In case you haven’t heard, Critical Mass is celebrating its 20th anniversary tonight at 6pm in what is sure to be an epic ride featuring cyclists from all over the place coming to the city to participate. Regardless of how you feel about the movement, you really have to appreciate the fact that it galvanizes so many people. Allan seems to love the good-natured fun of the whole spectacle, while I on the other hand (as someone who commutes 20 miles on my bicycle each day) usually already have to deal on a daily basis with tons of shitty, angry motorists who I would prefer to not further piss off lest they proceed to hate me so much that they try to hurt me while I’m riding. Especially with that riding circles in busy intersections nonsense.
In any case, what allegedly all began as “a bunch of drunk bike messengers who got tired of SF police handing out $20 tickets to cyclists all the time for bullshit minor offenses, like not putting your foot down at a stop sign, so they decided to shut down some key intersections around the city and show the cops they couldn’t just fuck with them” has now become quite the thing, and it’s not going away anytime soon, so you might as well just forget about what you were planning on getting done today and check it out yourself!
Also, non-cyclists? Perhaps this might be a good day to avoid Market St and take BART instead, alright?
Previously:
- Black Friday Critical Mass Meets Baton-Wielding Riot Police in Union Square
- When Critical Mass rides circles in busy intersections
- Critical Mass Debate: Opposing Viewpoints
- Critical Mass Sacramento
- Critical Mass Seattle
- Critical Mass Salt Lake City
- Critical Mass with Instruments
- Meet Junior: Bicycle Messenger Warrior of the Mission
Ahh so that is what “Burning Man Flavor” is there on that flyer.
This whole deal is kinda obnoxious and I use my bike every day in SF.
Critical Mass is a joyful celebration of cycling and community, if that is your attitude toward it. Or an obnoxious misuse of rightful auto space, if that’s your attitude. Or a good way to earn lots of overtime pay while getting to ride your flashing, bleeping motorcycle down sidewalks scaring people, if that happens to be your situation. Many things to many people. It takes all kinds.
You are a good person. I like your write up a lot.
this guy’s got it figured out
Where are all the cops enforcing stop signs now that we really need them?!
“while I on the other hand (as someone who commutes 20 miles on my bicycle each day) usually already have to deal on a daily basis with tons of shitty, angry motorists who I would prefer to not further piss off lest they proceed to hate me so much that they try to hurt me while I’m riding.” as someone who rides a bike for EVERYTHING and and work from a bike over 80 miles a week, I would have to say that the real reason that we have ALOT of the problems that we have as cyclist comes more from everyday riders that don’t stop at signs/lights. Lets be honest with ourselves. Saying that an event that is EVERY last friday for the last 20 yrs is the reason is just weak. If you would stop and do a survey,im sure the 2 or 3 days around mass you will hear ur argument,but the rest of the month its the not stoping at signs/lights.
There was a news reporter at Dolores Park last night talking about Critical Mass waiting for cyclist there. Was Dolores Park the end of the route?
Critical Mass is whatever.. I live in harmony with cars and bicyclists b/c I’m usually on my scooter or walking. But I got caught right at a light right before CM rode by last night and it was irritating to know that just a SMIDGE faster and I would have been past it just fine.
Now, I’m not a tall girl, my legs are pretty short, and I’m usually holding my scoot up with my tippy toes. Trying to hold the scoot up in the freezing cold waiting for CM to pass by was not my favorite way to spend a Friday night.
Also some people were being dicks to pedestrians trying to cross the street. Pretty sure your revolt against our dependency on oil and the internal combustion engine wasn’t meant to do that.
CM riders are all dicks.
Yeah, I love bicycling and am supportive of critical mass, but a lot of bicyclists these days seem to have a similar attitude towards pedestrians that they lament car drivers have for them. Having a moving vehicle zoom by right in front of you in a crosswalk is just as shitty when it’s a bicycle as car. And during critical mass this year I had a number of bicyclist honk (or dingle) at me because they were riding on the sidewalk.
Bicyclists (I guess over the age of 13) have absolutely no right to ride on the sidewalks, as even the SF Bicycle Coalition recognizes. http://www.sfbike.org/?sidewalks
Am I the only one who thinks it’s weird/misogynistic that that poster is centered around BOOBS and a sexualized woman with a “come hither” look? And not, like…. a bike? Or, god forbid, a strong, active, non-sexualized woman riding a bike? Eh, maybe I’m overreacting. I still think it’s weird.
thats sexualized?
i fucking hate the bay area.
i was just looking at that goofy image and i was thinking to myself
how it represents some fucked up self aggrandizing san francisco liberal goddess and oh look, her racially ambiguous child is with her.
if thats sexualized then i would suggest looking at some porn.
This was my first thought as well.
Cyclists are really making a bad name for themselves in SF with their utter disrespect for the rules of the road. Motorists are licensed to drive. I think city cyclists should be as well. Hell, some pedestrians should be too. Everyday I brake for idiots in the road not paying attention. I drive, bike and walk a lot and it’s always defensively. There’s horrible drivers out there and I don’t just assume they see me. So why are there cyclists and pedestrians that do? Sadly when I hear of someone being hit I automatically assume it’s their own damn fault and I feel more sorry for the driver. I constantly see people on bike’s just jamming through red lights and stop signs completely disregarding the surrounding traffic. Critical mass now has a reputation for disrupting traffic. Most people would rather trade the comfort of their own car for a faster alternative but many have no choice. The stressed out single mom working a crap job downtown trying to get her kids from day care in time while Critical Mass jerk offs are deliberately blocking the way has my sympathy more. More power to bikes, just be smart and fair about it.