http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/05/29/critic...
Yes, the bike haters are commenting..... Not a bad story however. The lovelyRachael Spiewak is quoted.
Critical Mass Story in AJC Today
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Critical Mass Story in AJC Todayhttp://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/05/29/critic... Yes, the bike haters are commenting..... Not a bad story however. The lovelyRachael Spiewak is quoted. |
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Oh...
Happy Friday!
that article got me pumped up!
My mustache is getting anxious.
Sweet Article
My mustache and I give it ten whiskers up.
BTW, while we're on the subject of large groups of riders obeying traffic laws, would anybody be interested in putting together a "courteous mass" on a different day where we get 100+ riders to follow the letter of the traffic law? I'm really curious to see if traffic would flow any better or be any less angry or impatient than with a traditional cm.
that would be an interesting
that would be an interesting experiment to carry out....
you should plan this and flier for it at mass next month in order to get the maximum possible participation.
I'm thinking about it. I'd
I'm thinking about it. I'd just want to make sure that people understand that this would be in addition to, not instead of, the normal mass. I don't want anybody to feel usurped.
which would be the problem I think.
I don't think it really works... it's like having your cake and eating it too. Either you have a problem with the way CM works, or you don't. And by having a Critical Manners, people would infer that it is to remedy problems with CM.
or it could be an experiment
or it could be an experiment
You're probably right
Personally, I think that a courteous mass would snarl up traffic worse than a normal cm. I mostly want to do it to prove that the normal traffic laws don't always work when applied to cyclists.
Interesting...
so instead of the usual critical manners message of "see, we can follow rules like you, kiss up, etc," yours is a "see, aren't you glad we run those lights?!"
Maybe you're onto something!
Not so much "aren't you
Not so much "aren't you glad" as "now do you get that some of this doesn't work?" To me, it's not anarchy but civil disobedience. Not that that doesn't prevent it from being joyous and fun.
Social experiment
Athens (GA) has a Courteous Mass: http://www.bikeathens.com/activities/cmass/
From the photos, the rides don't seem to be too large. Like you, I would love to see how 200 cyclists 'integrate' into traffic by obeying traffic laws.
and.....
Happy Friday!!
are you serious?
Y'all seem to be operating under the assumption that auto traffic is one large, collective consciousness. The drivers that encounter this /Courteous Mass/ probably won't have even seen a normal CM.
Conversely, the people you piss off at any given CM won't ever experience this /Courteous Mass/.
just ride your bike and share the road. geez
+1
+1
I could be wrong
but... I think the proposed experiment is for the educational benefit of the cyclists, not the motorists
You'd be right
photo/vid documentation would also be helpful for later discussion/dissection.
ok
so dave wants to prove to cyclists that following the law doesn't work?
ok, sure, sign me up!
The mass would get split up
The mass would get split up into multiple smaller groups by lights. If you followed the rules, only 2 cyclists at a time get to go through stop signs, alternating with cars from the other directions. You have to ride two abreast. Critical Mass is the name because of the concept. Not bending/breaking rules to keep the mass together makes it not work. You ride gets all split up. No mass!
Exactly my point
I think that 50 pairs of cyclists obeying every stop sign and red light would slow down accelerator-happy rush hour traffic a lot more than regular cm.
Be sure to get film students
Be sure to get film students involved to document this. Remember the film the students put together of a row of cars driving 55 mph?
Yes I do
That video is how I learned about local ATL funk band of awesomeness, Gurufish.
this is a really awesome idea
we should organize something. maybe with a little planning, folks could hand out flyers at the CM next month, to get as many folks involved as possible.
if we explain that it is an experiment, have a route planned out, everyone rides two abreast and never passes any cars on the right, etc., and have folks film it, it could be a really interesting thing.
Let's do it!
We need:
a date
a route
guidelines for the ride
fliers
people to hand out fliers
anything else?
Friday, July 11th?
I would be willing to work on a route.
guidelines for the ride?
From BikeAthens:
1. Ride no more than two abreast on 4 - 5 lane roads, taking up the right lane.
2. Ride single file on 2-3 lane roads so as not to interfere with traffic flow.
3. Please allow faster cyclists ahead of you so they are not
stuck behind slower cyclists during single-file stretches.
4. And as always, be courteous!
also
to really get at what dfunk is trying to do (i think... feel free to correct me):
do NOT pass stopped traffic on the right
+1
.
unless, of course...
...yr in a bike lane.
right
i.e., you're on edgewood, or, uh, yeah.
people with cameras
people with cameras
if that's what happens
Even if that is how things ended up, the experiment would be just as successful. The point should not be to demonstrate anything, but to determine if what is currently the CritMass attitude is in fact the most efficient. It would also serve as a microcosm experiment to examine the effects of a much greater percentage of cyclists on the road.
The laws are made to control cyclists at normal levels, but what is not known is if there really exists a "critical mass" point of cyclists after which point the rules designed to protect start to create a higher risk environment. Intersections are corked because it is believed that it is safer for a mass ride to stay as one unit rather than risking being split into several autonomous units, but what is the reasoning for that? Would it be so bad if the group is split? Wouldn't it be more efficient for traffic (both bike and motored) if we behaved ourselves, followed the rules, and if we get split up continue as sub-units? We would still be riding our bikes around town just enjoying the Friday night.
I think it would be interesting to organize a ride to see what would happen on a less invasive mass bike ride.
Or see how totally hopeless
Or see how totally hopeless 100 riders are in traffic obedience
Yes
This is what concerns me about such a ride.
has anyone bothered reading
has anyone bothered reading the comments in the article since mass?
I did just now
And I wish I hadn't. I noticed some posts by some familiar folks. I've said it before: nobody's listening to each other over there. No use fueling the flame war. :-(
ABC is in
I would definitely tell our members about this, run a story on our new website, etc. Not sure how many would turn out, but I agree it's an interesting experiment.
I think one of the wonderful things about CM is that people do it for different reasons, so I don't see a need to all agree on the whys, just the hows and whens.
ABC has been talking about hosting a Courteous Mass for a while but I think it's more powerful coming from this group.
great!
the more groups supporting/advertising this ride, the better! (note: the conversation has moved to: http://fastermustache.org/node/5319.)