The Cycling Dude

A Very Disturbing Critical Mass Story out of Seattle

As regular readers know from March of 2003 to November of 2005 I extensively wrote about the movement called Critical Mass, my own troubling experience of it, and my debates with those who founded the movement, and support it.

I am not a fan, and my coverage constitutes a comprehensive Exhitbit A for why I , and many others, believe it is the wrong approach to Cycling Activism, and is most defintely NOT a spontaneous, un-organized event, as its more radical desciples feed the public, and the naive cyclists who think it cool to "join the fun", often with kids in tow.

Now comes an extremely disturbing story out of Seattle, reported by 1st time participant Ryan McElroy, a Motorist, and Cyclist:

Today, I participated in my first ever Critical Mass, a large, loosely organized bike ride that starts at the Westlake Center in downtown Seattle around 6:00 pm and meanders around the town, directed by the whims of whoever is in front. The ride is somewhat controversial in that the riders manage to stay in one cohesive group with a tactic known as “corking” where cyclists place themselves strategically to block traffic, allowing the group of cyclists to continue, even through red lights. Nevertheless, the whole procession isn’t that big of a deal — at most, drivers are inconveniences for about 5 minutes as the group rides by.

As a cyclist, I learned today, it is a ton of fun. We just ride around Seattle hooting, hollering, and ringing bells, putting on a show for downtown drivers and having a good time. In fact, as you ride, you enter into a bit of a mob mentality: you’re having fun, surrounded by bicycles, exploring the city, not really worrying about where you or anyone else is headed.

As a frequent driver myself, I can understand how another driver could become frustrated by the cyclists’ apparent lack of concern about the temporary traffic jams we create (”we’re not blocking traffic, we are traffic,” goes the mantra), but I can’t understand very well what happened today.

JESUS H. CHRIST ON A BICYCLE!!

I hadn't thought to ever write about CM again, but this is a story I could not pass up.

What happened is disturbing on several levels, and lends so much ammunition to Cyclists who hate Motorists, Motorists who hate Cyclists, and everyone who has issues with the Police, and the Mainstream Media that it is impossible to comprehensively list everything even remotely applicable to the situation that pertains to what would fill up each Ammunition Holder.

The best thing one can say about the event is that no one died, or was very seriously injured.

The comments are many, mixed, and still coming, and I encourage you to read them (As well as follow the links to news coverage, and the reports and opinions of others on the situation on otehr websites, and blogs.) but 2 stand out as essays in rationality, and common sense, and I include them here so that they do not get lost in all the hubbub...

From a Motorcyclist named Jonathan McKay:

I am not usually a biker, but I feel that critical mass hurts one of the primary goals of bicyclists. When I am on a bike, I hope that cars will respect my right to be there, and follow the laws of the road that I know and understand.

I often read the bumper stickers ‘Same roads, same rules, same rights’ and I completely agree.

But, this pact is destroyed when bicyclists do not obey the law.

Small violations abound- no helmets, lane splitting, running red lights, switching between riding on sidewalks or off. Critical mass is even worse because it is a community wide flagrant disregard of traffic law, with the expectation that everyone else will obey the rules.

If bicycles are traffic (a proposition which I agree with) drivers like myself wonder why bikes are allowed to break the rules, while vehicles can’t.

I cannot imagine a similar event existing if it were a group of motorcycles doing the same thing.

Every time a bicyclist breaks traffic laws- even if it has no real impact on traffic or safety it undermines the community’s perceived right to be on the road....

By disregarding the law, bikers (and drivers) open up a brave new world roads where they are no longer protected, where nobody has rights.

Clearly, he was in the wrong to cause property damage and risk lives, but in his mind, if you are not going to respect the law why should he? Every step that bicyclists take against drivers is brinksmanship that the craziest drivers will call.

In the end, what is he going to think for the rest of his life about the bicycling community?

What will his friends think?

What will all those who watch K5 think?

In the end, does critical mass make bikers safer?

Avid Cyclist Scott Houck writes:

As an avid road cyclist I have big problems with things like “Critical Mass”.

What they do is extremely unsafe and gives responsible cyclists a bad name.

They do many things that, while might be legal, are terrible.

For example, riding in a big pack is not what is supposed to be done on busy streets.

You are always supposed to stay to the right and ride single file when possible. Not doing this only aggravates drivers, and rightfully so. I could go on and on about how they break general road etiquette, and sometimes the law. While drivers need to be respectful of cyclist, cyclists need to be respectful of drivers.

“Critical Mass” on bust city streets is not showing drivers much respect.

I will always put a large amount of blame on a person who gets hit by a car while participating in something dangerous like this. It’s so unsafe and only makes drivers hate all cyclists and thus makes the road more dangerous for me.

Just my opinion (a similar opinion to many cyclists I have encountered). I know a lot of people disagree and they are entitled to.

This driver is a total asshole and deserves to be punished severely.

I am very glad to hear that nobody got hurt or killed.

That’s what’s most important.

Ryan did himself much credit by posting these views, and here is his reply:

To Jonathan and Scott: Thanks for sharing your views — I definitely understand where you are coming from. Honestly, I have to agree that critical mass probably makes cyclists a little less safe and a lot less respected among a good number of people.

I am a pretty bad example on a bicycle.

I usually don’t wear a helmet (I understand that it is a stupid decision, I understand the risks I am taking, but I still don’t like them), I break laws pretty frequently when I consider it safe to do so, and I often don’t ride in the bike lane even when there is one (in my opinion its much more dangerous to be on the side of the road than in the middle — case in point is 2nd Avenue downtown, where the bike lane is next to parked cars that are constantly pulling in and out; it’s also in the left lane where lots of people are turning left. On this road, I ride in the middle lane where I feel an order of magnitude safer because of the higher visibility I have and the lack of laterally moving, stop-and-go traffic.)

The point is, critical mass isn’t that far off from what I do anyway, its just in a larger group.

I appreciate that there are some laws against what I do; I just don’t care very much.

Why must cyclists form a single file line to the right? Why not cars have to stop when a cyclist is nearby for safety? Its just that today, cars rule the road, but during critical mass, that changes.

In my opinion, that is pretty cool, but as you can see opinions definitely vary.

All that being said, I hope the driver’s life isn’t destroyed.

He messed up big time, and he should definitely (in my opinion) pay for the bike he destroyed, all medical expenses of the guy he ran over, and get the opportunity to deal with his car on his own, but I don’t think jail time would do anybody any good in this situation.

The cyclists who were arrested is a murkier situation;

They were responding to a fellow cyclist getting bowled over by a car; defense of fellow cyclists can certainly be claimed, but their actions clearly went above what was necessary.

Still, without them, the driver of the car was showing every intention that he would have driven off and left the scene.

So were their actions justified? I can’t say yes for sure, but neither so I want to say no. It’s just a crappy situation that I wish hadn’t happened.

The fun was before the incident, not after.

A final point: there is a law against driving faster than the speed limit, but I do that all the time. There is a law that I have to wear a seat belt, but I sometimes drive without it (mostly to spite the law). There is a law against texting or talking on a non-hands-free cell phone while driving, but I do both of those activities as well.

The point is, most people, especially me, break laws every day in ways that we consider safe, ethical, and moral.

Critical Mass, in my opinion, isn’t much different.

Its just done as a group event.

Jonathan Responds:

You are right when you say that safety is often at odds with the law.

On my motorcycle I encounter this often, and I the bike lane issue makes sense.

Everything that you have done on a bike I’ve done or seen done on a motorcycle.

I suppose I don’t have the same feeling of being downtrodden in traffic, as the speed of a car combined with the maneuverability of a bike means that we pretty much always can feel like we ‘rule the road’. In a perverse way, the venting of anger at critical mass does bring attention to the issues and may put bikers’ complaints on the map.

However safe, ethical, and moral the initial law breaking was, it exacerbates the immediate problems while offering little progress for achieving a real solution.

Yet the media response has shown that such a hope is still a long way off, or perhaps entirely misplaced.

As another commenter says...Ugh, what a PR disaster for bicyclists, and the backlash has already started (If you have high blood pressure you might want to pedal clear of this as it is quite intense.)

Ryan has been amazingly open, and patient, in responding to many of the comments, and I again commend him.

From long personal experience I can vouch for how defending your views, related to cycling, can be a lesson in maintaining constructive dialogue.

The debate on his blog has so far been a civil one.

To give one Seattle paper credit its Assistant Metro Editor contacted Ryan, and expressed interest in publicizing his side of the story, and Ryan links, this morning, to that story, and one by the other local paper as well, and reports that he was interviewd by the local TV station (A short, but balanced, Video.).

Bicycling...It's So Easy Even a DOG Can Do It!

So, um, all you Gas Guzzler adoring, Bicycle shunning, readers out there...

Tired of paying an arm and a leg for gas, live close enough to work to ride the bus, but unwilling to spend the money on a Bus Pass?

If Fido can do it, and so obviously finds it cool... ;-D

Raise Your Bicycle to the Heavens!

Ever try, just for the hell of it, to lift your ride completely above your head?

Trust me, it ain't as easy as it sounds.

Especially when you have only 10 seconds to run, from where you set up your camera, to where your bike calmly, patiently, waits for you to squat and lift before the picture snaps. ;-D

So just what in the world prompted me to attempt this feat of near Olympian Strength?

Blame Dubi Kaufman, of Chicago. ;-D

He is the one responsible for a very cool photo project in Chicago where people are photographed raising their bicycles over their heads.

Why?

As he writes:

Because I want to document a certain look and sentiment.

Because cycling is a fun way to commute.

Because of the primal/celebratory nature of the gesture.

The aim is to create a photo collection of 1000 bikers in Chicago over the summer of 2008.

Begun on June 26th, as of this writing he has snapped 46 photos.

Anyone in the Chicago area can pariticipate.

Part Blog, part Photo Collection, all cycling Advocacy, the website tells you how, when, and where, he will be, and has a Gallery of all who have had their picture taken.

Check out Bike Salute, then...

Get out there and show your support! ;-D

The 1000th Post: My Spring Visit to Va. and DC - Pt. 1

Last March I took a vacation and spent almost 2 weeks in Virginia, where I visited relatives, and Washington DC, where I visited Monuments, and Museums.

In both locales I encountered great places to ride a bicycle, but did no bicycle riding myself.

I DID take pictures, however. ;-D

Arriving in Roanoke I am picked up by my Uncle and Aunt,a nd we head out for their home in Wirtz, lacated in Franklin County, "The Moonshine Capital of the World!" (Well, ok, that's what the rednecks call it, anyway, hee, hee!)

The route went  from the familiar Freeway to familiar streets, then 2 lane highway, to gravel, and finally to private dirt road as we arrived in the darkness of early morning, at our destination.

Passing thru Roanoke, then through several tiny towns, some with familiar, to Californians, businesses you soon find yourself heading deeper into the outback, along roads that dip, and wind their ways through thick forest, patches of fog hanging low to the ground like little clouds, which they actually are.

I couldn't wait to see it all in daylight. ;-D

Later in the day my Uncle took me on a tour of the surrounding towns and hamlets.

This whole region, 28 miles from Wirtz to Roanoke is a mix of roads, some barely wide enough for one car, in one direction, with the forested, hills, and mountains crowding in on all sides.

Spread out amng all this natural beauty people have their homes on plots of land anywhere from 1 to 1000 acres worth.

Mile after mile, after mile of scenery that would make any self respecting Sierra-Clubber swoon in ecstacy. ;-D

Look at that climb! Imagine the downhill! ;-D

Aren't you glad they have no such thing as traffic jams out here? ;-D

On the 9th we head out for the Bedford, Thanxton, and Buchanan areas, along Highways 122, and 460, a 40 mile jouney to see an Aunt, and some cousins, unseen by me since I was a child in the 1970's.

What I saw along the way made me wich to hell I had time to ride a bike.

As we drive along, mile after mile of 2-lane, hilly, winding roads we pass more of what I came to call "Mini-plantations.

Highway 460 is about as close to an Honest to God freeway one sees out here.

I took pictures out the front window of the moving car, once I realized how great they would turn out, and had a hard time picking and choosing my spots.

We come across the occational 2 or 4-corner intersection, with stop lights, and pockets of business spread out for a block or 2 in all directions.

Along every main, and side, road are places like my Uncles, large and small, some even huge full-blown plantations with cows, horses, and more, plus crops.

Instead of Mobile Homes there were 1 and 2-story wooden, and or brick homes, and everywhere the everpresent pockets of forest.

After picking up one cousin we lit out along Route 43, a VA. Scenic Byway, heading up to the peak of Otter Mountain.

The Scenic Byways can be learned about here, and here.

As we approach the Peaks of Otter Lake and Campground we encounter foot traffic along the roadside, seriously unconcerned about our presence, busy with their own pursuits.

Jaywalkers are the bane of all Motorists, and Cyclists, whether the miscreant is 2 legged, or 4. ;-D

Passing us in the opposite lane I spotted a car with 2 bikes on a roof rack, but missed my chance to take a picture.

The Blueridge Route takes us through more forests, and past lnes that lead into the hidden valley, and farmland of this part of Appalachia until we come to Buchanan.

It is a small town established in 1811, right next to the James River.

Many buildings in town are over 150 years old and, this being Appalachia, there are lots of Rebel Flags a-waving in the breeze. ;-D

After another couple of days it was time to move on to DC.

On my first day in the Capitol of our great nation, after checking in at my Hostel, I headed off to my first choice of place to visit.

Arlington National Cemetary.

Why? Because if not for the sacrifices of all these brave men, and women, there would be no America, and no DC to visit.

Amidst all this solemn beauty I encounter something totally unexpected.

A "No Bicycling" Sign! ;-D

There is a bike rack by the main entrance to the grounds, yet the first warning sign on the grounds themselves is about a mile away!

A guard told me that there WERE more elsewhere, the further in one ventures.

After witnessing the Changing of the Guard, at the Tomb of the Unknown, I walked around some more, then left when the grounds were closed for the day.

On my way back to the Metro I got sidetracked by a Bike Path!

It was a Class 1 trail around a portion of the Cemetary, parallel to the nearby freeway, that went past the Iwo Jima Memorial.

After walking there, and back i got directions from a cyclist who pointed me toward the nearby Potomac River.

Upon walking over I discovered 2 Bike Trails that run next to the bank of the river for miles.

Tired after a long, and eventful day i head back into DC proper, planning to eat at an historic restuarant, but forced to settle for a Subway instead since the otehr place was crowded, and I might have starved from the extra long wait in line to get in. ;-D

Everywhere I looked, that day, there were cyclists on the roads, and Metro, and bikes on busses, or parked, and locked to anything stationary, and unmovable.

Big bikes, small bikes, old bikes, and fancy bikes, even bikes that barely looked like bikes! ;-D

Awakening at 6am I hunted down breakfast at a local Safeway then headed  out for The Capital Crescent Bike Trail.

It is a shared-use trail from Georgetown
to Silver Spring, MD. suitable for walkers, joggers, bikers, and rollerbladers.

The trail runs alongside a Canal, and upon the abandoned railbed of the 11 mile Georgetown Branch of the B&O Railroad.

The beauty, and peace and quiet, is startling when you realize just how close the huslt and bustle of Georgetown is to the trail.

After taking a picture I climb 2 sets of ancient stone steps, up to M St., and discover 2 bike shops not yet open for the day.

I leave a card near the door of Revolution Cycles, and am actually able to hand a card to an employee of the 50 year old Bicycle Pro Shop, nearby.

Walking down the street, into Historic Old Georgetown, I encounter building, after building that go back to the time of the American Revolution.

On my way to the Metro I make my 2nd attempt, since arriving in town, to contact fellow BikeBlogger Gwadzilla, DC's best BikeBlogger, and when I caught him busy, made arraingements to call again later in the day.

When the call is made we plan to meet in Dupont Circle, and as I walk along 19th street, from my Hostel, gazing at all the old buildings, I notice just how narrow, and crowded the streets are.

A cyclist truly has to pay close attention to everything around him, or her, as there is little room for error.

It was interesting to sit in the Circle watching the passing scene, especially because so many people were on bicycles.

Alas Gwadzilla and I didn't meet, despite knowing what to look for, and so I eventually moved on to other pursuits.

I head to the Dupont Circle Metro and, as you can see, there is plenty of parking for bicycles.

The next morning I see more examples of how people find a way to park their bikes when no racks are nearby. ;-D

On my travels about town that day I again saw plenty of cyclists on the Metro.

The next day, on my way to the National Zoo, I encounter a Bike Rack Station that, later would be more full than when I took this photo.

Across the street from the famous Eastern Market Weekend Swap Meet someone had apparently found a convenient place to lock their bikes for the duration of their shopping excursion. ;-D

After spending time exploring the Swap Meet it was time to head back toward the Mall area for some museum hopping.

To be continued...

American Red Cross Charity Bike Ride Along Gulf Coast is Looking for Riders

On Sept. 11, 2005 I wrote a post about a letter I sent out, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

As I wrote, at the time, it was sent: TO EVERYONE IN MY LINKS THAT I CAN REACH ( Feel free to pass it along to people, organizations, and shops that I do not list. )...

I am writing in response to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, wondering if there are efforts in the Cycling Community to help the stricken areas, to help stricken Clubs, to help stricken Cycling Advocacy Groups, to help stricken Bike Shops.

Are there Cyclists ( ordinary people, Club members, Advocates, or Shop Owners ) with stories to tell, or events,  links, and other info to share?...

I can help spread the word, in Blog entries, about anything, and everything, related to your efforts, and the efforts of people shops, clubs, and activist groups in the aftermath of Katrina....

Please keep me in mind, as an ally,  and also, after due exploration, please consider adding a link to my blog on your website ( Absolutely NOT required for me to make the above offer ).

The whole letter is here.

By Sept. 24 Hurricane Rita had roared ashore, I'd sent out all my letters, and wrote the following:

My task was completed this morning, and now I will wait, and see.

So far 1 organizaion responded, as chronicled in an earlier post.

Also so far, disappointingly, the League of American Bicyclists, Rails to Trails, and the Congressman who leads the Congressional Bicycle Caucus (2008:The old website had little to recomend it.), have yet to respond.

They were among the 1st to receive my letter.

By the time of my last post on the subject of Katrina, in Nov. 2005, 1 organization, in Texas, had responded, as had the Congressman, in an inconsequential way, that was typical of politicians, considering that what was explained to me then, by his assistant, seems to no longer apply (The new Caucus Webpages have much to recommend them.).

Then there was my friend Larry Lagarde, of New Orleans, and the series of posts related to him, and a few other individuals who wrote, which can be read in the Archive.

As I wrote, and it still applies, BTW, more than ever:

My letter that I wrote to everyone in my links, looking for stories, went virtually ignored, but that does not mean that cyclists are not doing anything.

It just means that some folks don't read, much less respond to, their e-mails, and/or they don't know what to make of little ol' me, and my Blog. ;-D

Anyway...

If you know of any organizations that are working to provide basic, reliable transportation to Hurricane Katrina victims, tell me about their efforts so I can promote them here.

Almost 3 years later there is finally something new to report in response to my pleas for news, and information...

I get e-mails.

An interesting one came through, this morning:

Dear Cycling Dude,

I came across your blog today and have an answer to a question you asked long ago in a Sept. 11, 2005 post, where you asked: “I am writing in response to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, wondering if there are efforts in the Cycling Community to help the stricken areas, to help stricken Clubs, to help stricken Cycling Advocacy Groups, to help stricken Bike Shops. Are there Cyclists (ordinary people, Club members, Advocates, or Shop Owners) with stories to tell, or events, links, and other info to share?”

On behalf of the American Red Cross, I wanted to tell you about Tour du Rouge—a 538 mile, six-day ride along the Gulf Coast, from Houston to New Orleans, Oct. 17 – 23, 2008, which will raise one million dollars (our goal) to support the local Red Cross chapters there and raise awareness of the importance of disaster preparedness.

We have close to 100 riders currently, but are looking for 300 total.

It’s a pretty serious ride, with the average daily mileage at 90.

But the tour will be fun too, with a launch and victory party planned, along with daily stops and activities (click here to view the interactive map), but as folks ride along the Gulf Coast, they will have the satisfaction of knowing they are helping their neighbors by making life better in these communities.

I just thought because you have such a tremendous following, I was hoping maybe you could see if anyone is interested in participating?

For more information visit the Tour De Rouge Website.

To make a donation and see who has signed up so far, visit here, or feel free to contact me directly at kathleen @ gregoryfca dot com,  or (610) 228-2131.

Thanks for considering,

Kathleen Rodriguez

Associate Vice President
GREGORY|FCA

As I am about to celebrate my 1000th post, on this blog, this serves as yet another reminder to me that a humble, 5 1/2 year old, blog with a miniscule traffic of an average of 250 hits a day, and an unknown number of folks reached thru RSS Feeds elsewhere, CAN make a difference in peoples lives, and awareness of cycling events, news, issues, and resources.

I get e-mails all the time, most of which I don't blog about, asking for advice, tips, and information, and I do what I can to help.

Many BikeBloggers are still, apparently, unsure what a Trackback means, and can do, after all these years, so I'm clueless to exactly how many folks have linked to posts I've written (Despite my Traffic Counter.), and I get few comments (Many are similar to the e-mails, so don't get approved, but do get responded to.), and I have no clue how many folks link to me on websites of all sorts, but the important thing is that I KNOW that I AM making a difference.

THAT is why I do this.

Thanks, Kathleen for making my day. :-D

Hey Mr. Motorist, Do You Drive a Tad TOO Much?

Is the following just a tad ridiculous, or what?

I report...you decide. ;-D

He drives his car every day less than 200 metres (650 feet) between his home and workplace, and also drives another few hundred metres to lunch".

So what does he get for making these "Commutes"?

Hee, hee! ;-D

You have a Bicycle, but don't know where to ride it?

A website has come to my attention that has as one of its aims to help you find ineresting places to go bike riding.

Things You Should Do is a Blog/Website by Julie Gallaher, the Irish Lass.

Begun in 2004 it has had over 500,000 visitors.

Things You Should Do is a list of things we’ve done, our friends and family have done and the things we want to do.

We provide direct links to the hotels, restaurants and activities so you can find out if they’re right for you.

So far she only has 10 cycling links, but hey ya have to start somewhere, and in appreciation for the fact that she has added this blog to a list of recommended blogs, and as a spur to her to add more info about cycling, I've added a link to her Cycling Archive in the sidebar.

Don't let that stop you, though.

Explore the other sections for your own ideas about where to take a ride, in the US, or somewhere else in the world.