Details:
http://www.criticalmassatlanta.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass
So on the last friday of the month as usual, CM rides again. February was awesome. Aside from the run in with the popo, which wasn't a big deal at all. When blue lights flash, just get to the right. Awesome.
The usual CM boilerplate type list:
- This is NOT a protest or war or fight or anything like that. It's people riding bikes because they want to. If you want to ride to protest, awesome. If you want to ride because theres a beer at the end, awesome. If you happen to ride because you were just on a bike and don't even know whats going on, awesome.
- This is not an FM event. We just spread the word
- Publicity should say every month instead of this specific month so the same places don't need to be revisited every time.
- Yay for routes. Aside from that not so nice bunch that kept saying mean things about people polling about the routes (,,|,, to you), they're great and make people want to come back it seems.
Critical Mass is a group bicycle ride held after work the last friday of every month. The goal is to raise bicycle awareness and celebrate/improve rider solidarity. With enough riders CM ocupies the entire street and stifles less logical traffic (i.e. cars & SUVs). The message is simple - Bikes don't interfere with traffic, bikes ARE traffic. It is by no means a dificult ride and riders of all skill/experience levels are encouraged to join. We ride slowly to maximize our density and impact. Past rides have been high in energy and enthusiasm with positive vibes flowing like crazy. Rides often end with drinks and conversation at a friendly bar. Faster Mustache encourages its members and other riders to strip off unecessary clothing to improve our visibility and simplify everything. Wear a speedo, or underwear, or take your shirt off, or wear nothing.
First Post.
FIrst off, let me say my head is throbbing.
Secong off,, hells yeah, can't wait.
dude, i owe you a Sparks
to phil on the BMX bike who got a flat on peachtree near the Imperial hotel and rode that shit all the to N. Highlans and Ponce, "dude I owe you a Sparks." I hope you made it home safe. Sorry I couldn't help you w/ your flat. According to Donald, the only thing to do to fix that is use some tire foam stuff that you spray into the tire.
Also, good job dfunk. That route was pretty awesome.
that advice was never
that advice was never offered from me at any time that would hold up in court, if ever. Stan's NoTubes tire sealant is apparently the shit though. but you should have it in before you have a flat.
oh ok
i misunderstood you
Glad you enjoyed it.
Glad you enjoyed it.
How about
next time dropping the capital loop and adding something in the CNN Center area. Maybe going down Marietta from Five Points and then back to Peachtree. Then take Piedmont up to Monroe then back to VA/Highlands. Something like this:
Map linky
Word
Excellent Idea! I like the Peidmont to Monroe part especially. I made one small change, going over Ponce to N Ave and then to Moreland.
Linky
If one of the reasons
to take one road over another is to make a 'bigger' impression on the cagers, then I think taking a left on Ponce and then a right on Moreland to L5Ps is going to impact more of our friends in cars.
But then again, I could be wrong...
I just like the 'bike
I just like the 'bike salute' we do across Ponce, and rolling by APB.
Own it or Share it.
I figured I'll post it here since it came up during the ride... should we adopt a stance of "own the road" or one of "share the road" when it comes to the number of lanes we occupy during CM.
I am down for owning the road, b/c cars zipping past us in the right lane does not seem safe (p-tree and 10th come to mind as the only two, and having a line of cyclists that is 150-250 feet long, the drivers are going to be tempted to overtake us at a high speed to pass us, and to miscalculate the size of the mass, and maybe try to merge into us to make a right turn).
We should definately fully occupy the lane on two lane roads, as the law specifies that we have the right to take anypart of the lane when road surfaces are less than optimal (that's basically all of ATL).
We should also ask drivers that inadvertantly get into the middle of the mass to stop and wait for a few seconds (45-55) until we fully pass them to insure our safety as well as theirs :) (a big smile and an introduction, ie. your name and a handshake, goes miles with pissed off people). I've also noticed, bending the legs and getting more at eye level with the driver helps to calm the situation also.
after the popo yelled to not
after the popo yelled to not take up the whole road, I know a lot of people were clamoring to leave a lane open to cars.
I can't help but feel that a line of fast moving cars next to the mass is just asking for trouble. One of the cars will want to turn through the mass. Plus, when we hit lights and cork the intersection, now you've got one lane moving and one lane not....
for what its worth, my vote is "own the road".
ckdake and I (mostly ckdake
ckdake and I (mostly ckdake though) had an idea for a solution to this: bike ushers, two riders abreast with signage that advises a car to 'follow us to the front', and we escort cars through one at a time on the left side.
this could be
alot of hastle and alot of risk for letting a couple of cars per block be able to pass the mass?
...or maybe the webmaster
...or maybe the webmaster and i are just too cool for school. there's only one way to resolve this: a walkoff.
the short pier
wait am i in this walkoff or are you two walking off
Ride to CNN/Philips Arena to show the Hawks CM
there was definately a problem of massing up last night... people may have wanted to keep distance incase of worse scenerio. I think the issue of lanes came when we were taken five/six lanes of traffic, those big ass one way roads are ridiculous. When it comes down to two/three lane traffic, we need to own the road.
Furthermore, I vote for CNN/Philips/Omni loop to Aquarium. The last friday of March has a Hawks home game at 7.00.
Enough of this five points business... lets switch up to Decatur!
You mean
ride out to Decatur? Sweeet! We could take DeKalb Ave--and it would probably be the first time I would feel safe on that road. And put us Decatur folks closer to home...
massing up and owning the road
I don't know...it seems as if the # of riders is expanding and that's partly because it's so safe for riders. If we start yielding more to traffic then that's going to lead to more danger, and it won't be as much fun to ride. Biking at a breezy 5 mph is frightening when someone in the lane next to you is doing 55 in an esuvee.
We should always own whatever road we're on, for safety's sake. But we shouldn't own it for too long. Going straight down the same street for a mile or so is boring, and if there are few parallel steet alternatives, irritating to drivers. Instead we should kick it up by turning more often and taking over more streets.
Drivers are going to be angry, I don't know why, I guess it has something to do with how they feel like they're getting fucked by gas prices (their own fault really). So, to be on the safe side, just smile and walk away. As individuals in the mass we should exhibit passive resistance, but as a whole we're somewhat more active (although still not violent).
I have no trouble with
a ride with more turns, but I think you might end up losing the trailing end of the ride. It seems difficult to keep the ride from stretching out--the one up front want to go and the ones in the back sometimes have trouble keeping up.
nargilamonster, do you have a suggested route? Would you post a gmap of a proposed route so we can either tear it apart or praise you for the superior being you are.
seriously.
routes. are bogus. own the road. we are traffic we win.
I fail to see how having a
I fail to see how having a route prevents us from owning the road and being traffic. Please explain.
great,
no one would see us !!!
hey man, what width would
hey man, what width would you want those bars in? not that you have to get them, but i am trying to get enough stuff down for us to be able to put an order in on monday or tuesday. They have 40 42 and 44 in stock.
.
David Van Didn't fucking show up to CM this month.
yeah really, and i know you
yeah really, and i know you didn't completely sleep through it
shit
not too sure, i guess 42, i guess. sure yeah, that sounds cool.
i was DVAbsent, DVAloof, and DVAsleep
regardless of teh situation
you're always DVAwesome, david.
:-*
just come out next month, ya?
David
DVAnacronym or possibly DVAbbreviation
wow 2 posts in one week
from the girl who has been totally absent since before 99% of us got here (including me). welcome back
critical mass
is about taking up the road. if you want to leave a lane open for cars, then create Wimpy Mass on the first sunday of every leap year. if we have to move over for a cop, then so be it, but that doesnt mean 5 mins later the road isnt ours again. this topic comes up after every CMASS and aventually you all need to just embrace the idea behind the ride... we share the road everyday we ride... cmass is the once chance for us to own the road.
btw i thought the regrouping of CMASS on friday was perfect... that was the first time the mass has (had to) split up. kudos to those that helped 'mass up'
if we are going to keep repeating routes i suggest doing the aquarium/cnn/atlantaic station route again. if we are going to do something new, a ride to downtown decatur on ponce or exploring canterberry hills area might be awesome. we dont always need to have maximum commercial/retail exposure. if it takes 2 miles of neighborhoods on a heavily trafficed road to get to downtown decatur and a change of scenery, it might be worth it... we would still be stalling traffic at least.
-d
i have no problem with
i have no problem with taking up the whole road. but the idea of chaperoning a car up occasionally, slowly, giving us all an opportunity to say something about the ride and spread the word a little better seemed like something worth talking about over a few beers.
thank you.
word up.
.
"cmass is the once chance for us to own the road"
+1
I think
it is easier and/better for us to own Peachtree St-like roads, instead of one-way Courtland-like streets. The traffic backs up behind the mass on one-way streets, but there is little chance to interact with the drivers. When we ride along 2-ways streets, there are many opportunities to talk and explain CM to people in the opposite lane. Peachtree, Marietta (near CNN) and Highland are great streets to interact on.
a++
i concur
yeah
its gives another set of cars the chance to say, WHEW, im glad im not behind those fuckers, but hey, that shit looks awesome!!
see... and he's probably
see... and he's probably sober right now too.
that is true... we get more
that is true... we get more responses from vehicles coming from the opposite direction. Additionally, it is the only time we actually interact with cars that are not trapped in intersections.
Speaking of drivers trying to outrun the mass... remember that car on edgewood speeding up the wrong side of the road thinking he could get around us but then had to slam on his brakes because the mass was too large and then getting stuck at the red light. That was awesome!
february CM.
got a silly mention on atlanta metblogs.
I'm gonna be the one to say...
Bike lifts are weird. I don't get it.
d00d!!!111onoenoenoen
bikes are liek, teh superior and shit!!!1111
actually, i've never done teh bike lift.
and i never said teh pledge in high school.
I must agree....
I really don't understand the bike lift either. I know that it's supposed to be some kind of symbolic act but it is a little awkward. What if instead, everybody just did a track stand in the middle of the intersection. That would be way sweet. lol
since the weather has been
since the weather has been nice latley i think its tiem to pull out those thongs and g-strings...i wanna see all the boys (and girls...if you must)in their sluttiest thongs this month
faster ass crack
if this happens. i'm riding w/ a blindfold on....i don't wanna see that shit.
poo
saddle
that's why you get one with
that's why you get one with a cutout.
like
those cowboy pants! i whish i could quit pooo
tush-ay
tush-ay
you motherfucker!
I blame you for this cold as balls weather!
CMMarch
I think we should take this Cm ad take it out and throw it down. Ride on it, and then dance on it, drink on it, and love on it. Just like the old days.
PS.
whatever happened to the faster cape idea?