Chicago Critical Mass rant

[CM[_2_]]

Hi everyone,

I'm a long time lurker and very infrequent poster, but am in rant mode and
need an outlet. Last night, being the last Friday of the month, CM had its
usual ride. Prior to last night, I was largely non committal about the
ride, even though I have been delayed while driving a car during the ride
window. I figured, I'm non - pedestrian traffic, they are non- pedestrian
traffic, so be it.

Last night changed that though. While trying to cross a street with the
green light (on foot and walking my recuperating dog) that CM had corked, I
encountered an amazing amount of resistance and low-level abuse. I had one
woman swerve toward at my dog and cut back at the last minute, telling me to
get out of the way. A couple people spat at me. saying "it's raining, it's
raining". While standing there, still trying to inch across to get to the
park, so that my frantic dog could relieve itself, I pretty calmly said,(all
things considered) "Guys, I'm not in a car - I'm just walking my dog".
The reply, almost in chorus, " F**& you". I was pretty dumbfounded, and
had the group not been so huge, would have probably done something very
stupid.

Reaching the sidewalk, I had nowhere to walk, since it was absolutely filled
with folks on bikes, often times perpendicular to the sidewalk itself.
Several "Excuse me-s" had zero effect in getting me through the crowd, but
"Pedestrian trying to get through" opened up a lane wide enough to navigate.

As a cyclist, I hate it when motorists don't respect my right to be on the
road, or when drivers get off with a slap on the wrist for hitting a
cyclist, but I really don't think it's about the cm-ers wanting equality,
unless by equality, they mean the rights to do and be all the things they
are railing against...

rant mode off.

Chuck

[Bill Sornson]

CM wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> I'm a long time lurker and very infrequent poster, but am in rant
> mode and need an outlet. Last night, being the last Friday of the
> month, CM had its usual ride. Prior to last night, I was largely non
> committal about the ride, even though I have been delayed while
> driving a car during the ride window. I figured, I'm non -
> pedestrian traffic, they are non- pedestrian traffic, so be it.
>
> Last night changed that though. While trying to cross a street with
> the green light (on foot and walking my recuperating dog) that CM
> had corked, I encountered an amazing amount of resistance and
> low-level abuse. I had one woman swerve toward at my dog and cut
> back at the last minute, telling me to get out of the way. A couple
> people spat at me. saying "it's raining, it's raining". While
> standing there, still trying to inch across to get to the park, so
> that my frantic dog could relieve itself, I pretty calmly said,(all
> things considered) "Guys, I'm not in a car - I'm just walking my
> dog". The reply, almost in chorus, " F**& you". I was pretty
> dumbfounded, and had the group not been so huge, would have probably
> done something very stupid.
> Reaching the sidewalk, I had nowhere to walk, since it was absolutely
> filled with folks on bikes, often times perpendicular to the sidewalk
> itself. Several "Excuse me-s" had zero effect in getting me through
> the crowd, but "Pedestrian trying to get through" opened up a lane
> wide enough to navigate.
> As a cyclist, I hate it when motorists don't respect my right to be
> on the road, or when drivers get off with a slap on the wrist for
> hitting a cyclist, but I really don't think it's about the cm-ers
> wanting equality, unless by equality, they mean the rights to do and
> be all the things they are railing against...
>
> rant mode off.

I few months ago I picked up a friend at the downtown (SD) train station.
Riding thru our "Little Italy" section I discovered a CM ride was going on
when about 4 or 5 different riders SWERVED DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME as I was
slowly rolling thru a green light.

Morons and thugs. Hope the cops arrest some soon.

BS

[landotter]

On Jun 30, 8:34 am, "CM" > wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> I'm a long time lurker and very infrequent poster, but am in rant mode and
> need an outlet. Last night, being the last Friday of the month, CM had its
> usual ride. Prior to last night, I was largely non committal about the
> ride, even though I have been delayed while driving a car during the ride
> window. I figured, I'm non - pedestrian traffic, they are non- pedestrian
> traffic, so be it.
>
> Last night changed that though. While trying to cross a street with the
> green light (on foot and walking my recuperating dog) that CM had corked, I
> encountered an amazing amount of resistance and low-level abuse. I had one
> woman swerve toward at my dog and cut back at the last minute, telling me to
> get out of the way. A couple people spat at me. saying "it's raining, it's
> raining". While standing there, still trying to inch across to get to the
> park, so that my frantic dog could relieve itself, I pretty calmly said,(all
> things considered) "Guys, I'm not in a car - I'm just walking my dog".
> The reply, almost in chorus, " F**& you". I was pretty dumbfounded, and
> had the group not been so huge, would have probably done something very
[snip]

I've tried CM twice in Chicago. It is what it is--a gathering of self
righteous bicycle terrorists. The bigger the number, the braver and
ruder they get. It's no different than a rabid PETA protest, or Klan
rally, or right to lifers getting all lathered up and killing abortion
doctors. It's a rolling riot of hysteria.

[Luigi de Guzman]

On Sat, 30 Jun 2007 17:12:50 +0000, landotter wrote:

>
> I've tried CM twice in Chicago. It is what it is--a gathering of self
> righteous bicycle terrorists.

Add 'em to the "one-percenters."

I have often wondered how many CM riders ride only on CM days and only to
be assholes.



--
Luigi de Guzman
http://ouij.livejournal.com

[max]

From your lips to G-d's ears.

I call this the ironic law of activism: the loudest proponents of an idea
are often its least desirable faces.

..max
learned it the hard way, in Chicago.

[max]

In article >,
"CM" > wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>
> I'm a long time lurker and very infrequent poster, but am in rant mode
>[...]
> rant mode off.
>
> Chuck

if you don't mind terribly, i'd like to forward the full article to
chi.general with headers intact.

..max

[Mike A Schwab]

On Jun 30, 1:03 pm, Luigi de Guzman > wrote:
> On Sat, 30 Jun 2007 17:12:50 +0000, landotter wrote:
>
> > I've tried CM twice in Chicago. It is what it is--a gathering of self
> > righteous bicycle terrorists.
>
> Add 'em to the "one-percenters."
>
> I have often wondered how many CM riders ride only on CM days and only to
> be assholes.
>
> --
> Luigi de Guzmanhttp://ouij.livejournal.com

Some of the long term riders (and map / derailer writers) are getting
tired of the drunks and rude riders of the last two years also. So
they have scheduled the 10th anniversery to be the last Chicago
Critical Mass. In October, the Evanston Critical Mass will ride from
Daley Plaza on the last Friday of the Month.

http://chicagocriticalmass.org/
http://listserv.uic.edu/archives/chi-crit-mass.html

[Doc O'Leary[_2_]]

In article >,
Luigi de Guzman > wrote:

> On Sat, 30 Jun 2007 17:12:50 +0000, landotter wrote:
>
> >
> > I've tried CM twice in Chicago. It is what it is--a gathering of self
> > righteous bicycle terrorists.
>
> Add 'em to the "one-percenters."
>
> I have often wondered how many CM riders ride only on CM days and only to
> be assholes.

Shouldn't matter. It's up to the other CM riders to keep them in check.
If no other cyclist was willing to smack them with a frame pump when
they started to verbally assault and spit on pedestrians, then the whole
group is full of assholes. A misguided Us-vs-Them attitude is at the
root of so many problems it isn't funny.

--
My personal UDP list: 127.0.0.1, 4ax.com, buzzardnews.com, googlegroups.com,
heapnode.com, localhost, teranews.com, x-privat.org

[Dane Buson]

Luigi de Guzman > wrote:
> On Sat, 30 Jun 2007 17:12:50 +0000, landotter wrote:
>
>>
>> I've tried CM twice in Chicago. It is what it is--a gathering of self
>> righteous bicycle terrorists.
>
> Add 'em to the "one-percenters."
>
> I have often wondered how many CM riders ride only on CM days and only to
> be assholes.

Seattle Mass seems pretty mellow. I'm not a regular attendee, but I
ended up going last Friday. It was pretty relaxed, lots of people, lots
of dinging bells and honking (bike) horns. I saw people with kids and
lots of smiles.

Part of this is probably Seattle PDs relaxed attitude towards Mass.
They've stated unofficially that corking helps Mass get out of the city
center faster and causes less disruption than if you had dozens of
clots of cyclists. They believe that if they really started cracking
down on Mass, the people who come next month would be a much uglier
crowd.

That said, they were flyering mass telling people to please not be jerks
or they would start having to arrest people. This is because some
geniuses decided to take Mass up the Alaskan Way Viaduct last month.
Imbeciles (the cyclists - not the cops).

There was a much larger police presence than usual, but everything
seemed to go smoothly. We ended up at Greenlake eventually with no
incidents (that I've heard of).

I appreciate the Police going out of their way to communicate why they
had an increased presence there. They could have been much less
forthright - see NYC or others for good examples.

--
Dane Buson -
"Washington could not tell a lie; Nixon could not tell the truth;
Reagan cannot tell the difference." - Mort Sahl

[Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman]

On Jul 2, 2:17 pm, Dane Buson wrote:
> Luigi de Guzman wrote:
>
> > On Sat, 30 Jun 2007 17:12:50 +0000, landotter wrote:
>
> >> I've tried CM twice in Chicago. It is what it is--a gathering of self
> >> righteous bicycle terrorists.
>
> > Add 'em to the "one-percenters."
>
> > I have often wondered how many CM riders ride only on CM days and only to
> > be assholes.
>
> Seattle Mass seems pretty mellow. I'm not a regular attendee, but I
> ended up going last Friday. It was pretty relaxed, lots of people, lots
> of dinging bells and honking (bike) horns. I saw people with kids and
> lots of smiles.
>
> Part of this is probably Seattle PDs relaxed attitude towards Mass.
> They've stated unofficially that corking helps Mass get out of the city
> center faster and causes less disruption than if you had dozens of
> clots of cyclists. They believe that if they really started cracking
> down on Mass, the people who come next month would be a much uglier
> crowd.
>
> That said, they were flyering mass telling people to please not be jerks
> or they would start having to arrest people. This is because some
> geniuses decided to take Mass up the Alaskan Way Viaduct last month.
> Imbeciles (the cyclists - not the cops).
>
> There was a much larger police presence than usual, but everything
> seemed to go smoothly. We ended up at Greenlake eventually with no
> incidents (that I've heard of).
>
> I appreciate the Police going out of their way to communicate why they
> had an increased presence there. They could have been much less
> forthright - see NYC or others for good examples.

It is good to see that some police forces remember that they are there
to serve the people and not to rule them.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

[[email protected][_2_]]

On Jul 1, 1:40 am, Mike A Schwab > wrote:
> On Jun 30, 1:03 pm, Luigi de Guzman > wrote:
>
> > On Sat, 30 Jun 2007 17:12:50 +0000, landotter wrote:
>
> > > I've tried CM twice inChicago. It is what it is--a gathering of self
> > > righteous bicycle terrorists.
>
> > Add 'em to the "one-percenters."
>
> > I have often wondered how many CM riders ride only on CM days and only to
> > be assholes.
>
> > --
> > Luigi de Guzmanhttp://ouij.livejournal.com
>
> Some of the long term riders (and map / derailer writers) are getting
> tired of the drunks and rude riders of the last two years also. So
> they have scheduled the 10th anniversery to be the lastChicago
> Critical Mass. In October, the Evanston Critical Mass will ride from
> Daley Plaza on the last Friday of the Month.
>
> http://chicagocriticalmass.org/http://listserv.uic.edu/archives/chi-crit-mass.html

There is no dictator / board of directors / snail mailing list for the
Chicago Critical Mass.
There is no organization to allow voting or make anything official.
That said, this is an published article expressing one persons
opinion.

http://www.suntimes.com/classifieds/homes/homelife/466019,HOF-News-mass13c.article

Citywide bike ride may end in autumn
SUSTAINABLE CHICAGO | Ten-year Critical Mass ride sees rebirth via
groups that are smaller

July 13, 2007
BY CELESTE BUSK
A victim of its own success, come this autumn, Chicago Critical Mass'
10th anniversary bike ride on Sept. 28 might be the last time the
cycling group officially pedals en masse, some participants say.

Longtime critical mass participant Michael Burton said that "as the
rides have grown [to as many as 2,000 bikers], some feel that it has
strayed from its original altruistic roots and has become just another
big bike-a-thon. Others have been offended by public drunkenness,
nudity, noisy sound systems and ill manners that now are all too
common on many mass rides." Still others have complained the large
group rides create traffic jams.

Even so, Burton said that in the past decade, the rides have fostered
friendships, brought communities closer together, and have spawned
programs to help the city such as the Campaign for Free and Clear,
which put basic bike facilities on the lakefront.

"This [September] should be the last ride -- a grand finale to
commemorate the original values on which the rides were based:
civility, self-reliance, fresh air and fellowship," said Burton, who
has been biking with Critical Mass for 10 years.

For the uninitiated, Chicago Critical Mass is not an organization, but
a group ride that has been leaving at 5:30 p.m. on the last Friday of
the month from the Daley Center Plaza in the Loop for the past 10
years. It has no leaders, but is autonomous. Before each ride,
participants submit maps of proposed routes and the group takes a vote
(via bullhorn). Most of the routes have a destination neighborhood.

Part of a national movement, Chicago Critical Mass began in 1997 with
about 200 cyclists and has grown to include as many as 2,000 riders,
as in June's ride. The group's Web site -- www.chicagocriticalmass.org
-- says Critical Mass bike riders believe strongly that the city and
country are too car-dependent, that cars devour too many resources,
occupy too much space, and do too much damage to the environment.

Bikes, they say, are a partial solution to car-glut.

Although some longtime participants predict a September swan song,
Burton is quick to point out that the citywide ride has spawned
smaller, more manageable, group bike rides in neighborhoods throughout
the city and suburbs.

"There are rides now in Pilsen, Evanston and Oak Park, and I've been
hearing that there is talk of having rides in Humboldt Park and Hyde
Park," Burton said.

"Having a bunch of rides throughout the Chicago area is easier to deal
with than having one central ride," Burton said. "Personally, when our
huge group rides stop traffic and CTA buses, it misses the point.
Public transportation is sustainable, and we shouldn't be stopping
buses."