Not critical mass, but sanctioned by the city of Portland and sponsored by a local hospital, 11 bridges (out of 12) closed to car traffic for a Sunday morning Bridge Pedal ride.

Everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves!

Last year 18,000 riders participated.

More were expected this year.

Perfect weather!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1439140992.jpg

On the purpose of critical mass type rides - they don't necessarily make friends of some drivers, but they bring attention to the issue (lack of bike lanes, etc) which can eventually get local governments to act.

The meek do not, in fact, inherit the earth. That is a line fed by feudal lords to peasants who were to be kept down all their lives. Be a good little serf, and you'll get your reward eventually. And when you don't, there is this heaven thing. No, the serfs didn't start getting their share until they got assertive and rose up.

Similar dynamic for other groups and their protests. The civil rights movement provides many examples.

So, how does this relate to cyclists?. They pay for a lot of the roads, through their taxes - no, local roads are not built and maintained entirely with gas taxes, that is a myth as a little checking will show you. But when they ride on those roads, other people in two ton cars run them over, or threaten to, and won't tolerate the slightest inconvenience. What, you mean I shouldn't barrel around a blind curve at 50 mph, I actually have to adjust my speed to roadway visibility?. The outrage!

So how do cyclists get what they should get, which in some cases is just a four foot strip of road with a painted line, and in other cases is the ability to ride on the traffic lane as the law already explicitly entitles them to do? Being meek won't do it. Riding on the sidewalk won't do it. Staying off the road won't do it. Sometimes, they have to demonstrate - which includes the critical mass stuff.

There is a deadly intersection here in Portland. A six lane road, where drivers try to go 50 mph (posted 35 mph) and basically treat like an urban freeway. But this road goes through neighborhoods and on one particular intersection, there is a school and on the other side a park and the cross street is a frequently used one. Drivers blast through this intersection, regardless of kids or other cars or bikes trying to cross. The responsible road department refused to do anything to improve the signals or crosswalk. One day a young man on a bike was riding through the intersection and a pickup truck, whose driver was in a hurry to beat the light, turned left and ran him down and tore off his leg. This was just one of many bad accidents here over the years. But this time, cyclists and pedestrians staged demonstrations at this intersection. Large number of them walked and rode across the intersection, occupying the cross walks, blocking traffic for an hour during rush hour. Many drivers were boiling mad, of course. How dare people delay my already crappy commute? The next week, the mayor was at the intersection and the road department started installing new signals and markings, the work they'd refused to do for many years.

That's the point of demonstrations. They're not designed to make you, you drivers, happy or feel kindly toward cyclists.

As conditions get better for cyclists, there is less need for such demonstrations and thus critical mass type disobedience mostly fades away. That's the case in Portland. In some other cities, maybe they are still needed.

But wait, besides Minneapolis, I thought Oregon was already Gods gift to bicyclists?

Here in Scottsdale there's a quiet movement against bicyclists within the city government. Recently they did quite a bit of work on one of the main roads and they ended up removing the bike lanes. The "share the road" signs have been modified with a silhouette of a horse and a rider.

A helicopter pilot thinks they are both a stone AND A Airplane .
What eve law of physics suits them best at the moment.

Dlck heads

Well, and something else. when was the last time you saw a bicyclist stop at a stop sign, even when there was automotive traffic (I just came back from my weekly bike ride, and I'm guilty just like everyone else).

Police arrest bicyclist in San Francisco road rage attack - LA Times


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DYAapAQ1urI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Idiots

There you are Paul, CM is a bunch of thugs and terrorists.

I don't always stop at stop signs when I ride, but I do try to be courteous. What I hate is when I'm at a stop sign waiting for the near lane to clear so I can turn right and some bikehole turning left pulls up on the right of my front bumper and sits and waits for both lanes to clear. I blew my horn at one once and waved the jerk to get out of the way and he flipped me off. The next time I blew the horn and stepped on the gas. If somebody's going to be pissed off it's better him than me.

There will be a fvk pile of smashed bikes if someone tries that move on me.You got 5 seconds, move ........... In this mixed up society we now live in, there is no way I am letting any body get the drop on me

And that's the behavior that deserves a beat down.

39-Year-Old Cyclist Arrested In Critical Mass Rage Incident: SFist

Turns out the guy has a felony warrant on drug charges out of Washington state. According to his mom he has "passionate beliefs."

I'm sure this guy just can't wait to get up in the courtroom and ooze his righteousness all over the place. What a douche.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1441837315.jpg

He's got, like beliefs, man...cycling, attacking people with locks, fleeing drug warrants, sporting ridiculous facial hair, protesting staples, because the us mail is NOT for sale, man....:rolleyes:

I'm surprised more motorists don't just step on the gas over the top of them to escape immanent danger.

Hopefully, now they will.

LOL

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nY2F5-eDzg...agliatrice.jpg

(in case your curious.... its a Bianchi)

Well, I logged 100 miles over the weekend, with only 5 attempts on made on my life.

Success!

If that were me, in my car, there would have been dead people laying around in shockingly short order. Some shot, some run over.

Here is a much, much happier outcome:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GnR2ysyaoH4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

You do say some funny things on the internet Jeff.

What caused the car to run people down? If it was unprovoked then I can't say that I am happy that people got run over.

If bicyclists surrounded my car and tried to force me to stop then I would seriously consider hitting the gas before they started bashing my windows and attacking me.

It's all in good fun.

The whole idea behind Critical Ass is to be provocative, isn't it? To be in-your-face, breaking the law, and daring anyone to do anything about it, right? These folks were blocking the street, just daring someone to do something.

I, for one, would take that dare in a heartbeat. Then sue the city that stood back and allowed this lawless behavior, sue the organizers of the event for promoting this lawless behavior, and finally - sue the surviving family members of those I killed for the "emotional trauma" their ass hat deceased inflicted upon me.

Absolutely. But first, I would clear a path with my .45...

Yeah, so after I posted this thread, I regretted the title. It was posted in frustration at seeing thoroughly obnoxious behavior. I have nothing against cyclists assuming they aren't douches.

The douche in Cali needs to be in jail or to get a beat down.

Cyclists that surround a car are certainly foolish at the very least.

The folks that do these rides need a good pimp slap.

Perspective is a funny thing. When I'm driving my car, I sometimes get annoyed with cyclists. Some are indeed asshats, sometimes they get in my way or hold me up, sometimes theyre self righteous nobs. They can be very irritating.

But when I'm on my bicycle, and someone endangers me with 1.5 tons of metal- and I got hit a couple of months back - I take it quite personally and go a bit medieval.