching..

boo ******** hoo that traffic gets held up for a few minutes. the point about the motorcades is that people get held up by other cars and they're ok with it... but god forbid some other form of transportation will get in their way!

i can't wait for the next CM. i'll take pictures and report back. all you car-huggers will run in fear.

Us. vs. Them. That always works so well.

It's a ridiculous and totally unrealistic thing. The goal is not to make motorists OK with cyclists as road users day to day, not accepting of angry "motorcades" of cyclists.

Since when is the goal of this to make "car-huggers" run in fear???

I live in LA kiddo, I'm more worried about getting run over by a coked out Lindsay Lohan than a bunch of cyclists attacking my car, cyclists don't exactly strike fear into the hearts of people in LA.

On another notes I really have wanted to see a LA CM get lost and wander into Watts.