Critical Mass is a bicycling event held on the last Friday of every month. The main reason for the event is to raise awareness for increased bike access within cities. The first event was held in 1992 to highlight how unfriendly the cities were to bicyclists.
Fort Wayne’s Critical Mass rides started in June of 2008 and up until last night have been peaceful events. One local biker and blogger known as Michael K attended the event last night. It should be noted that Michael’s only form of transportation is his bike. He also repairs bikes.
During last night’s ride one cyclist was arrested for reportedly blocking vehicle traffic near Parkview Field.
Video from Michael K
The ride had kind of a bad vibe tonight. At about the time we hit downtown and got up to the stadium, I think some of the riders ignored a cop directing traffic. That’s never good. Then the ride circled around and passed through the same intersection again. I think some words were exchanged.
After that it was a seeming constant tail by police cruisers. It seemed like there was some antagonizing from both sides, both with some riders not sticking to one lane and with at least one cruiser not even happy with that. It felt really tense to me and my friend Jason. We decided it would be a better idea to split.
So we split up at the site of the arrest (On Broadway just north of Taylor) and I stayed with the ride up until the first rest stop, where I continued on home.
One of the tactics Critical Mass riders use is called “corking”. This consists of a few riders blocking traffic so that the mass can freely proceed (albeit illegally) through red lights without interruption.
Here’s a video from Minneapolis of “corking” gone wrong.
Last year in Seattle a driver of a car had an incident with CM riders. From King5.com:
It’s wasn’t clear what sparked the confrontation at 15th and Aloha, but witnesses say they saw about a dozen cyclists surround a white Subaru, blocking in the driver.
“There was some screaming and yelling and crunching as he pulled out into the street,” described witness Mark Pedersen. Apparently, the driver felt intimidated and tried to back up to get away, but he backed into at least two cyclists.
He then tried to take off, but cyclists chased after him, bashed in his car window and assaulted the driver.
“There was a giant hole in the windshield… and blood around his neck,” said witness Barbara Rockey. The driver was taken to an area hospital. The two bicyclists suffered minor injuries in the melee.
KING 5 was told there were two passengers in the Subaru. One appeared to be a pregnant woman. It was not immediately known if the passengers were injured.
It was not clear how many cyclists were arrested. The cyclists on the scene declined to comment on what happened.
There are more effective way to bring attention to the need for improvements to bicycle infrastructure. When you’re actually breaking the law, things can and usually will go wrong, even if it’s only a small percentage of the participants. Below is one cyclists comments on a Flickr page regarding a CM event in Vancouver last year where a vehicle encountered a CM “corker”.
iSmellFood says:
Critical mass is an activity that makes MY bike commute more dangerous, not safer. It angers drivers and makes them hate all cyclists. It certainly does not improve relations. A bunch of losers stopping traffic and pissing off drivers rather than showing that they can co-exist does far more harm than good. Having watched the Mass go by a number of times what I see is a bunch of yahoos joining together to flaunt the rules and slap each other on the back about it. Party-hardy-dudes.
Your rant ends with the comment that perhaps Critical mass could be used to improve driver’s education. Are you kidding? What the hell is the message you think your are sending? Cyclists and cars must compete for the roads or cyclists and cars need to share the roads?
b.t.w. I bike commute, ride with a team, race, and do not in any form want to be associated with CM.
Anytime you’re aggressive on the road it spells trouble. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a car or on a bike. Locally, Aboite New Trails has an extensive and growing bike path network that will eventually tie into the city’s bike paths. On their web site are the following rules:
Trail Rules
• BE SAFE. BE KIND. BE RESPECTFUL.
More specifically:
• Keep to the right. Pass on the left. Call out “on your left” prior to passing.
• No motorized equipment except official and emergency vehicles and motorized wheelchairs.
• Obey traffic signals and signage.
• Stop for cross traffic.
• Keep pets on short leashes. Animal waste must be removed from the trail.
• Do not litter.
• Yield to slower users.
I know I’ll take some heat for this, but Critical Mass is not needed to bring additional awareness in Fort Wayne to the plight of cyclists.
City of Fort Wayne press release:
April 16, 2009
Fort Wayne, Ind. – Continuing to work on improving bicycle infrastructure in Fort Wayne, Mayor Tom Henry announced the creation of the Bike Fort Wayne Task Force. The task force will advise City staff in the writing of a bicycle transportation plan.
With 40 members including cyclists and non-cyclists alike, the task force represents a diverse set of interests including employers, school districts, colleges and universities, trail groups, the Fort Wayne Police Department, parks, the Indiana Department of Transportation, City Council and others.
Since we’re already headed in the right direction, why have CM events? Why put your body up against a two-ton vehicle by illegally blocking a red light and clogging the streets?
Like they say, share the road. And that works both ways.
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Tags: civil disobedience, Critical Mass
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I was an avid bike rider for a long time (up until I got hurt by an exploding turbine in the navy). I rode from the SE side of town to what is Jefferson and Illinois road every day to work and back. Took just under 30 minutes. I also would ride on Clinton and Lafeyette (quickest route) and never have to stop for a light, never slowed traffic and in my opinion the safest way. I also rode to Jury pool in New Haven for swim practice.
The problem with many riders is they do not obey the laws. Use hand signals to identify you are turning. Be in the right lane when you turn. Do not go through red lights, stop at stop signs and obey the traffic laws and you will get along fine.
I am not totally for bike trails. I look at them as an expense that should not be born by taxpayers. The Ruddisil proposal could actually turn into a nightmare. creating bike lanes east and west going, one through for cars east and west and a single turning lane sounds great until a car turns right across the bike lane and runs over a bike. Who has the right of way in this situation? If trails get those who do not obey the laws off the road, so be it. But I think what will ultimately happen is that with bike trails, bikes may be unable to use the roads making this cheap method of transportation impossible.
(note: I’ve been adding the 42 at the end since there are too many generic michaelks on the net, it seems.)
@William – You’re describing a right hook, which usually happens at intersections (I think it was Oregon that’s trying the green bike boxes to stop that) but in the case of center turn lanes, the cars should be looking since opposing traffic has right of way, and non-turning traffic does too on the right… and yeah, there’s left hooks, too.
As for stop signs, there’s also the Idaho Stop, which is a good idea for many reasons, but also a post of its own.
I took the photo linked above, and an interesting twist is that the vehicle being corked did not have the right of way, but was at a yield sign with respect to traffic coming off the Granville Bridge. In Vancouver’s CM we don’t usually cork there, because whatever few vehicles are there are usually perfectly happy to wait, just like they’d have to for car traffic, since that’s what the rules of the road dictate.
As a long-time cyclist, and (apart from the CM) a very stringent observer of traffic laws, I’ve long said that I’d be happy to stop riding in the CM if I could go for just one week without someone blowing by me at 40 in the 30 zone. The day that everyone respects all the rules of the road – not just the ones convenient to their particular mode of transportation – that’s the day when the CM ride is really obsolete.