Critical Mass....NOT COOL.

[HardDrive]

I am a huge cycling fan, but this Critical Mass BS has got to stop. Bunch of leftist punks. They should go after them just like street gangs.

http://www.komonews.com/news/25943149.html

By Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) - A mob of bicyclists riding in Seattle with the monthly Critical Mass demonstration injured a motorist after an altercation.

Seattle Police spokesman Mark Jamieson says that on Friday between 100 and 300 bicyclists were riding down a street in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, blocking traffic on both lanes, when a man and a woman in a Subaru station wagon tried to pull out of a parking spot.

But some of the bicyclists blocked them, sat on the car and began banging on the vehicle. Words were exchanged between the male driver and the bicyclists.

The driver feared being assaulted and backed up, but bumped a biker and enraged the group. In response, some of the bikers smashed the windshield and rear window. He tried to drive away but hit another bicyclist.

The car stopped a block down and the bicyclists surrounded the car. One biker punched the driver through an open window and another used a knife to slash the tires.

When the driver got out of the car a male suspect struck him with an unknown object in the back of the head. The driver was later taken to the hospital. His female companion was not injured

Jamieson says two men were arrested and police are looking for the suspect who struck the driver in the back of the head. He added police know the man's identity.

According to the Critical Mass web site, every month, bicyclists ride to promote bicycle use and assert cyclists' right to the road among many reasons.

[Vipergrün]

I also do not have respect for the bikers that ride 5 wide on the street then yell and get pissed cuz cars do not cross double yellow lines to avoid them.

[m21sniper]

These guys are like an outlaw biker gang but without the harleys.

Interesting.

[Danny_Ocean]

Hit this,

[island911]

Wait a sec . ... something is awry here... "when a man and a woman in a Subaru station wagon tried to pull out of a parking spot. .."

c'mon .. . on Capitol hill? Impossible, unless the man was going in for an operation.


Seriously, that sucks!

I've been biking quite a bit lately, but just hate 50% of the "cyclists" around here. ..The ones that insist on always "projecting their presence." <--- you are not in a freaking car, you are not that Lance Armstrong, your braking Sucks, you swerve to avoid a pebble in the road... pull the iBuds out of your ears, and get the hell off of the road, because your attitude will not change the laws of physics.

[sammyg2]

That kind of crap wouldn't happen around here.
See, down here we have GAS PEDALS and aren't too wimpy to use them.
A bunch of cyclists start banging on my car? They go under the wheels. Simple as that. I also have reverse and know how to use it too just in case they start throwing stuff as I drag their friends down the street.
Justifiable as in: "Your honor, they were threatening me and my wife with violence. I feared for our lives and did the only thing I could do to ensure our safety, I ran over a couple hundred of em".

All it would take is one or two of those and these critical mass-tards would wise up.

[john walker's workshop]

bicyclists around here have zero respect for traffic laws. they are required to observe the same rules that motor vehicles do, but 90% of them run stop signs and red lights, rip by on the right, oblivious of cars that could be turning right, (one got squashed by a dump truck recently doing that), generally get in the way of traffic and flag you the bone if you honk or comment on their skill. the city is missing out on a lot of revenue by ignoring the problem. they're going to paint green bike safety boxes on corners so the bikes can cluster in front of cars at controlled intersections, yippee, but they may not have noticed that they don't wait for lights anyway. furthermore, i think they all need to be licensed and tagged yearly, and go through a test just like car drivers do, so they may get a clue about traffic laws that pertain to them.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

That kind of crap wouldn't happen around here.
See, down here we have GAS PEDALS and aren't too wimpy to use them.
A bunch of cyclists start banging on my car? They go under the wheels. Simple as that. I also have reverse and know how to use it too just in case they start throwing stuff as I drag their friends down the street.
Justifiable as in: "Your honor, they were threatening me and my wife with violence. I feared for our lives and did the only thing I could do to ensure our safety, I ran over a couple hundred of em".

All it would take is one or two of those and these critical mass-tards would wise up.

BRAVO! Bicylists can become just a bit TOO effing arrogant...(edit) Hey, if they wish to save the planet? Fine by me. But just maybe they, the bicyclists, should consider that they should stop breeding? Perhaps it's a population density thing? Back in the early 70's, me riding my old Raleigh 10 speed, OR driving a 4X4 pickemup...Motorists and bicyclists had the room (and courtesy) to give each other room? Whatever happened to that???

[Por_sha911]

We need to get speed limits for bikers! Revenue (um, I mean Radar) traps to catch those going over 20 mph. Heck, If I'm unsafe over 40 mph with four massive tires and Porsche brakes then they should be going half as fast.
(In my best Groucho voice) "some of them are already half-fast".

[dipso]

I drive PCH every morning to work. About 6:30 there are always a gang of bicyclists.
I drive a stakebed to work, I have driven the same width truck for over ten years.

You should see these guys faces in the rearview when you go by them at about 60 MPH, no more than an inch between me and their shoulder.

First of all, I don't want to hit one. But,,If I do. I, do.
I think it works to also let them know that their is more than just passenger cars on the road.

They really should single file. For their own safety.

[Hugh R]

That's why I quit doing the Mulholland runs, you go around a curve with 50 pcars at speed and there are 50 of them riding 4-5 across.

[sammyg2]

Now, I used to race bicycles competitively when I was in college, running centurions, sprints, and velodromes. I rode every day, at least 15 miles. Often much more. My bicycles were worth close to a year's salary for me back then.
I worked as an assistant manager at a professional bicycling shop and was really into it, so I'm not against bicycling or bicyclists.
Until they start thinking their crap doesn't stink and they decide to take over. that's when I start caring about them as much as they care about me. That's when I start being as courteous to them as they are to me. When they think they own the road they need to be reminded that isn't the case. When they start thinking they are better or more important than motorists because they are enviro-tards, they need to be corrected.

Same goes for anyone else, as soon as they stop caring for others I stop caring for them.

Just like the motorcyclists with drag pipes. They wanna be obnoxious, I can too.
"Sorry, can't split lanes right here, isn't enough room. Take your loud pipes and shove them somewhere else."
You don't care about disturbing the peace and denying people their right to reasonable peace and quit, I can deny you the courtesy of sharing my lane, or any other courtesy you THINK you are entitled to. You aren't.
a boot print on my door hurts me less that a tire track across their skid lid hurts them.

[dd74]

I've seen motorcyclists perform many of the same antics (except for pulling people out of their cars, or whatever). So I imagine many of you have the same anger when motorcyclists cut between lanes, run stop signs, pass on the right, etc.

Oh, and the last time I saw a cyclist get treated the way sammy says he'd treat one (by running him/her over, etc), that cyclist got back on their bike, chased down the car, caught it at a signal, and reached through the open window, took hold of the driver's head, and slammed his face several timesinto the steering wheel. Others take a more subtle approach and call the car's license # to the cops and say the driver was drunk and waving a handgun.

One way or the other, it kinda' ruins the driver's day.

[dd74]

Originally Posted by Por_sha911

We need to get speed limits for bikers! Revenue (um, I mean Radar) traps to catch those going over 20 mph. Heck, If I'm unsafe over 40 mph with four massive tires and Porsche brakes then they should be going half as fast.
(In my best Groucho voice) "some of them are already half-fast".

That makes no sense. Sorry. Plenty of cyclists can handle much higher speeds than 40 mph. If you're "unsafe" at 40 mph in a Porsche, you need to stop driving.

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by dd74

That makes no sense. Sorry. Plenty of cyclists can handle much higher speeds than 40 mph. If you're "unsafe" at 40 mph in a Porsche, you need to stop driving.

You are missing the point. The local laws say that they can collect revenue from me for going over 40 mph for safety reasons. I have more contact with the ground, better brakes, seat-belts... Yet these bozos on 2 wheels can fly down the roads like a bat out of Hell with no regard for other vehicles. Yea, I know they can't hurt others if they crash but guess what, if I hit one of them, I pay for their stupidity.
While we're on the subject, why do I have to wear a seatbelt when I have fenders, bumpers, and airbags but its OK to ride a motorcycle with shorts, t-shirt, and a helmet (oh now there's safety!)?
And now that you've got me going, answer this, I live in America so why do I have to press one for English?!!! (OK, I went to far with that one).

[jyl]

Obviously goon-like behaviour by some of the bicyclists in that group. I also think Critical Mass goes over the line sometimes.

But what was the driver thinking - if a mass of anything (bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trucks, even pedestrians) is moving down the road and filling all lanes, isn't it common sense to wait until they have passed to pull out into the lane?

Here in Portland, I don't see much reckless/etc behaviour by bicyclists. Occasionally, but much less often than I see with cars. Admittedly there are far more cars than bicycles, so I guess that's expected.

[artplumber]

Originally Posted by dd74

I've seen motorcyclists perform many of the same antics (except for pulling people out of their cars, or whatever). So I imagine many of you have the same anger when motorcyclists cut between lanes, run stop signs, pass on the right, etc.

This is actually a significant problem and should not be made light of, or defended. Bicyclists aren't allowed to do things like obstruct traffic etc such as critical mass advocates in an attempt to create confrontations (and yes I used to ride -single file when cars were around). The Seattle group appears to be a local chapter of these goofballs....http://http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/04/BAGF7P12RN23.DTL

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by artplumber

This is actually a significant problem and should be made light of, or defended. Bicyclists aren't allowed to do things like obstruct traffic etc such as critical mass advocates in an attempt to create confrontations (and yes I used to ride -single file when cars were around). The Seattle group appears to be a local chapter of these goofballs....http://http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/04/BAGF7P12RN23.DTL

Are any of the females hot???

[911boost]

He / they should have called the cops.

Too bad the car driver didn't have a CCW.

Yep, I said it.

[vash]

mob mentality. i would tape them on my flip video. once they start breaking my car, and i feel threaten, all deals are off. they better move.