The auto industry spends billions of dollars a year in a massive propaganda campaign to convince you that you need a twenty thousand dollar fossil-fuel-powered death trap to transport yourself around our cities. This is crazy, since even in our conditions of blighted SoCal urban sprawl most trips statistically are still under five miles, and more people can safely, efficiently, and healthfully move around cities by bike, foot, or public transit.
Unfortunately, the emphasis on fossil fuel and the Single Passenger Vehicle has skewed development and urban planning, making commuting more hectic, dangerous, and unpleasant. Late twentieth century cars are faster and more luxurious than ever, but transportation hasn't actually improved. The average American urban dweller spends more of his life than ever before stuck in traffic, or working to pay for his car.
It is estimated that the average car owner spends 1/6 of his waking hours either in transit or earning wages to support his vehicles(s). If the true amount of time people devoted in one way or another to transit were divided into the number of miles they drove every year, the actual speed of the modern automobile might be reduced to a paltry 5-10 mph. But the brain damaged urban planning model we are stuck with assumes that 85% of households must inevitably be exclusively motorbound. This has led to the astounding statistic that the average American city uses something on the order of 60% of its surface area for cars: parking, roadways, etc. And you wonder why there's so little affordable housing and so many people live so far from their work that they must drive? Everyone is familiar with these lamentable problems. Most people complain, but few do anything about it.
Critical Mass is a chance to do something about this absurd, lamentable state of affairs.
Please maintain your composure. Don't take this as a personal affront. Remember, we all suffer from traffic problems, and most of the time cyclists have it a lot worse than motorists. Take a broad perspective: Critical Mass is only once a month, and there will be many more traffic jams in your life. In fact, only vanishingly few of the traffic jams you have experienced or will ever experience in your life were caused or will have been caused by bikes. Traffic jams are almost always caused by your fellow motorists in cars. What's more, just think how much nicer it would be if many of your fellow motorists got the message we are spreading! Think how much lighter the traffic would be if half the cars on the road were replaced by bikes, pedestrians, and people using public transit!
A: Because, bikes have as much right to use the roads as cars.
Q: Hey! I've heard of people breaking the law at Critical Mass by going through red lights and such! What's up with that?
A: The goal of Critical Mass is to achieve just that, a critical mass of cyclists so large they will enjoy safety in numbers. One of the problems with encouraging cycling is that people feel threatened by these 2000lb careening metal projectiles whizzing by them on all sides. Critical Mass aims to show how much more pleasant cycling could be in the city when people don't feel menaced on all sides constantly by vehicles. This necessarily requires cyclists to move together as a mass. Stopping at red lights would in some instances force the group to break up, destroying the critical mass, and making the ride more dangerous for novice cyclists. There is some debate as to the legality of this tactic. Some claim that this can be justified if the cyclists are viewed as a ``slow moving body'' or procession, just as it would be legal for the back end of a large truck to still be in the intersection when a light turned red, so long as the front end of the truck was already in the intersection before the light changed. In any case, the goal here is not to flout the law or recklessly endanger anyone. Moreover, the ride actually moves more smoothly and causes less delays if riders stick together. More on this below.
Q: What if some emergency vehicle needs to get through? Aren't you endangering lives?
A: In practice, this has not proved to be a serious problem. In fact, on the occasional Critical Mass rides where this has happened, the cyclists have proved very dexterous at rapidly making way for ambulances and other emergency vehicles. Would that the same could be said for cars! Funny, though, that no one raises this objection to the legions of motor vehicles stuck in gridlock everyday at rush hour.
Remember, we are engaged in a ``(dis)organized coincidence.'' There are no leaders, no officials, no official ``organizers.'' We are simply all commuting home together. So be safe, and have fun!
A: Sorry, athletes! This ride's not a sporting event! If you were planning to get a good workout, you might be out of luck. CM is not a competitive ride. The goal is to stick together so that we are visible. By raising the visibility of cyclists, we promote cycling as an alternative mode of transportation to people who may not even be aware that alternatives exist. If you insist on riding fast, you will get separated from the group.
It is the author's belief that our cause and cyclists' rights generally will fare best by obeying the law. Helmets and other standard safety equipment are to be encouraged. Cycling cautiously and using common sense will prevent accidents, both during Critical Mass, and while commuting in general.
While Critical Mass is largely a law abiding and orderly event, there is nonetheless the possibility of confrontations with hostile motorists or unfriendly law enforcement. Sometimes, police object to riders sticking together in a group. Sometimes they will demand that Critical Mass break up and all riders ride single-file. This demand probably arises from the often mistaken belief that doing otherwise will unduly slow motor vehicle traffic. In fact, the event usually goes most smoothly when riders stick together. If riders form a long single file, it will take much more time for motorists to pass the entire procession, and this is particularly problematic on narrow lanes.
When events have gotten very large, as in cities like San Francisco, the participants have resorted to "corking." This procedure involves walking into the intersection to hold back crossing traffic until the entire procession can get through. Once again, this procedure ensures the continuity of the event, and tends to slow traffic much less than allowing the procession to be broken up into many smaller groups.
If riders are polite and orderly, hopefully most law enforcement officers will respect the event and not unduly hamper participants.
A: This is a frequently asked question, which gets to the heart of the uniqueness of Critical Mass. Critical Mass is the only mass event (to my knowledge) devoted to promoting cycling-as-transportation, as an alternative to motor vehicles. The whole point of Critical Mass is to show people that bikes don't need any special dispensation to use the same roads as other vehicles. "We're not 'blocking' traffic; we ARE traffic!" is the Critical Masser's motto. If Critical Mass were to become just another organized group ride, requiring special arrangements with the authorities, corporate sponsorships, and an elaborate infrastructure, the uniqueness of the event would be destroyed.