Critical Mass rant
July 31st, 2009 by monnibo | Out & About, Personal, Rant, Sharing
After getting stuck in the June Critical Mass traffic coming back from Horseshoe Bay, I’ve started to learn more about the ‘movement’. Critical Mass Vancouver had approximately 3,000 people riding today. They start at the Art Gallery at 6:00pm and ride all around downtown. The Critical Mass mantra: “We’re not blocking traffic; we are traffic!” is meant to raise awareness about sharing the roads. Unfortunately opinions have changed considerably.
For myself, if Critical Mass really was about being ‘part of traffic’, they would need to obey the street signs, including lights and other road traffic (pedestrians, cars, bicyclists, motorcyclists, scooters, etc.). I prefer to bike in less high-traffic area, but I still stop at the stop signs and for pedestrians. Instead they are stopping cars for maybe 30-40 minutes, forcing them to idle. If it really is about promoting cycling, how do they justify those carbon emissions by keeping cars on the road that much longer? Not to mention, how many people do you see wearing helmets? It’s the law you know!
One of the problems with Critical Mass, is there is no planned route because there are no “organizers”. You would think with the new bike lane on Burrard Bridge that it would be an obvious route to bicycle, thereby making an excellent statement. However, I heard on the radio that they biked across the Cambie Street bridge instead. As if Cambie Street hasn’t had enough traffic!
I read a blog post by Dave MacDonald about why people care now. I think his experiences from a ride in 2001 with Critical Mass are exactly why I don’t like it now. It’s no longer about all these issues he mentions; it’s not activism and taking a stand and being heard, it’s now more about causing a disturbance.
There has been a lot of uproar recently and a lot of criticism here in Vancouver regarding Critical Mass. Newspapers are chalking it up to the fact that in February 2010, Critical Mass (which takes place on the last Friday of every month) will be two days before the closing ceremonies for the Vancouver Olympic. Apparently this has brought into light the fact that previous mayor Larry Campbell “sold our freedom of speech rights” in 2003 with regards to the Olympic television coverage.
Then, I heard about Critical Manners on Twitter. Now this is something I can get behind! Critical Manners started in San Francisco as a civilized response to Critical Mass. Instead of taking over the streets and screaming “we ARE traffic”, the Critical Manners ride obeyed all the street signs and were model road-users. There are plans in motion for a Critical Manners Vancouver, which I would totally be up for. Cyclists and motorists need to respect both each other and the rules of the road!
*Photo taken during June 2009 Critical Mass Vancouver ride.
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July 31st, 2009 at 11:27 pm
[...] This post was Twitted by monnibo [...]
August 1st, 2009 at 12:09 am
Yup, I agree. No one ‘rules the road’, we all have to share it. Furthermore, it is much safer for everyone, drivers, cyclists, bikers, pedestrians, whatever, if we ALL follow the rules of the road. The only statement being made by the mass of cyclists blocking traffic is that they have the power to be obnoxious.
August 1st, 2009 at 3:04 am
[...] and one that is integral to Brent’s work with Hyphae Design Laboratory, a company he founded. Critical Mass rant – monniblog.com 08/01/2009 After getting stuck in the June Critical Mass traffic coming back [...]
August 1st, 2009 at 11:15 am
I’ve never been caught in a Critical Mass ride, partially because in New Orleans it’s not such a huge group, partially because I generally wasn’t driving around the city at that time. But your post does highlight what I always sort of suspected might happen. Seems like blocking automobile traffic is just going to lead to resentment rather than cooperation. Critical Manners sounds like a fantastic alternative.
August 1st, 2009 at 11:19 am
sterile politics of an arrogant driver.
August 1st, 2009 at 1:59 pm
I too got caught behind Critical Mass on the Cambie Street bridge (I was on a bus). Though sweaty and a bit pissed off, the thought I came away with was: “there are this many bikers in Vancouver. Are they being listened to?”
August 1st, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Thanks for your understanding, Jen. The answer to your questions is basically “no.”
It’s nice to have a bike-friendly mayor, for once, and I’m certainly happy that things seem to be moving in the right direction. That said, I’m getting pretty tired of the standard response from drivers about how cyclists don’t obey the rules of the road. The rules of the road are not designed for cyclists, who exist in a no-man’s-land between cars and pedestrians, nor is there infrastructure that could alleviate this problem. The majority of bike lanes put cyclists right in the way of someone opening a car door, sandwiched against fast moving traffic. This is not a solution. Places with segregated bike lanes, and even separate bike roads like Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Beijing see much fewer injuries for cyclists per distance traveled. Guess what, no one wears a helmet cycling in these cities. That may seem reckless to people in North America, but in much of Europe, where cyclists are given more consideration than a begrudging afterthought, cycling is not more dangerous than being a pedestrian.
Specific things I would like to see change:
I want infrastructure for cyclists that actually makes it safer to ride. The Burrard Bridge is a good start, but physically segregated options for cyclists should the rule, not the exception. For an idea of what I mean, take a look at Carrall St. between Expo and Pender.
I would like to see the law changed so cyclists are not required to come to a complete stop at a stop sign, but instead are simply required to yield the right of way, and be moving slow enough to stop, if necessary. This has been implemented in a few jurisdictions, including, strangely, Idaho. Most experienced urban cyclists do this every day anyways without incident, so I don’t see why this needs to be an issue. Mostly, cyclists calling for this are ignored.
Finally, I want to see ICBC change the driver’s exam so that missing one shoulder check while turning right, or failing to check behind you when opening your door when parallel parking are an instant fail. These two actions are directly responsible for more than half of all cycling fatalities in North American cities, and are a further indication of why the status-quo of bike lanes painted onto the shoulder is so outright dangerous. I am a semi-regular Critical Mass participant, and usually go with a group of friends, one of whom had to sit this one out because she was recently hit by a driver who didn’t check for cyclists when he turned right.
To all you drivers who loudly proclaim that cyclists need to learn the rules of the road, or get licensed by ICBC or other such nonsense: how often do you check your mirror and shoulder when turning right? How often do you look behind your when opening a door into traffic? Because if you are the average driver, the answer is never.
monnibo Reply:
August 4th, 2009 at 10:44 am
I use a variety of modes of transport. When I’m a pedestrian, I look both ways before I cross the street. When I drive, I do shoulder check when turning left AND right AND before opening my door. When I take the bus, I take off my bag if it’s crowded to make more room. There are things we can all do to make commuting more safe and pleasant for everyone.
I agree with you that not all drivers shoulder check, and it would be great to see ICBC mark it more harshly (as much stress as it was doing my driving test). But I would also like to see cyclists having to signal.
My main worry is, if I don’t know which way a cyclist is going or what they’re planning to do at the next intersection, how can I (when I’m driving) make sure we both stay safe? I know MANY cyclists signal and wear helmets, and many don’t. Just the same as MANY drivers signal and wear their seat belts, yet many don’t.
All I’m saying is that we ALL need to respect each other on the road… and the mass blocking traffic (thereby forcing cars to idle) is not an action that will result in change.
August 3rd, 2009 at 12:44 am
Hmm… I read blogs on a similar topic, but i never visited your blog. I added it to favorites and i’ll be your constant reader.
August 4th, 2009 at 10:21 am
So, Neal, can I assume that you are willing to become licensed, insured and obey the laws that are in place now in order to actively participate in the community of those utilizing our infrastructure?
Or do you want all the privilege with none of the responsibility?
August 4th, 2009 at 10:56 am
Gregg: Most cyclists I speak with would be more than happy if there were a licensing process in place. As a regular bike commuter, I would be over-joyed if ICBC allowed me to license my bike, because at the present time there is no way other than expensive private disability insurance for me to cover the case where I am injured simply by falling, hitting a tree, etc.. Bike theft insurance would also be nice. But mostly it would be great to have a direct relationship with ICBC to provide more rapid and hassle-free coverage for hit-and-run incidents with drivers.
Critical Mass is a protest (sure, some people call it a celebration, but it’s really a protest) against the lack of _safe_ cycling infrastructure in our city. Cars and bikes are NOT meant to share the road. Cars go faster and weight a great deal more. To a driver, hitting a bike does not lead to death or permanent serious injury. To a cyclist, cars mean death, so it’s no surprise that cyclists get a little hot under the collar about cars.
The way to end Critical Mass is for drivers to get together and demand that cyclists be put in their own place – i.e. their own dedicated bike lanes like the one (ONE) that we now have on Burrard Bridge.
In European cities like Amsterdam, Critical Mass is a non-issue, because bikes have their own road network. Where bikes and cars must intersect, there are better bike lanes and more effective laws in place to permit safe bike riding.
August 4th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
[...] This post was Twitted by kcdyer [...]
August 4th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Ken. Very well-stated.
I completely agree with you. The current system is unfair to both parties and cyclists need their own roadways.
What’s troubling is the rampant unwillingness of cyclists to contribute financially to this infrastructure through licensing or tolls. There is, by many and seemingly not yourself, a sense of entitlement as if this shold just be provided with no burden of responsibility of the very small percentage of the population that will actually use these paths.
August 4th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Ken. Very well-stated.
I completely agree with you. The current system is unfair to both parties and cyclists need their own roadways.
What’s troubling is the rampant unwillingness of cyclists to contribute financially to this infrastructure through licensing or tolls. There is, by many and seemingly not yourself, a sense of entitlement as if this should just be provided with no burden of responsibility of the very small percentage of the population that will actually use these paths.
August 4th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Greg: we all pay for road infrastructure whether through our income taxes, fuel taxes, or translink levies and fares. Cyclists actually get far less than their fare share of infrastructure budgets. If you take total provincial funding on roads, cycling infrastructure should get $150M/yr but gets only a small fraction of that.
August 4th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Here is a view of their meeting place at Vancouver Art Gallery. http://ow.ly/j6jn It was taken during their July 2009 meetup and shows the 360 angle view of that place – also gives an idea of how many people are meeting up there.
August 4th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
What is the total budget figure for roads, highways etc?
August 7th, 2009 at 2:54 am
Hello. Thank you for this great info! Keep up the good job!
August 8th, 2009 at 6:56 am
Didn’t understood the last part :s could you explain better please?