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For years and years in New York City monthly Critical Mass rides were blissful events. The mass would ride throughout Manhattan and annoy a few for sure, but most pedestrians and drivers either seemed to support the event or at least not get all hot and bothered about it. Also, the police would often escort the mass and it was a veritable love fest.
The tide turned however when the Critical Mass ride coincided with the Republican National Convention in New York City and the proverbial caca hit the fan. Hundreds of cyclists were arrested and detained for “parading without a permit & disorderly conduct” and since then the city has been waging war against Critical Mass. It started with massive arrests and now the city has stopped arresting people, but issues tickets to cyclists on a massive scale each month.
Recent news from Atlanta is that the police are officially not happy with Critical Mass. The following description and video come from iReportBeta.
After many months of peaceful coexistence, Atlanta police decided to pursue and ticket the monthly Critical Mass bike ride. While other cities have had much more confrontational episodes between police and Critical Mass, Atlanta has usually been a very hospitable town for this loosely organized pro-bicycle demonstration. After an article about Critical Mass appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution after last month’s ride, there was a sudden, visible shift in APD policy. A phalanx of police was waiting for the riders at Centennial Olympic Park and dogged them all the way through Midtown, Virginia-Highlands, Little Five Points, and the Old Fourth Ward for an hour. While things didn’t get particularly ugly between police and the Mass this time, the sudden interest of the law may mark the beginning of the end of a long-standing friendly (and peaceful) coexistence.
I’m not sure if it’s a coastal thing, but in NYC and Atlanta Critical Mass is controversial while in Bicycle City USA Critical Mass is anything but controversial. This from an article on BikePortland.org back in January:
Critical Mass — that enigmatic, fun, controversial, “defiant celebration” of bikes as traffic — has been all but missing from Portland’s bike scene lately.
The theories about its demise vary, but in the last year or so it seems to have lost its mojo here in “Bike City USA”.
Some folks say that Portland’s bike community has just moved beyond the need for such a ride, and that it ignites more anti-bike sentiments than its worth (both from car drivers and bikers). Others say it simply became a bore and an exercise in futility after the Portland Police instituted a very strict enforcement policy (there’s no “corking” allowed).
A friend once made fun of me for my interest in Critical Mass. He made a flippant remark saying something like, “You get all worked up about Critical Mass as if it were as important as the civil rights movement.” I actually responded and said that in a way, drawing attention to alternative transportation is just as important as civil rights. If global warming projections turn out to be true, the world as we know it for millions upon millions of people will be chaos.
I agree that following the law is important, but also agree that sometimes it takes bending the law to draw attention to issues. Critical Mass is one such example and I feel like law enforcement, if they want to become involved, can work positively with the movement to ensure peaceful and productive rides.
I also find it ironic that motor vehicles consistently break laws that Critical Mass rides are accused of and the police take no action at all what-so-ever. For example, cars often block intersections when gridlock ensues and I have not once seen a ticket written. How is this different than the act of corking? There are signs all over Manhattan stating that drivers who honk are subject to fines and yet I hear car horns hundreds of times per day and have not once seen a ticket written for this offense. Automobiles are on “parade” every day and never once have a heard of a car being impounded and the driver arrested for blocking an intersection.
Whether you are pro or con on Critical Mass or have an experience to share, sound off in comments
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Filed Under: culture
13 comments for this entry ↓
1 MarkR // Jun 30, 2008 at 12:43 pm
First let me preface my statement before you or a reader thinks I’m anti cycling and twists my words.
I am an avid cyclist, member of the league of American Bicyclists. Member of several local bike clubs, past amateur racer. I Support my LBS. I commute by bike, to work 3-4 times a week, 18 miles round trip. I love group rides and I organize a weekly training ride in my community.
And if you ask me I think it’s about damn time police crack down on critical mass pin heads. Critical mass is bad for all cyclists. I think its great they get in trouble for having a parade without a parade permit; I wish more cities would hop on this band wagon and enforce the laws and start writing tickets. At worst it will cause tension but at best, which is what I hope for, the organizers of critical mass will legitimize their “protest” by getting a permit, and obey the laws. And help repair the damage they do in communities.
So in closing, let me say, critical massers. Thanks for causing more automobile drivers to hate me because of what you do. Thanks for the evil stairs from the cop itching to write me up as I ride my bike past and I don’t break any laws but never the less he is looking for excuses to bust me because YOU pissed him off.
Yeah, thanks. Thanks for nothing.
And as a side not I’m truly sadden by fallacy and injustice of the WADA/CAS system and the recent ruling against Floyd Landis on his appeal to CAS. It is a sad day for any professional athlete that deserves and requires due process, instead of a kangaroo court.
2 You know who I am // Jul 1, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Yo dude…whole-heartedly agree with everything you said on Critical Mass, and well said at that. The only thing I don’t agree with is your comment on Landis…Landis = DOPE
3 Todd Tyrtle // Jul 2, 2008 at 3:32 am
While I missed the last two CM rides in Toronto, they have both been very different than previous ones.
June’s was a rather controversial one with the ride (300-400 people) taking over the Gardiner expressway - a slow-moving (due to traffic) controlled access highway. The group took over the entire westbound highway and rode for 7 km before being directed off by police. (One person was arrested for attempting to keep going down the road while the others got off the exit).
The following month everyone was curious about how the police would handle it given the heavy media attention the previous month. And indeed, the police showed up. Instead of cracking down, though, they rode with everyone, helping out by corking intersections, etc. Apparently though they offered to ride with everyone for as long as they liked, after an hour the police left and the ride continued. I will most likely be going to this months - it’ll be interesting to see if the police continue to join in. It’s an interesting response.
4 Elfer // Jul 2, 2008 at 4:05 am
I agree with the first comment. Breaking traffic laws, especially by corking, is NOT helpful to the cause of vehicular cyclists, and certainly doesn’t make motorists inclined to view bicycles as legitimate traffic.
I already get enough flak by drivers when I change lanes while obeying the law, I don’t need a lot of other cyclists flagrantly breaking the law in front of those same drivers.
5 MarkR // Jul 2, 2008 at 10:20 am
To: You know who I am.
I knew I should not have made that last comment. Let me clarify, I don’t care if Landis is guilty or not, He poked so many holes in wadas code he should have been acquitted. I’m concerned about the Innocent athlete that can’t afford to fight, that will be Prosicuted/Persecuted in the current, atheletes are evil / the labs can do no wrong WADA system.
6 Adam Pieniazek // Jul 7, 2008 at 5:01 am
Well, it’s good to know Atlanta is free of murder and other violent crimes since the police have time to show up in mass at your event.
Personally, I think Critical Mass should get permits but at the same time the cops should cork intersections and aid the cyclists as it’s simply a much more efficient use of tax dollars rather than arresting a few people for show.
7 Doesn't Matter // Jul 7, 2008 at 6:27 am
Not like there’s enough traffic in Atlanta with the Paving of 75/85, the closing of 14th St. Bridge and the 17th,14th, and 10th street exit closing, not to mention all the construction around midtown. Thanks to the police for finally cracking down. Critical Mass is nothing but more reasons for non-bikers to hate bikers. I bike to work through midtown every day, and the last thing we need is more people hating bikers.
8 Ghost Rider // Jul 10, 2008 at 3:49 am
I don’t always agree with the methods that Critical Mass rides use (corking, aggressive behaviors), but I totally agree with Matt’s comparison to the Civil Rights movement…a comparison echoed in J. Harry Wray’s Pedal Power: The Quiet Rise of the Bicycle in American Public Life. In short, he indicates that the motorist/police/bicyclist confrontations presented by Critical Mass has a “…dynamic [that] can spur politicians to figure out ways to reduce the irritation.”
I think it behooves the Critical Mass organizers in many cities to try to work with the police and local authorities to help these rides happen and reduce some of the frustration visible on both sides of the argument. And who knows? Perhaps such communication between cyclists and the lawmakers will help spur positive changes in these cities!
9 MarkR // Jul 10, 2008 at 4:53 am
Ghost Rider,
I totally disagree with the civil rights comparison. I don’t need a “protest” or bike lane to ride my bike on the road. It’s not illegal to ride in the lane. You already have the right to take the lane for safety or when on a 4 lane road. When me and my friends ride together we should not be more than two abreast any way for safety sake. If you or any other critical masser wants to create a “dynamic that can spur politicians to figure out ways to reduce the irritation.” Go FREEKEN talk to them. My guess is 98% of Critical Mass participants have never taken a proactive, non abrasive, approach to fight for cycling. Why? Talking is hard. C.Massers are taking the easy way out. “look at me I’m protesting.” never realizing that the people in the cars have no freeking idea what you are protesting because you don’t TALK! There is nothing productive or positive about that.
If you want to fight for cycling DO IT. In stead of doing something that does no one any good. Once a month actuality show up at a city council meeting, sign up for the public comment and let your VOICE BE HEARD!!! Rally your cyclist friends to show up with you and sign up for public comment. You will bury the city council in comments until they are forced to deal with you. There is nothing a hack city council politician hates more than staying late at council meetings, especially if its because of public comments. At least there you have a fighting chance and will be heard. Like I said if you want to spur conversation, TALK damn it. If you want sow seeds of hate and decisiveness. Keep doing critical mass.
I speak not only as a active cyclist. but in my community I also TALK with my council members, and am on an city council appointed economic development Board which is also used to help fund roads, parks and trails. I have a voice, I use it. I read you blog on bike commuting because I am one. but If you want attention outside of cycling, you have to reach outside the cycling circle and talk.
10 Ghost Rider // Jul 10, 2008 at 7:08 am
MarkR,
believe me, I do speak to my local politicians, and even had the pleasure of bending our mayor’s ear when she and her husband came riding with our club. And I agree with you that not NEARLY enough so-called “protesters” have taken advantage of public hearings, advocacy meetings, and other forms of input to their elected officials.
Nevertheless, sometimes a confrontational event like Critical Mass can spur things along by raising awareness. That being said, I’ve never participated in a CM ride and I’m not particularly convinced it is the very best way to present such a “protest” or awareness campaign, but I believe that if done properly, it can be a powerful tool. There are lots of cities worldwide where such rides come off without a hitch, without aggressive policing and without much in the way of angry cyclist/motorist confrontation.
Perhaps the message has been diluted here…CM now being seen by younger particpants as a license for hooliganism (or worse).
By the way, you should really read the book I mentioned — you sound like someone who would appreciate what it contains (and the author presents the CM case far better than I ever could!).
11 MarkR // Jul 10, 2008 at 10:24 am
Ghost Rider,
I promise, I’ll put the book on my list of books to read. I just wish it wasn’t getting so long.
I doubt CM people will ever “legitimize” their protests, because, they’ll never get a permit for a parade at 5pm on a Friday, down major roads.
I honestly just don’t know which is worse for cyclists, Critical Massers or impatient motorists who think driving is a right not a privilege. This cyclist thinks its a toss up.
12 Ghost Rider // Jul 10, 2008 at 12:34 pm
That reminds me of a quote from none other than cycling lawyer and Velonews coorespondent Bob Mionske:
“Under [most state] law[s], cyclists have all of the rights and applicable responsibilities that motorists have. This means that cyclists have as much right to use the road as motorists have—in fact, I believe that cyclists’ claim to the road is greater. The right to travel is a Constitutional right, while driving is a privilege that can be revoked by the state. Thus, while cyclists enjoy a Constitutional right to travel (and thereby, a Constitutional right to the road), motorists use the road only by permission of the state.”
All I have to say is “Hell yeah!!!”
13 Bubba Nicholson // Jul 22, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Obama wants to give us free bicycles and millions of miles of new bike paths. Just the same, I’d rather discourage more ’selectees’ and encourage Democracy. So I don’t plan to vote for him under any circumstances whatsoever.
People are planning to die for Democracy in Denver. So what have you done for Freedom, young beautiful blue-eyed girl?
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