8 posts tagged “criticalmass”
Yes it a bit of and oversimplification say that persons who chose to come same public event as you do are your friends. It would also a great disservice to say that at least I have something in common with the 2011 other cyclists who took part in yesterdays Critical Mass.
Acknowledging the power of the bicycle it like a core belief of nearly Critical Mass rider.
I have ridden my current bicycle for nearly three years it take me to many places to work, to stores and places of recreation. It also worth to mention my bicycle also take to some hard and scary places collisions with car doors and the sound of my helmet hitting the asphalt as I was falling to the ground.
I am sure if you asked the 2011 people who rode on yesterday Critical Mass if they shared any of the above experiences the would very likely said yes they did. Bicycle represents freedom to the people who ride them often and the act of riding you bicycle itself can become as fairly joyous experience.
Yesterday Mass bought so many fun riders in one place. I know that there were as least 2011 riders because one my friends on the ride counted everyone that went by him as corked and intersection he said he saw 2011 bicycles pass by him. When I stopped for a bit of a break and corked near Denam and Robson it took more then 20 minutes for all the bicycles to pass by my intersection. Critical Mass Vancouver was so colorful yesterday the are bicycles in every shape and color some with matching wheels and seats. There were riders in bright colored Aloha Shirts Girls in wigs, Guys bathing suits it just a moving party on wheels. I'm glad I was able to ride in my third consecutive June Critical Mass Ride yesterday it was great fun
Fall Critical Mass in Vancouver 07
July's Critical Mass ride had a funny start to it. The meeting point behind the Vancouver Art Gallery was being used by a Local Muslim Group that was trying to promote better understanding of Muslim Issues to the Public.
The Group leader was confused when at lest 500 people on colorful bicycles show up to take part at what was likely there carefully planned event. By 6:15pm bikers hit the streets to Victory Park via the overpass to the
Skytrain station on Main. Bikers rode up the hill to Broadway and came together to take Broadway from Main to Yukon that's about 5 blocks of bikes!
This ride was not about tying up traffic like June's was but was more about coming together and riding and making lots of noise. Critical Mass is Parade showing the potential of the Bicycle. Of course all Parades have the look at me factor with men and women using there Bicycles and there Outfits into a fashion statement. I saw more then a few young man riding a fixed bikes with a T-shirt that match their custom colored rims. But of course it was the women really put all together. A women rode a green and red classic 3 speed with matching two colored dress and a green Fux Leather bag. It was great. This month I decided to focus on the ride its self and the not cars one can not forget that riding on city streets on a normal day it a scary thing it very fair to say that 1 in 10 drivers you encounter either do not see you or do not think you should be on the road. During a Critical Mass ride drivers have no choice but to notice you and they need to care because if they do not they could be sitting in traffic for a longer time then they need to. This make driviers need be viliagent behind the wheel and read the road for a few minutes each month like bikers must read the road evey minute they are on their bikes. It was a good ride this month.
Vancouver Biking Community Really Turned Out in big way yesterday for June Criticalmass ride. There were two many bikes to count on yesterdays ride. The Ride was noticed by more they just Biker and Car and Drivers that crossed each others path last night. The Vancouver Corporate Media was out there photographing riders and Spinning the story in the direction it core market views and sponsors fell comfortable with. That message is basically Bikes are great. Bikers have a point, but they are seen at best second class users of the public road system that need's to be tolerated at best.
As adult I have leaned people rights of Free Speech have been relegated mostly to people holding up signs saying Jesus Saves on street. Anything slightly more confrontational then that needs to either ignored or written off as a Fringe Element by the mainstream media, but, if Movement for Change seems to Growing with Popular Support like Critical Mass is here in Vancouver the Media uses a formaula that is so predictable it could have been written by High School Football Coach.
Here how the Play is Run the Editor gives a Reporter the job of doing story on the event. During the Story a Victim of the political action is found almost always it some portrayed as Vulnerable (Usually A Mother with a child or some other emphatic member of public) Then the Police are contacted on there position on the event. Then safety concern is raise about the action. Then Public Policy Maker is contacted. The Action is then called un-safe and and Policy makes calls for that action to be scaled back or outlawed.
I think the Corprate Media may have underestimated the power of the bicycle riders at the moment
Lions Gate Bridge Criticalmass May07
Critical Mass Take Lions Gate Bridge for Vancouvers Largest Monthly Moving Party.
Originally uploaded by Brian of Vancouver.
What a nice way to start a weekend
Last Fridays Night Critical Mass got off to a great start the weather was clear and temp was mild the turn out was good and the speeches were short.
As you can see from the photo no really cared about the Olympic Countdown Clock that was at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
The Ride zigged and zag around down town for about hour and then crossed the Burrard Bridge west to Kits were some undercover cops confronted the ride put did not pull anyone over. Which is a very good thing people seemed happy and we rode over the Granvilie Bridge where Critical Mass run into a sit down protester of its before turned off the retail core to Yaletown were the big condos keep breeding past GM place were some of did a little informal sprint racing and up the hill to the Anza club were the ride broke up. It was fun evening ride.
Vancouver Jan Critical Mass Ride
More the 100 Cyclists took advantage of warm and dry January Vancouver to ride around downtown Vancouver. This video Clip caches the ride as it go up trendy Robson street as it crosses Burrad street.
Last nights Critical Mass ride started with the air of a party. The First Biker I met came by with an open box of chocolates. Of course there was normal talks about bike and the holidays. It really was not a massive group about 30 bikers were at the Art Gallery. One female biker was talking about trip she taken to Mexico were she was acting as observer journalist. Her skills likely came useful later in the nights ride.
For the benefits of readers that do not live in the Vancouver area our City will be Hosting the 2010Winter Olympics and Vancouver's Mayor has made cracking down on social disorder a top priority. Biking with-out a helmet was named as a top cause of social disorder in Vancouver. In this backdrop there increased reports of Bikers in Vancouver getting tickets for running stop signs and not having lights on bikes at night.
At about 6pm the group of Mass rides grew to about 80 rides. I always amazed the range of people that come to ride on Critical Mass. There are the people you expect Young Bike Messengers riding their fixed gear bikes. It the riders you don't except that make the ride so joyous. A guy used his bike as RV with BBQ and cooler attached to a extra long frame. Their are older folks that ride 3speeds with mental fenders and young guys riding an extreme mountain bike with disk brakes rotors that rival the size and stopping power of a full size SUV.
At the start of the ride there were a few announcement about a party at local club with a cover charge that seemed like the main concern to the ride leaders. I always wondered if the people make that important annoucement get a cut of the door take. There was very short safety briefing by a guy who told us that all riders were part of one big bus.
The group was off we went down one set of blocks and turned up Granville Street and then past the Main Library down to Hastings street up the hill toward Commercial drive no real problems except that the riders has spread out over about three blocks.
All of a sudden a gray unmarked police car blocks traffic for the ride at a Commercial Drive intersection at this point I knew the ride was going to have problems I have never seen VPD help a Critical Mass ride before so I decided to speed up and catch up with the pack next thing I know women tells the pack to pull over and we stop by old body shop and wait.
Reports and rumors fly someone got a ticket for not having a helmet, someone else got a ticket for not having lights on their bike and then after about five mins a clean cut guy who has said he was from Toronto a few mins before ride started rode by the pack yelling out "I going home this is getting weird".
The pack talks about if bikes should go back to the police site to support the rider(s) that got sited. No one really seems to want to turn the ride into an all out confrontation and group stays put for about 10 mins listing to box radio playing dance music. Then another cell phone call comes in and its reported to the group women making the announcements at the start of the ride had been arrested and being taken away in a wagon.
The women with cell phone asked people to go back the site of the police incident but there were conditions and well I broke off with a group of about ten riders that decided to the club that was hosting the after ride party that really was not going to be much of party after all. When I got club a young guy that ride a home-made that put him high up in the air started tried to make everyone feel bad because we did not go back to support the other riders.
I decided to nicely tell this guy I did not agree with him and last thing I heard out of his mouth was I glad I did not get a ticket. Which was how I felt myself and I decided to ride home and eat dinner.
Updated Jan 1pm
A rider that was corking (or interacting with drivers) stopped an un-marked police car he was ticketed and two other riders intervened on the corke's behalf were ticked by police for not wearing helmets. One female rider that was very vocal was hand cuffed by police and taken by wagon and later released before being brought to the station for booking. (This is a typical tactic of VPD. Vancouver riders will have to wait for the next Mass to if this type of incident occurs again.
