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Hey kids, remember Critical Mass? Did you know it still happens? Why, we haven't heard that much of them since the Great Bicycle Uprising in 1997 when they (or the police) staged a mini-riot after His Willieness tried to crack down on them.
Today, they're back in the news as a new story of wild behavior is making the rounds. The story comes from today's Matier & Ross and, to make a long story short, a nice, typical mini-van-owning suburban family was out in the city celebrating a birthday and got caught right smack-dab in the middle of Critical Mass. According to the story, it quickly devolved into Bikers Gone Wild.
The whole thing sounds like something out of one of those old biker movies in the 50s or one of your more politically incorrect westerns. The mini-van, driven by Susan Ferrando, was full of kids who attended the party and wound up in the middle of Critical Mass. She panicked, as she didn't know what the heck was going on and slowly inched forward. The bikers surrounded her, started hitting the side of her car (with their bikes even), smashed a couple of windows, and generally said not very nice things in front of a van full of kids. Ferrando had to call 911 and wait it out until motorcycle cops came to rescue her from what kind of sounds like a wild pack of bikers. Total damages to the car? $5,300
In light of this story, we immediately went the Rants & Raves section on Craigslist to see what the boards were like. As always, they're pretty entertaining. Lots of .jpgs of middle fingers thrown at the biker’s way and people saying the family should have just run down the bikers. Or, as one guy put it:
maybe at the end of this month i will just show up in the city and find 4-5 of u assholes beat the shit out of you and take your money,see i defended our country for 2 1/2 years over in IRAQ,I WILL SHOW YOU THE AMERICAN WAY AS I AM BEATING YOUR ASS AND RUINING YOUR 3000.00 BIKE
As for us, we did Critical Mass a few times back in the day and thought it was really fun. After awhile, though, we got turned off by all the shenanigans that went on and the attitude of some of the bikers and stopped doing it.
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what's lame is that someone still thinks of the Iraq war as "defending our country" - and is willing to beat up bikers over it.
Somewhat OT: $5,300 in damage to the mini-van? That could have been a dented bumper . . .
Unfortunately, no one here can say they are surprised by this story. It's pretty typical of the selfish behavior of many a cyclist in this town.
Before you even say it, let me say "DUH! I KNOW there are many nice, responsible cyclists in this town."
However, I have witnessed amazing hubris and arrogance from many. My car has been threatened by bikes who refuse to obey the rules of the road. I'm happy to share the road, but many riders don't want to reciprocate.
I'm sorry they are helping ruin the reputation of our wonderful city.
What's lame is that Critical Mass is defended as a legitimate protest when it's really a mass of illegal activity. A friend of mine just suggested a reasonable response: arrest everyone who's breaking the law, and charge them with felony reckless driving. I'd go further and impound the $2500 track bikes (without brakes) until the resolution of each case.
I live in fear of what would happen if I got caught in the middle of Critical Mass. Suffice to say it might have a tragic outcome.
No, what's lame is Critical Mass and how it's no longer about bike awareness or anything constructive at all - it's just a way to get the lack of accountability that comes with being in a large group. It's annoying, many of the people who do it are annoying and rude, and it's basically just an irritation to everyone else that no longer raises awareness of anything except how annoying the bike lobby around here is. When I first moved to San Francisco, I thought it was really cool that there was this grass-roots thing going on to raise awareness of biking and showed that people could effect change through large-scale activism, but it turned out it was really just an excuse for people to be jackasses. That's REALLY lame.
SFist dudes, your post is completely useless, you know. You're basically quoting this, quoting that, quoting the dumbest statement from rants and raves how one of our "valiant soldiers" is going to beat people up..
.. and you're not saying anything in the process.
And btw, that soldier is a pretty nasty dick.
this is typical anti-bike spin from matier & ross. the lady had bikers in front of her and fucking pressed on the gas to threaten, rather than waiting until the mass (small at that point, they had already done a 20+ mile loop) had passed. i, personally, think that the reaction was pretty fucking excessive, but i wasnt in that situation. i have, however, been threatened by cars to the point where i feared for my life, and i can easily see how someone could go overboard because of it.
i'm not trying to excuse the behavior, but i think there's a certain element of hysteria in the tone of the article. if you as a motorist somehow feel threatened by people who brave the roads without being encased in a layer of steel though, thats more your problem than mine.
So the lady was confused and chose to try and drive through a mass of people on bikes. A cyclist confronted with a mass of cars would (wisely) not try and force their way through by "tapping" the cars' bumpers.
Is there any chance the person behind the wheel of the 4500 pound motor vehicle could have been threatening?
Critcal mass has ceased making a point for several years. It is no longer a gathering of people urging equal rights for bicylists, and has become a tool for many other "tools" to disrupt traffic and be assh*les. It is too bad that something that was created to promote positive change has been ruined by the actions of a few. And yes I know that car drivers can be a-holes but you will get no sympathy from anyone by acting like one too
I was on this Critical Mass and had a great time. I think that people loose their tolerance and blame the cyclists.
Now, what most people dont understand is that it is more dangerous to the cyclists to stop at the lights. It breaks up the mass, causing people to be left behind, and it slows down the whole event. Usually, a polite biker will stop at the front of a car and explain this, and this is what happened to this woman, cause i saw it. She just got over it, cause shes not from the city, and started driving anyways. And when you have 3,000 bikers, who all have a story of motorist negligence, if course they are going to say something.
That woman, in the car full of children, really now? While all of the other cars were stopped, she was "frightened" and "inched away" into 3,000 cyclists? That woman needs to stop using the "children" card, cause she and her husband were screaming rude things too, from what I saw. Shit.
No wonder people were upset! I ride my bike every day and everyday, I find myself reminding motorists who almost hit me to be aware, look before making a right turn. I've been hit twice in this city. My bike and my face have sustained injuries beyond what most motorist have ever experienced.
It's just not fair. Everyday in San Francisco careless drivers hit, break, and crush cyclists and their bikes.
times r tough.
Rageahol:
You crack me up. The bikers reacted the way they did becuase *they* felt threatened!!?? LOL
I understand it's hard to come up with ANY excuse for this assholery, but really. Maybe it doesn't deserve any.
You know what, CM people? Just ride on the goddman sidewalk. Do slow-moving, fragile pedestrians keep getting in your way? Well that's exactly how us drivers feel about bikes.
And as for the people flipping out about the woman daring to move her van, the first reaction by anyone with half a brain suddenly surrounded by a mob of bikers is to get the hell out of their way.
Uh yeah. Some suburban bitch assaulted a bicyclist with a deadly weapon, and the bicyclist retaliated. Cause, meet effect.
At the beginning of the ride some hard-on in a Chevy Tahoe tried to lurch out into the mass at Battery & Market, while shaking his fist out the window. Some bikers started swearing in his general direction and he said, no joke, "Watch your language, I have kids in this car!" So in the minds of your average Pinole commuter jerk-off, it is perfectly OK to run over people but not OK to say f*ck.
Yeah, Critical Mass is fun - for the first half hour. Then the reasonable people drift off and the assholes co-opt it to cause as much of a nuisance as possible.
I'm guessing that by 9pm when this woman got caught up in it the mass was 100% morons on fixies.
How on Earth is anyone taking this lady's side? She gunned the gas on a two ton vehicle right into a large group of people on bikes. The poster who says "I live in fear of what would happen if I got caught in the middle of Critical Mass. Suffice to say it might have a tragic outcome." shows the worst ignorance of it all. I've seen thousands upon thousands of cars survive critical mass without tragedy. How? They don't drive into a mass of bicyclists. It's really, really easy. Any of those anti-Mass folks posting on the site ought to come meet some of us some day. We're nice people from all walks of life, not "bikers gone crazy". Perhaps even try commuting on your bike in SF for a few weeks and see if you feel a little more empathetic to the cause.
I disagree with those who say that Critical Mass is no longer making any point. I think they do an excellent job of demonstrating that bicyclists are capable of acting dangerously, are able to inflict massive delays to public transit, and can prevent anyone but themselves from getting anywhere by refusing to share the road.
Wow, such wonderful dialogue and understanding from the "brave defenders" of Critical Mass. (all anonymous, I see)
Funny though, how they can get away with whatever they want and they don't get punished. Moderate Mayor can't even get up the gumption to suggest that smashing a car windshield might be bad. But when a small handful of art students tried to ride the N Judah and celebrate mass transit last year, they had the full force of the police and MUNI slammed on them like they were Osama Bin Laden.
And funny, the Critical Mass people didn't come to their defense - instead they posted insults, sent death threats to me, and tried to vandalize my property when I pointed this out.
Curious on all sides. I guess if you're not in goose-step with Critical Mass, that gives them the right to use whatever means necessary to make you think and do like they think you must.
Just like those guys in DC who jailed Josh Wolf, hmmm?????
Jeff Baker:
I"m sorry, were you there? Seriously. Is your assessment that this woman is a "suburban bitch" who started this whole thing and got what she deserved based on first hand observation? I know you were on the ride, but am wondering if you were there to see how this whole thing unfolded with your own eyes.
Yeah yeah, Critical Mass is suppose to be some anarchist FU to automobiles and whatnot... but at least they could do is civil about it. I've seen many a car get stopped by a bicyclist during critical mass, and for the most part the driver of the car is utterly confused which just turns to outrage.
Here's 2 quick ideas to make things go smoother...
1)Remember elementary school and those nice crossing guards. Bright colored vests and the lovely handheld STOP signs. Most car drivers understand what a stop sign means!
2)Ephemera! After stopping a car in the street, hand them a nicely designed flyer explaining to the driver why you have so much distaste for them and their vehicle. Help people understand your cause!
Random en masse stopping vehicles does about as much as Frank Chu wandering aimlessly through the city streets. No one knows whats going, but most people are certainly curious.
Try explaining it to them... It might just help!
my ex-boyfriend loved critical mass. i wish someone would have run him over.
I think Critical Mass is a very cool thing in principle, and probably it's usually great in person. But the victim mentality of some riders, as played out in the incident described in the newspaper and in the comments offered above, threatens to distract the event from making its real and very valid point -- that bicycles are a fun and effective way to get around.
I understand what happened in the incident described. Some suburban lady, not familiar with the event and unable to handle the unpredictable stress of San Francisco driving, got sort of panicky. Some of the cyclists got sort of radical.
Unless somebody can explain why throwing a bicycle, or whatever it was, into the rear window of a vehicle that is threateningly inching forward makes sense, I have to conclude that the riders over-reacted. And continue to do so: "assault with a deadly weapon"? You mean, like the police claim whenever some panicked driver inches their car forward in the direction of police? Come off it.
I've lived in this city for oh, 13 years now, and I've seen a LOT of Critical Mass since its inception. If ANYBODY believes that a "suburban bitch used her 4500 vehicle as a weapon", they're delusional twats. A person with EVERY RIGHT TO THE ROAD got caught in the middle of an illegal asshole rodeo. And the biker who got "hit"? Apparently it was so bad he rode off. On his bike. The bike that got hit. As a cyclist of 30-some years, I imagine it must have been quite a collision.
Critical Mass had a point, briefly, in the late 90's.
Now it's just all of the bike messengers who get high all day @ Market & Montgomery having illegal fun. Let's just arrest every fucker breaking the law. Like they'd do if they were on motorcycles or in cars. They can walk to Zeitgeist, where they all celebrate their individuality by looking and thinking exactly alike.
And as for bikes being victimized by cars: it's tragic when it happens. Drivers should be more aware.
But cyclists, by and large, follow no traffic laws whatsoever. When you put yourself in the path of two-ton machines that use the same roads, it is incumbent on you to exercise a bit of caution.
Right Patrick, of course, when you are out on the road it's incumbent upon yourself to keep yourself from being run over by cars. What? It's the people in cars who have the responsibility to keep their death machine under control. The rule of the road: smaller, softer objects have the right of way.
I can't believe all you nitwits actually live in the same city as me. Look at your ignorant homicidal rants. Murder? Assault? Carpet tacks? Get a hold of yourselves.
This needs a quote thread...
My suggestion: Wonder-Twins, Activate!!
www.shutterfly.com/progal/slideshow.jsp?auto=0&aid=768a5498cf47fab0a5c9&idx=31
--
Jeff Baker -
Don't take things out of context. The sentence that preceded the caution to bikers read: It's tragic when it happens. Drivers should be more aware.
It's simple common sense that if you choose to ride a bicycle in SF, you should exercise some caution, or you risk being on the losing end of a collision with a car.
Painting me as some sort of "cars are allowed to run over bikes at will" maniac is bullshit, so cut it the fuck out.
Critical mass is nothing more than a bunch of selfish criminals utilizing mob mentality to get a point across. Bikes need to follow the rules of the road just like cars. Problem is they don't and sometimes they end up under a muni bus. Critical mass is stupid. You want to ride your bike safely then operate it safely. I see bikers daring and taunting cars all day every day in the financial distirct. It is like they dare you to hit them. I understand the need for different modes of transportation in this screwed up traffic nightmare of a city but no one wins when people get hurt and children get scared. Simple common courtesy will serve bikers and car operators best. As far as anyone defending critical mass as a free speech or protest of some sorts , i challenge you to make the case as to what it truly achieves.
And another thing: the rule of the road is NOT that "smaller, softer objects have the right of way." Where did that come from? The rule of the road is the follow the RULES of the road, and to SHARE the road. This is incumbent on 18 wheelers and recumbent bicycles alike.
I love the idea of some suburban soccer mom sitting behind tons of steel in her box of idiocy suv somehow feeling threatened by human beings on bikes. Maybe somebody so easily "confused" shouldn't be sitting behind the wheel of one of these nazi machines!
The sheer hatred of some (luckily a minority) of the Critical Mass riders is frightening.
I think most CM participants have their minds in the right place, but these violent renegades simply do not make this planet a better place.
This is just another sad episode in our great city, courtesy of a few jerks.
It really can't be said any better. This post should end all debate:
"I love the idea of some suburban soccer mom sitting behind tons of steel in her box of idiocy suv somehow feeling threatened by human beings on bikes. Maybe somebody so easily "confused" shouldn't be sitting behind the wheel of one of these nazi machines!"
Bike on.
It has been years since Critical Mass had a legitimate point to make. Now it's just a self-righteous and couterproductive free-for-all, while the SF BIke Coalition does the real work of presenting cyling as a safe, responsible, friendly, accessible, etc. form of alternative transportation.
I'm a marketing consultant in the bike industry and have found myself in a pretty broad range of bike-related situations over the years. While it's definitely important for drivers to be aware of cyclists and our rights, it's easy for cyclists to forget that "share the road" means that we also have to share the road with cars.
Cars and bikes have equal rights to use the roads, and equal responsibilies to safely operate vehicles that are safely operable in the first place - that means brakes, lights, helmets and seat belts, etc.
And even then, shit happens. Cars will hit bikes, bikes will hit cars, cars will hit cars, bikes will hit bikes. Personally, I've experienced all four.
But let's all be careful and respectful out there, and understand that people like this minivan driver will react unpredicably in situations that they're not used to.
Everyone has a right to use the roads, including bicyclists and pedestrians.
Would you like for me to count how many times I've had to walk around cars TODAY who were parked on the sidewalk or in the crosswalk? Or waited for them to finish running a redlight so I could cross safely?
I don't doubt there are assholes who ride in CM, but it's a two-way street people. Keeping that in mind, if I get hit by a bike I get bruises. If I get hit by a car, I get killed.
If you want to equal the playing field, bikers and pedstrians need to carry firearms and then shooting the first motorist who gets out of line.
Then, we can all bitch with fairness.
And on a whole other level: I appreciate the chaos CM brings to our city. It's great. I love it. I don't care if you don't - I live here too. I work here too. I pay taxes too. I care about this city too.
patrick: when was the last time YOU broke the rules of the road? this morning, perhaps? ever, say, go faster than the posted speed limit? make an illegal u-turn? i just LOOOOVE when motorists, who with the exceedingly rare exception of a few grannies and mormons, ALL break the law ALL THE FUCKING TIME, start to lecture people on motherfucking BIKES about OBEYING THE RULES OF THE FUCKING ROAD. ever drive with a taillight out, buddy? how about talk on your cellphone while in the car?
glass houses and all that.
in every mass of people there will always be a few shit-stirrers. that goes for motorists and for cyclists alike. one does a hell of a lot more damage than the other though.
Ok Patrick, but beware when you say bikers, (by and large), follow no traffic rules at all.
That's just not true.
It's these generalizations that paint bikers in critical mass and bikers in general as anarchy loving free-for-all-ers. Every biker not wanting to become road-kill follows road rule.
A lot of people seem to be ignoring the fact that the order of events was:
FIRST the riders swarmed the car (and anyone who denies that the CM participants would do that is lying)
THEN the woman tried to inch her way forward to get herself and her kids the hell away the lunatics. I'd have done the same thing, although I'm not sure I would have been inching.
CM participants are actively provoking confrontations. It needs to be shut down before someone gets killed.
"Confusion, however, quickly turned to terror, she said, when the swarming cyclists began wildly circling around and then running into the sides of her Toyota van.
Filled with panic, Ferrando said, she started inching forward until coming to a stop at Post and Gough streets, where she was surrounded by bikers on all sides. "
I've lived in SF for 20 years, and get around the city on foot or on MUNI. I neither own a car nor do I ride a bike.
As a full time ped, I can tell you that I come close to being hit by a bike running a red light *maybe* three times a year. I come close to getting hit by cars running red lights or taking right turns when I have the right-of-way in the crosswalk, pretty much every single day of my life.
I live in North Beach and love to see the bikes swarm up Columbus once a month at the end of the day. I think they send a positive message about using environmentally friendly means of getting around in a congested city.
I have no idea what exactly happened in this incident, but I dream of a day when downtown is car-free and free of rage-o-holics from the suburbs careening around in their SUVs while yapping on the phone and bemoaning us pesky, bothersome, peds and cyclists.
The criminals are the ones who grind up Iraqi children, including cute little Iraqi girls, and stuff them into their gas tanks to take THEIR cute little girls to a goddamn party.
And then they complain about the high cost of a gallon of ground up Iraqi children.
Oh, and when they see people actually agitating over the issue of ground up Iraqi children being stuffed into your gas tanks, they feel perfectly justified in "tapping" said people with a multi-ton object.
And soon they will be ugrading to super-premium: ground up Iranian children.
Fat losers in fat cars, killing the whole goddamn world.
I am a cyclist, I am not a fan of cars, or suberban vans, but I am SO OVER critical mass. They give the rest of us a bad name. I went on two of their rides, saw idiots, drunk and hi, cycling, keying cars, and acting like total assholes. I deliberatly walk to work on critical mass fridays as I don't want to be associated with these freaks in any way shape or form. Please grow up, get a life, and opt out (of critical mass that is).
rageahol -
You're neat.
I do what I can to follow the rules of the road. I have never hit a cyclist. I never, ever, run red lights under any circumstances.
I simply pointed out that when you're the one without two tons of protection surrounding you, you should err on the side of caution. Not such a radical idea, self-preservation.
As for cyclists flaunting the rules... well, let's just say I've worked near Market Street for a dozen years.
Excellent point mattymatt.
This story made me wonder about the law enforcement resources the city wastes to babysit these goons. Why does SFPD even bother trailing the Critical Mass bicyclists if they can’t make arrests or issue citations for traffic violations? Beyond absurd if you ask me. On a busy Friday night I would much rather have additional police units patrolling in the Bayview/Hunters Point, Western Addition, the Mission, or North Beach.
How about making the Critical Mass people pay for police protection?
so your defense is that you break DIFFERENT laws than a few cyclists?
brilliant.
what exactly do you mean by "err on the side of caution"? do you mean looking both ways and crossing when there are no cars coming? because i dont ever recall encountering a cyclist crossing on a red light or blowing a stop sign who didnt, you know, look to see if there were cars there. yeah, its really not such a radical idea, self-preservation. i think that you're talking about a different idea though. not self-preservation for cyclists (how many bike fatalities have there been in the city versus car fatalities in the past, oh, lets be arbitrary and say a year?), but a different principle which, being no fan of brevity, i'll call attempt-not-to-annoy-patrick.
i think that principle is pretty irrelevant.
Critical Mass is just plain retarded to pull their stunts on a Friday when there is a Giants ballgame that evening and folks are still adjusting to lane changes on the Bay Bridge eastbound. They're effectively creating more pollution with their stupidity by snarling traffic.
I'm a full-time pedestrian, so the only Critical Mass does to me is interrupt my ability to walk across the street and causes me to inhale more poisonous CO2 coming out of the backed up cars. Thanks a lot - and now you're terrorizing little girls too. Good one, bunny.
How about requiring RFID or some other transmitter on bikes - or impound the bike. That way, we can mass ticket all the folks breaking traffic laws instead of just sitting by and watching 500 bicyclists ignore a red light.
Red lights are a bedrock principle. You run a red light, you're violating everybody's tacit agreement as to who is allowed to go and who is not. Breaking this agreement has disastrous results.
Speed limits are more arbitrary. Have I broken the speed limit? Yep. Should I break the speed limit? Nope. Will I break it again? Yep. Does that make me a hypocrite? Of course.
Your point seems to be that it's OK for cyclists to break the law based on their skills. As long as they look, go for it. If a bike goes the wrong way down a one way street, runs a red light and gets clipped by a car, that's not the fault of the car. And it happens here all the time.
" I love the idea of some suburban soccer mom sitting behind tons of steel in her box of idiocy suv somehow feeling threatened by human beings on bikes. Maybe somebody so easily "confused" shouldn't be sitting behind the wheel of one of these nazi machines!"
The quote above is exactly the mentality that is wrong with critical mass. That is pure and utter fodder for people who drive to hate bikers. What is wrong with a family coming in from outlying areas to spend money in SF? What is wrong with owning and driving a suv? The answer to both questions is nothing. The problem is with the selfish freaks who think they can mob cars cause damage to other peoples property then spout stupidity about suv's. I am so sick of that line. It is utter stupidity. the facts are clear bikers cause more problems on the road due to irresposable riding habits than cars. the operators who feel the road belongs to them and cars should be banned need to just shut it! The roads were built for cars. this is an urban setting not some freaking bike path. Yell, scream and pout all you want but as long as you have idiots such as the poster of the quote below as your spokesperson you will continue to receive no legitimacy. You really think that family got what it deserved? She would have been defending her family had she run all the bikers over who did damage to the car. Maybe that's what it will take for you bike freaks to get the message that you can't scare people for fun or to make a point. What if car drivers hosted a critical mass of their own and the objective was to run you freaks off the road and mob you and taunt you. How would you like a group of SUV's encircling your bike? Give me a break. you would wet your biker shorts. cowards. The day will come when your acts of aggression will be repaid with retaliation and not by the tears of a frightened child. I am sure it will be ruled self defense given your history.
Oh yeah, this incident is paving the way to make next month's CM an absolute barrel of laughs.
I think automobile drivers should have a critical mass of there own: create traffic jams, run red lights, terrorize the meek, paralyze the downtowns of major cities, etc.
Oh wait ... they do that every day!
red lights and stop signs arent exactly the "bedrock principle" you seem to think they are. in some states, cyclists, because the state or local governments understand physics and momentum, are legally allowed to run red lights or stop signs so long as reasonable care is taken, i.e. dont be an idiot.
to ask people to adhere rigidly to laws intended to ensure safety when breaking those laws, on a case by case basis, would not significantly increase the risk to their personal safety (for example, crossing the street without waiting for the "walk" signal, driving at or below the speed limit when the bulk of traffic is flowing >10mph above it, blowing a stop sign when there are no cars coming, etc) is just fucking stupid. people break laws all the time, and yes, there are stupid people who are unable to accurately assess risk. there will never be 100% enforcement of any law, let alone the giant constellation of laws that govern our roads. so quit fucking bitching about it as though you are somehow better because you break different laws.
motorists are all such whiny pussies. damn.
How can most of you even comment on this "story"? There isn't any credible evidence to validate most of your opinion unless you were there. I wasn't there, but obviously, there is no way to know how this woman or the bikers reacted. Don't believe the press until you hear the actual story from both parties, duh, you live in SF, you should know this by now.
I actually witnessed this incident. I have to say, prior to this I did not really have much of an opinion about critical mass. I do not want to judge an entire movement by the actions of these individuals (ok, it was a crowd)- however- it was reprehensible what these cyclists did. NO, this woman did NOT gun her car. It was scary and it was real-life nightmare. I was really, really frightened for her. The cops could not even control the outrageous behavior of these cyclists. They should be held up to the standards of the law like everyone else. Why are we so afraid to punish these people? Who is running this city? I am SO OVER San Francisco and its so called political correctness that morphs into a real life social psychology nightmare. I am outta here. This city has degraded because of this attitude and the weak leadership in place. Good luck everyone.
"Oh wait ... they do that every day!"
LOL jas!
Where's the requisite comment from Alix Rosenthal talking about how this episode makes her skin crawl?
Where's the requisite press conference held by the pathetic excuse of an ED of the Bicycle Coalition?
Following this thread and the one on SFGATE, it seems clear that CM has lost significant support in SF. If the more responsible bikers can't police their own, best to quit now before there is zero support.
yes, because sfist and sfgate comment threads are a statistically sound method of judging public opinion.
dumbass.
i do find it interesting though that the tourists i've run into who ask about CM think its just bloody awesome. it's just the b&t commuters and car-centric locals who get pissy. and hey, fuck those people anyway.
I dunno, based on this thread on the one on SF Gate, it seems clear that there are a lot of anonymous, angry, SUV-driving suburbanites stewing about being slowed down by CM. So angry that they're trying to drum up support for their indefensible gas-guzzling arguments by posting anonymously on message boards pretending to have witnessed the event.
To which I say, "yeah right."
CHAD,
First of all, thank you for all the time and thought you put into my ever so witty comment.
Now let me answer your riculously juvenile questions...
"What is wrong with a family coming in from outlying areas to spend money in SF?"
1) They're doing it in an SUV (bet you'll love that!)
2) They have no clue about SF culture becuase if they did they'd have some clue about critical mass
3) They can spend their money somewhere else if their first reaction to confusion is violence.
"What is wrong with owning and driving a suv?"
1) It's all for show...let's be serious. The majority of losers who drive them still think they're "cool" because they have one.
2) You're spending a shitload of money on gas to keep it fueled using up too much of the earth's resources...are you retarded?
3) You're taking up way too much space on this beautiful planet.
4) Nobody needs that much space in a car to get from point A to point B...it's ridiculous...again, are you retarded?
5) Apparently, the majority of SUV drivers have blind spots to the front, back, left and right of them at all times judging by the way they drive.
I'm assuming you drive an SUV since you were so offended by my statement, but I thank you for expressing your distaste with my opinion. I can sleep peacefully tonight knowing I've offended one SUV driver out there today. Now go watch FOX news and keep yourself dense.
For those looking for another view, the Bay Guardian posted something about it:
http://www.sfbg.com/blogs/politics/2007/04/did_critical_mass_really_go_cr.html
patrick wrote, "Red lights are a bedrock principle. You run a red light, you're violating everybody's tacit agreement as to who is allowed to go and who is not. Breaking this agreement has disastrous results."
Except during parades, when red lights are ignored. Or when a police officer or traffic officer directs traffic through the intersection, superceding the lights.
Since motorcycle cops often block intersections for bikers during critical mass, so they can pass safely, it hardly seems like bikers are "breaking the law". Instead, the "agreement" has been changed for the duration of the event.
See?! THIS is why we can't have nice things!!
Wow... I think Scientology or some other cult is making inroads judging from the hate for folks who choose to drive a car. Yowsa...
By the way, tourists nod their heads, smile, and say "that's cool!" to just about anything.
Trisha,
I don't own an SUV. I actually commute via public transportation. So i guess you have to go to bed being the angry dumb ass you usually are.
Your response gives us all an insight into your deficient mental reasoning. Who appointed you the arbitrator of what cars people should own and operate? You might not like the sport utility vehicle but given we live in a free society people can choose the vehicle that fits their personal needs and pleasures. I assume you are angry because you were not held enough as a baby or because someone left you for a nicer more pleasant partner. Well don't take it out on families who want to spend a day in the City. Take a bike ride in the hills or something productive. People should not have to "understand the culture of the city" to enjoy it without fear of violence and damage to their car. And you call me retarded... All accounts of the incident state that the family was attacked not the other way around little miss angry. I guess nothing will change your crusade against the SUV but you should at least consider how stupid you sound spouting irrational bullshit in defense of your cause. Thanks for the response and enlightening others to your irrationality. Best wishes for a restful night sleep.
I am an SF bicyclist and I've been over CM since the late 90's ... I don't think its useful anymore and gives everyday bicyclists a bad name.
I also own a car. I have to say I agree with the cyclists' point of view - I don't run red lights or break traffic rules but that doesn't mean my heart isn't in my throat practically the entire time i'm commuting by bike through the financial district, south of Market and into the Mission, where I live. In approximately 11 years of riding my bike in this city on a regular basis, I've been tapped by cars six times(never full on hit though, knock wood). I have never hit or tapped a cyclist while driving my car. It is simply a matter of paying attention and driving defensively.
When I rule the world, every licensed driver will have been required to have demonstrated that he or she has ridden a bicyle in traffic and is aware of the fact that cars are killing machines.
And to the person that suggested cyclists ride on sidewalks, sorry, no, that is against the law and actually poses a real danger to people who use the sidewalk to WALK on.
peace out - please be excellent to each other!
"b&t commuters [...] fuck those people anyway"
Right. Fuck them for not being able to afford to live where their jobs are. Fuck them for not having had the foresight to obtain a rent-controlled apartment 15 years ago. Fuck all those people who have to ride into The City every day on buses and BART and ferries and motorcycles and cars just because the real-estate madia and yuppie élitist scum fresh off the boat from Manhattan have conspired to make it impossible for median-wage earners to lead a decent life in SF.
(Where exactly are those tunnels leading into SF, anyway? I need to find a better way to get to work from Alameda.)
Trisha,
I take public transportation and don’t own an SUV. I guess you will have to go to bed like you do every other night- an angry dumb ass. Now since the foundation of your argument is flawed, let’s address the rest of your irrationality. Nobody has appointed you the official car monitor. This is a free society and families can purchase the vehicles that best fit their needs and tastes. You are not in any position to judge those decisions. Have you ever driven a suv? How do you know what car has what blind spot? Are you aware of how stupid you sound? You call me retarded but make the assertion that people visiting the City should know the culture??? This family was attacked and damage was done to their vehicle not the other way around. Now I know you’re angry and all but the fact that you have unresolved childhood issues should not stand in the way of logic. Thank you for giving the sfist readers a true insight into your flawed reasoning and irrationality. Hope you sleep well tonight knowing how absurd and stupid you sound. Sweet dreams angry Trisha.
I travel a lot overseas. I used to hear a lot of people tell me "we hate your government, but not your people."
But I've noticed that on my last two trips, people dropped the second half. And in one place, I was told that Americans were unwelcome to enter. I told them I wasn't from America, but from San Francisco, and they let me in - lol.
Americans have become increasingly hateful and xenophobic.
Reading the comments here defending the minivan driver, I can see why we are so hated around the world. Never is an accomodation for the other point of view made. It is simply ME. ME and my SUV full of gas stolen from brown people far, far away.
I really hope we have $5 gas this summer. $10 would be even better.
[Comment deleted for going against Gothamist commenting policy]- ed
P.S. I risk life and limb on the Bay Bridge every day on my motorcycle so I can come to The City and earn enough to support my disabled, non-income-earning spouse and our dog, which make our family anathema to the SF real-estate mafia (which is what I meant to say before, not "madia"). So anyone who assumes I'm some sort of SUV-driving suburban Wal-Mart shopper can think again. I can't even afford to shop at Wal-Mart!
I respect a lot of what the Bicycle Coalition stands for and think they must be mortified by the violence of last week's ride. I think a nice step they could take to help everyone heal (and distance themselves from the assholery of those who throw things thru people's windows) is to offer to pay for the damagte done to this family's vehicle.
Yes, I KNOW they don't officially sponsor CM, but I'm just saying... it would be a very decent thing to do.
because i dont ever recall encountering a cyclist crossing on a red light or blowing a stop sign who didnt, you know, look to see if there were cars there
Cars yes - but other cyclists or pedestrians, no. The most common near-accident I have on my bike is almost getting wiped out at an intersection by another cyclist who isn't stopping.
Drivers run a red light every time they turn right on red without stopping first.
That makes about as much sense as having AAA pay the hospital bills for every pedestrian who gets mowed down in the city. Which, by the way, is over 100 people per year.
I'm an SFBC member and I'll be mad as hell if a penny of member dues is used for this.
I did CM about 10 years and quite a few times since. I did get turned off by the occasional yahoo aggro behavior and reconsidered it. And how angry drivers get about it. But I think by and large that most of the folks stuck for 10 minutes or so are ok with it. And I try and calm down or help stop aggro cyclist behavior.
But the main thing is that every damn day in this City I see dangerous driving. People getting hurt, killed or nearly hurt. CM is the one day out of the month where the streets can be enjoyed by the cyclists - free of all speeding, red light running, no turn signal using drivers out there. It's a one day celebration of cycling a month. I'll stop doing CM when I stop seeing dangerous driving.
My experiences with bike riders:
Yelled at by elderly man in expensive bike gear/bike while crossing street near Russian Hill, he didn't stop at stop sign and thought he had the right of way.
Yelled at cursed by CM riders when I as a pedestrian was crossing Columbus Ave in North Beach.
Struck in head by mountain bike rider after verbal exchange when group of non CM mountain bike riders slowly ran red light on Van Ness.
Witnessed a bike rider try to strangle a motorist, I came upon this incident in the financial district on Sansome street. I didn't see what led up to the incident.
Constantly have to get out of way of Hispanic Bike riders on sidewalks in San Rafael, even though the were breaking the law at (least they were polite and asked me first)
Constantly have to dodge bike messengers on sidewalks
It is not ok for traffic to be held up not even for even a minute. People have places to go and lives to live. This pointless gathering of criminals needs to end. It is a selfish act of immature fools to think they can overtake the city streets and cause mayhem. Why is it ok to make people sit there and wait while a bunch of idiots block traffic? What a waste of every ones time. the only point that gets made is that the participants are fools. You really think CM improves awareness or safety? No it makes commuters irate. And the bike coalition should pay for that families car damage. The family should bring a lawsuit against them and the city for allowing such freakish behavior to occur. San Francisco is a freaking joke. The leadership of this city should stop giving you freaks a forum to display your craziness and start focusing on making this city more livable for normal people who earn a living.
--> the govt or the people?
I doesn't sound like you read the M&R article. This woman was probably terrified as well as her children. Imagine if you have never hear of CM and got stuck in the middle. You might be frightened too and make some bad decisions. The biker was reported to be fine. Honestly, it sounded like a pretty tense situation. On one side you have a scared mother and on the other side you have a mob of bicyclists. Mob mentality + scared mother + car + bikes = suck
I don't think there is any real blame to cast here. Just something to learn from. peace please
My experiences with bike riders:
Yelled at by elderly man in expensive bike gear/bike while crossing street near Russian Hill, he didn't stop at stop sign and thought he had the right of way.
Yelled at cursed by CM riders when I as a pedestrian was crossing Columbus Ave in North Beach.
Struck in head by mountain bike rider after verbal exchange when group of non CM mountain bike riders slowly ran red light on Van Ness.
Witnessed a bike rider try to strangle a motorist, I came upon this incident in the financial district on Sansome street. I didn't see what led up to the incident.
Constantly have to get out of way of Hispanic Bike riders on sidewalks in San Rafael, even though the were breaking the law at (least they were polite and asked me first)
Constantly have to dodge bike messengers on sidewalks
To be honest, I'm not even sure the point of Critical Mass. Is it to make a statement against the pollution caused by cars, or against so-called "inconsiderate" drivers? I guess it doesn't really matter because it doesn't effectively do either. Forcing cars to sit and idle while waiting for the parade of obnoxious whiners rides by isn't any better for the air than just letting drivers go on their way. I've never met anyone who decided not to commute for a day because they were so moved by this ridiculous demonstration. News flash: San Francisco is a city of commuters. Hundreds of thousands of people do it every day and you congregating and acting like jack-asses once a month won't change that. Get real, and get a life.
The other thing the cyclists bitch about is being ignored by drivers. The day I see a cyclist actually obey traffic laws, I'll be so shocked I won't be able to ignore it. They don't stop for red lights, don't use bike lanes when they're provided, and fail to yield when turning. They make traffic problems worse, and cause accidents all the time. So my answer to their complaints about unsafe drivers is this: get off the road then.
When these people moved to the city (or chose to stay here), what were they imaginging the commute to be like? Rolling hills, quiet nature sounds, watching the sunrise/sunset, and enjoying the crisp air? They have that very close by, you know...in the places we are all commuting to/from.
Taxi drivers in this city are some of the craziest people and most dangerous drivers I've ever seen (no offense). They break traffic laws, speed through crowded streets, and just aren't that courteous on the road. But you learn to deal with it, and drive defensively. If you're heading down a street at 30mph and see a taxi that looks like it might want to turn (they don't use blinkers so you have to develop a special taxi esp to tell what they're going to do), you have to prepare to slam on the brakes and deal. They don't care, it's not their car. Once I was in a taxi that made a noticeable dent in a parked car and drove on as if he didn't notice. I asked him if he noticed, and his reply was "it's ok."
But this rant is not about taxi drivers, it's about bicyclists. Just like I have had to learn to drive amongst the crazy taxis, drunk pedestrians/homeless people wandering into crowded intersections, last-minute double parkers, illegal lane changers and u-turners; they need to learn to ride among drivers whose main priority isn't yeilding to annoying cyclists. I hate driving in this city, I'll admit. But I know that before I even get to my car that I park 4 blocks away from my house because I can't find a spot. I'm not going to waste my energy trying to piss people off and make a spectacle of myself. I'm not going to take out my frustration on a family in a mini-van. I'm not going to perpetuate the stereotypes and bad attitudes that already exist about people like me (in my case, female drivers :). I'll just take the bus, thank you very much.
And on the bus, I get the pleasure of trying to balance in my high heels while holding my laptop bag, purse, and whatever tiny sliver of handrail I can manage to squeeze in between the grimy hands of fellow passengers. I get to take in the glorious smells of body odor, urine, old lady perfume to the 10th power, and morning breath. Once my stop finally arrives I'll get to bask in the joy of pushing past all the other jerks who hate their morning bus ride so that I can stumble out the back door just in time to be cut off by a damn bicyclist. But guess what: there's no use complaining because if I didn't like it, I could just always ride a bike.
Lauren,
Very well said. Thank you for bringing some sanity into the conversation.
The CM people need to make up their minds. Either the purpose of it is to piss off as many people as possible, in which case they should do it at 8:00 on a Monday morning, or it's to raise awareness and promote bicycling as a healthy and eco-friendly transportation alternative, in which case they should do it at 8:00 on a Sunday morning, when they'd have the streets to themselves.
However, I suspect that most of them are not exactly morning people.
Every one here is missing the point and allowing the conversation to digress into one-sided blather, from both sides, asshole bikers and asshole drivers alike. As someone with no real stake in the matter -- I only walk or take public transit -- I can say with all sincerity and honesty that both the drivers AND bikers are self-serviing jerks. Some poster did note that the tone of debate is, in fact, ME! ME!, and that's exaclty right. Critical Mass is incredibly annoying, and, for the record, I've been nearly hit by cyclists breaking the rules of the road on many, many occasions. As a pedestrian, I'd rather walk in downtown Boston than in the Financial District, or worse yet, try to cross Geary Blvd, where the buses and cars blow lights at 65 mph. I don't honestly know who to believe: Bikers who say they witnessed the spectacle -- that means Steven Jones from the Guardian, too -- have a vested interest only in promoting thier silly causes, and drivers are always pissed at bikers anyway. Bascially, about 95 percent of you are full of it, and yourselves.
Back to the main point: A car -- doesn't matter if it was an SUV or a Mini -- was damaged in a tyraid by a bunch of immiture bikers, and you made a fool out yourselves and everything you claim you stand for. Critical Mass and the hysterical bikers that comprise the "movement" have lost every ounce of credibility; drivers in this town, from the city and beyond, suck. Therefore, you're all assholes.
You seems to misunderstand. CM is not organized. There are no "CM people" and there is not motivation. People ride with CM for numerous reasons, including just riding down the street and being overtaken. You might as well try to ascribe a single motive to the motorists who form their own Mass twice a day at the Bay Bridge toll plaza.
I wrote:
I think a nice step they could take to help everyone heal (and distance themselves from the assholery of those who throw things thru people's windows) is to offer to pay for the damagte done to this family's vehicle.
Jeff Baker wrote:
That makes about as much sense as having AAA pay the hospital bills for every pedestrian who gets mowed down in the city. Which, by the way, is over 100 people per year.
I'm an SFBC member and I'll be mad as hell if a penny of member dues is used for this.
Me again:
Huh? Ummm.. i guess that would make sense, Jeff, if those 100 people were actively run down ON PURPOSE by those 100 cars. We aren't talking about an accident here, we are talking about people who, with more self-righteousness than Pat Robertson, decided to assault this family's vehicle and throw an object thru it's window. See the difference?
Sure, I see the difference. The question is, do you see the difference between the people who banged up this minivan, and the members of the SFBC? It makes no sense to expect the SFBC to pay for the damage caused by some random bicyclists, unless you also think it makes sense for the AAA to pay for the damage caused by random motorists.
By the way, you obviously missed the case of the guy from Fremont who intentionally mowed down 14 pedestrians in San Francisco last year, and the moron who intentionally ran down and killed a pedestrian on Valencia only a few days ago.
"CM is not organized. "
So it's merely an mind-boggling coincidence that a large group of bicyclists manifests itself once a month in a particular location?
That's a massive violation of the law of averages, if nothing else.
Hey Trishia:
First things first -- you're comment wasn't that witty.
Secondly, every "witty" answer you provide to Chad's questions are totally juvenile and retarded.
His question:
"What is wrong with a family coming in from outlying areas to spend money in SF?"
Your answer:
1) They're doing it in an SUV (bet you'll love that!)
Logic time: There were a total of five people in the VAN, which even non-drivers know is not an SUV. Would it be more efficient if they each drove their own cars, or piled into two separate cabs? Sounds to me like they were carpooling, which, last time I checked, was encouraged by environmentalists. Guess cyclists in SF aren't environmentalists. In fact, I'd venture to say that at least half of them only ride a bike because it's cool.
Your second answer:
2) They have no clue about SF culture because if they did they'd have some clue about critical mass
Logic time, part 2: If San Francisco "culture" is defined by Critical Mass, how do you explain all the people who live in the city AND OWN CARS? And claiming that you solely have a grasp on SF Culture does not represent a cultured outlook; on the contrary, it shows that your a brainwashed hack, probably with a gay "Fixie."
Your third answer:
3) They can spend their money somewhere else if their first reaction to confusion is violence.
Logic time, part 3: Doesn't exactly sound like the Critical Mass-holes exhibited a zen-like calm in the presence of ONE confused driver versus, what, 50 bikers, does it?
Second question:
"What is wrong with owning and driving a suv?"
Your first answer to the second question:
1) It's all for show...let's be serious. The majority of losers who drive them still think they're "cool" because they have one.
Logic time, part 4: Your kidding yourself if you don't think at least half of the hipster/critical shitheads don't ride their bike simply for the fact that it is fashionable. What is the rationale of having so many "Fixies" in a city widely known for its hills? Seems a little counter intuitive if you ask me.
Your second answer to question two:
2) You're spending a shitload of money on gas to keep it fueled using up too much of the earth's resources...are you retarded?
Logic time, part 5: See the carpool argument above, then ask yourself: How would you transport five people around the city? Should they have ridden their bikes from Mountain View? Are you retarded?
Your third answer to question two:
3) You're taking up way too much space on this beautiful planet.
Logic time, part 6: I'm not even sure what this means. But it seems to me that 100 or so bikes take up more space than one car.
Your fourth answer to question two:
4) Nobody needs that much space in a car to get from point A to point B...it's ridiculous...again, are you retarded?
Logic time, part 7: Once again, there were five people in a car that has...five seats! So apparently they DID need that much space in a car to get from point A to B. Are you retarded? I've seen families in Vietnam and Thailand with five or more people on a bike, but until I see it here, you can't say shit.
Your fifth answer to question number two:
5) Apparently, the majority of SUV drivers have blind spots to the front, back, left and right of them at all times judging by the way they drive.
Logic time, part 8: Apparently, critical mass bikers have a blind spot in their brains if this is the type of reasoning they employ, judging by the way the act as a group.
Next time you try to make a pseudo-political point about SUVs and the environment, think about the all of the factors involved, rather than respond with non-sensical drivel and a false understanding of the cultural trends in SF. Such thinking is better suited for dumb masses...like critical masses.
Don't assume I have an SUV, either. I don't even own a car and I take Muni and Bart. So there. Now go read the Guardian
vanderel, for the win
Hard to say who is more obnoxious, the automobile drivers who run down dozens of pedestrians every month, or the Critical Mass yahoo's who make all bicyclists look bad with their antics.
But I sure know who is more dangerous and who needs to be reigned in. And it isn't the bicyclists.
Personally, I don't think Critical Mass makes much of any sort of statement these days.
It's just one of those annoyances of modern life that occasionally have to be dealt with, just like avoiding 101 around Candlestick Park when the Niners have a home game. It rises above the din for a few minutes, just enough to remind you that you're not asleep, then sags down.
Oh look, the truth comes out:
"... witnesses told her that Ferrando "recklessly accelerated" into a crowd and hit the bicyclist so hard the bike was lodged under her vehicle."
Another asshole driver commits assault with a deadly weapon and gets away with it. This shit really, really has to stop.
so much hate, but it seems that's how just about every argument goes. all the sane people are drowned out by the obnoxious Bill O' blowhards on both sides.
as a bicylist, i've got no problem following the rules of the road, but it'd be nice if we could have bike lanes on major arteries, or even on roads that are close to major ones.
their are way too many dickheads in CM now. real early on in this last one a trolly got stuck in the mass and some fucking cunt bicyclist (here's hoping you're bike gets stolen) diengaged it from the wire. what a nice statement against public transportation. it was nice to see everyone within earshot apologize to the driver, but that doesn't reattach the cable car.
it would be nice to see the whole thing get a little more organized, but i imagine i'll see motorists get out of their cars and start applauding us sooner.
This is why I only ever did Critical Mass once. They were, to a rider, a bunch of flaming assholes. This includes people I otherwise respect, but somehow participation in this mob scene made them into raging dicks.
One time years ago I did the Friday Night Skate and Skate Godfather D. Miles announced it like this: "See, we're *nice!*"
CM gives bicyclists a bad name. All right thinking cyclists should boycott it.
Did *you* smash the window, dickhead?
oh, and thank you vanderel. i'm pro-bike, but staunchly anti-morons that make uniformed statements.
i wish bikers would realize that you'll get more drivers on your side with reasoned logic than beligerant ranting.
That's what I love about you, SFist comment writers. I love the cowardly anonymous slander. I also love the murderous anonymous threats, and the hyperbole unencumbered by fact or reason. But mostly I love the slander.
Hats off to all you anonymous heros.
Comment threads are so disheartening. I rather liked SFist until I started reading these user-generated appendices; now everything feels like seething. Can anyone assure me that there is a vast, quiet middle that is going unheard on here?
Should I put my own two cents in? Doesn't seem worth it. Hmm. I bike to work daily. I feel guilty for not wearing a helmet. I stop for stop lights. Sometimes if no cars or people are coming, I go again before the light turns green. I don't feel especially guilty about this, and I can't really say why. If a car did the same, I would probably be surprised, though not especially angry.
I hear cyclists complain broadly about cars. The evilness of cars, the assholery of their drivers. I have complained about cars. I try to complain about specific cars and their specific drivers, in regard to specific infractions, but sometimes I just go ahead and complain about cars in general. When I have driven I have tended to get nervous around bicyclists. I am worried that I am going to crush them. I know other people who feel the same way when they are driving. When I am cycling, however, I don't generally worry about being crushed by cars, though I can understand why many cyclists do. Are you averse to people reading over your shoulder? Cycling in traffic perhaps feels like that to them. Mortally like that. So some edginess is understandable, I think.
Sometimes, since I am relatively unconcerned as a cyclist, I am not paying the strictest of attention. Generally this is a consequence-free state of being, but occasionally it has meant that I have made another person feel threatened or frustrated. I have stopped too far into the crosswalk, startling a pedestrian. I have failed to see my light turn green, impeding a driver behind me. I make apologetic gestures, blush.
I have been doored twice. The first time was decidedly the driver's fault, and both parties admitted as much. The driver was an elderly woman who was clearly shaken up. For whatever reason, she wasn't paying the strictest of attention. I was angry at first, but then I calmed down, and I apologized for being angry, explained that it's just a bit stressful when these things happen. Neither of us said anything about paying for the door that was wrecked. The second time it happened was a matter of bad timing. He checked his mirror, he really did, but he did so as I was coming around a corner. Crash. Sharp words were exchanged, then apologies were made. I asked if he wanted to get insurance involved, he wasn't sure. In the end he just paid to replace my front wheel. Cheap. Lucky for everyone, again.
I don't especially like bicycling as a lifestyle or a political statement. I try not to begrudge those who do, but I fail in my efforts. I think my annoyance has little to do with the nature of cycling itself. It is more a problem of people, their basis for their choosing of an identity, and the volume with which they express that choice. "Cyclist" is simply the product of a troublesome process. It could just as easily be "Sports Fan" or "Gourmand." This is a digression too far. Sorry.
I like a bicycle as a way to move in space. It is tremendously inexpensive and impressively efficient, though its efficiency is highly contingent on bending the rules. Coming to full stop at every stop sign, say, rather kills one's hard-earned momentum. Terrible, I know. Ought not break the law, ought to follow the same rules as the cars do.
I would rather not frustrate people, so I tend to make as much room for cars as I am able to do without endangering myself. If someone behind me wants to make a right at red light, I move far enough over to the left to accommodate them. When I notice them, that is. Which isn't as often as it should be, because I'm not paying the strictest of attention. Other times I worry that a driver is going to overtake me in some terrifying, uncomfortable way, so I hog the lane in self-defense. I feel guilty for this, but maybe I shouldn't.
I only go on for so long, and I only use the the first-person pronoun as much as I'm using it, because I would like to believe that most of the people reading this board, living in this city, have similarly loose rules for transporting themselves, that those rules are sometimes generous and sometimes selfish and sometimes suffer from distraction, and that they aren't getting especially angry at this group or that when those rules don't quite work out.
Blegh. I don't know. I just want to wash away the awful feeling of this thread.
Van Derel is my real name. I could just go by VD, but it doesn't quite have the same ring to it, ya know? Your welcome. Good night, and God Bless.
Jeff,
You bit nicely on the troll. But you didn't answer the question.
Clearly you were a witness to this little melee. Were you a perp? Or are you not commenting on advice of counsel?
- Anonymous
Hey russellrides:
>i imagine i'll see motorists get out of their cars and start applauding us sooner.
Why participate at all if it's a bunch of jackasses? Do you really want to be associated with that element?
Maybe, just maybe, after three homicidal maniacs in automobiles deliberately went on rampages and ran people over in San Francisco *in*the*last*six*months* some Critical Massers over-reacted when another one blew her top and accelerated into a crowd.
I have commuted by bike (in SF) and by car (outside of SF). I have almost hit bicyclists who fail to stop at stop signs (or even slow down). It's dangerous. I've also seen people biking the wrong way in the bike lanes as well as on the sidewalk. The next person I see riding on the sidewalk (when there is a reasonable alternative in a bike lane or 2-way street) gets clotheslined.
That said, I've been in more severe danger being on the road as a bicyclist - having been chased down by a car (in the bike lane) and being almost hit by MUNI or SemTrans buses.
Clearly the CM end-of-ride revelers were out-of-hand, but it sounds like there was some fault of the driver. The article was completely one-sided and wrong. There is no way that there were 3,000 riders that late in the ride.
If anything else, this article (and the anti-bike attitudes provoked by it) prove that we still need a critical mass - because people are still threatened by people using bicycles as alternative transportation.
Oh look, numerous witnesses corroborate the fact that the Minivan driver deliberately drove into a crowd of cyclists and then tried to drive away after hitting one. Don't you apologists for her feel silly now? Probably not, most of you automobile drivers have no shame.
hey us?
i guess i just really enjoy riding my bike with my friends. CM is just another excuse for me to get out on my bike. i don't really mind pissing off drivers because i really don't mind pissing off people in general.
and i don't think it's filled with jackasses, they're just the ones that grab all the headlines and stick out in people's minds.
i just called myself a jackass and shot myself in the foot with that last one.
fuck it, i like riding and annoying people. i don't like destroying property.
ausman, "Oh look, numerous witnesses corroborate the fact that the Minivan driver deliberately drove into a crowd of cyclists and then tried to drive away after hitting one. Don't you apologists for her feel silly now? Probably not, most of you automobile drivers have no shame."
What amazes me is the 37 or so "eyewitness" accounts say that there were 5 or 6 bicyclists when the minivan driver "recklessly" drove through the "small" group of bicyclists. It's pretty obvious a lot of lying is going on by bicyclists to justify their hooliganism.
To unlawfully remove a person's autonomy of movement is called "false imprisonment." When two or more people act in concert to do this it's called "conspiracy to commit false imprisonment."
These are serious felonies. The suv driver and her children appear to be victims of these serious felonies.
Yeah, yeah, late to the party as ever. But here's the thing. I figure, eventually, I'm going to end up inadvertently running over a biker who illegally zips through an intersection on a crosswalk across a street where I'm travelling at 40 mph. And I'm a very good driver--always (ALWAYS) stop for pedestrians at crosswalks even if they're just at the corner, waiting to cross. Because I don't want to accidentally kill anyone.
Bikes, when using city streets, are traffic, not pedestrians. I can't hear them approaching the intersection, don't have time to see them whip out into traffic, and don't expect it. Sooner or later, there's going to be a collision and I, in my car, will walk away from it.
I also bike, and love it. But because I don't particularly feel like getting crushed by a car, I'm careful and obey basic traffic laws.
The CM riders are thugs and assholes. And probably have a relatively abbreviated life expectancy because if that. But that would be their fault, not ours.
Sadly, I see far more asshole cyclist behavior in the City than elsewhere in the SF Bay Area. Even in the big cities like Oakland and Berkeley have far fewer dickhead cyclists.
The angry/holier-than-thou cyclist-martyr is very indigenous to San Francisco, but luckily, not so common elsewhere.
I spent my undergrad years at Davis and have lived/traveled to many places, some more bike-friendly (Tokyo, Amsterdam, Copenhagen) than others, but I never got the same vibe that I get in San Francisco.
There are a ***shitload*** of really unhappy people on two wheels in the City.
NOTHING excuses attacking a car full of children. Whatever else happened, someone smashed in the window of a car carrying five children!! Is anyone paying attention to that?
We in the City must remember that we are a regional commerical and entertainment hub, not to mention an international destination city. People come here to work and play and visit relatives (and spend their money) and they should not be penalized for not knowing the details of every quirky tradition we have here.
Clearly this woman was spooked because she didn't know what was happening, and she drove through the crowd to remove the children from an unknown - and threatening - situation. It's called "fight or flight", people. She got scared. She had children in her care who were also scared. You don't think she wishes she'd turned down a different street?
I absolutely support sharing the road with bicycles and increasing the bike-friendliness of our roadways. When driving, I always yield to cyclists. I've always embraced the tradition of Critical Mass. But I have to say that if it had been me in that vehicle with my young nephews, I too might have been freaked out to the point of trying to force my way out of the crowd. In that case, my responsbility would be to the children in my care, NOT to those banging on the side of my vehicle.
And I'm sorry, if your riding companion gets knocked off their bike (as apparently someone did) - and they're ok and don't want to press charges, well, be pissed about it, blog about it, organize a protest ride - but DO NOT attack a car full of children!
No wonder families are fleeing the City.
Posted by a single, childless, bike-and-MUNI-riding, Green, third-gen San Franciscan
NOTHING excuses attacking a car full of children. Whatever else happened, someone smashed in the window of a car carrying five children!! Is anyone paying attention to that?
We in the City must remember that we are a regional commerical and entertainment hub, not to mention an international destination city. People come here to work and play and visit relatives (and spend their money) and they should not be penalized for not knowing the details of every quirky tradition we have here.
Clearly this woman was spooked because she didn't know what was happening, and she drove through the crowd to remove the children from an unknown - and threatening - situation. It's called "fight or flight", people. She got scared. She had children in her care who were also scared. You don't think she wishes she'd turned down a different street?
I absolutely support sharing the road with bicycles and increasing the bike-friendliness of our roadways. When driving, I always yield to cyclists. I've always embraced the tradition of Critical Mass. But I have to say that if it had been me in that vehicle with my young nephews, I too might have been freaked out to the point of trying to force my way out of the crowd. In that case, my responsbility would be to the children in my care, NOT to those banging on the side of my vehicle.
And I'm sorry, if your riding companion gets knocked off their bike (as apparently someone did) - and they're ok and don't want to press charges, well, be pissed about it, blog about it, organize a protest ride - but DO NOT attack a car full of children!
No wonder families are fleeing the City.
Posted by a single, childless, bike-and-MUNI-riding, Green, third-gen San Franciscan
Campers,
What was it, two months ago when someone shot the maid in the head? She was running an early morning errand on her bike.
Right after she died, Jake McGoldrick called for another vote for 'Healthy Saturdays' in the park. The City's #l anti-bike nut (won't give your name, Rob) went online and suggested that the Mayor of San Francisco consider murdering Supervisor McGoldrick.
h.
what's with the assumption that children have a right to be MORE PROTECTED than adults? it's a totally moot point that there were children in the car. i'm not saying that the world is overpopulated anyway, the fewer the better, blah blah; i'm saying that children are only afforded special rights when they're in a situation where they can protect themselves less than adults can. in this situation, it seems that the adult was equally helpless.
and speaking of the adult, what, she couldn't wait 2-4 minutes for the mob to pass? if even that (CM passes surprisingly quickly). cookies burning in the oven at home?
in vietnamese cities most motorists ride scooters - in huge mob-like amounts with little traffic direction - and are able to coexist with pedestrians with few incidents. if a ped is crossing, the scooters simply go around them. and the van could have just waited and let the bikers go it, too.
posted by someone who would totally ride in CM if she knew how to ride a bike, period.
Like everywhere a few bad apples make the whole bike community look bad. Time to end these stupid rides all they do is cause traffic that causes cars to sit and idol and spew carbon into the air.
Kay,
You obviously don't have children.
what's with the assumption that children have a right to be MORE PROTECTED than adults? it's a totally moot point that there were children in the car. i'm not saying that the world is overpopulated anyway, the fewer the better, blah blah; i'm saying that children are only afforded special rights when they're in a situation where they can protect themselves less than adults can. in this situation, it seems that the adult was equally helpless.
and speaking of the adult, what, she couldn't wait 2-4 minutes for the mob to pass? if even that (CM passes surprisingly quickly). cookies burning in the oven at home?
in vietnamese cities most motorists ride scooters - in huge mob-like amounts with little traffic direction - and are able to coexist with pedestrians with few incidents. if a ped is crossing, the scooters simply go around them. and the van could have just waited and let the bikers go it, too.
posted by someone who would totally ride in CM if she knew how to ride a bike, period.
[112] Posted by: Kay | April 5, 2007 12:40 PM
WORST.
Wow... I guess we should follow the example of Vietnam and other 3rd world countries for our large urban traffic congestion issues. Well thought out.
Also, I can't take the opinions of someone who can't ride a bike very seriously.
Screw CM.
There is absolutely no excuse to thow a bike at a car.....ever! I think that the analysis at www.theroadbike.com is right on the money. They say that there has been no improvement in cycling atmosphere in the past 15 years taht is attributable to CM. Why the hell is anyone still doing this if it doesn't accomplish anything?
Guessing that the majority here dont know all the facts, I know I dont. But big picture is that Critical Mass has been around long enough now for anyone who spends 5 minutes of research on it, knows that it is a protest, first and foremost.
That gives it a whole different context. People might ask - folks cant just drive thru the middle of an anti war protest, can they? And as anyone who actually did a Critical Mass would know,
the participants, overall, are peaceful, unless someone decides to be provocative and not wait till the protest has passed. Cops should have been around, because if it was just a few stragglers on bikes, who provoked it, they would have been arrested, and rightfully so.
Liam
resident of SF for 20 years
I Live in Boulder County, Colorado. Our bicyclist are every bit obnocsious and have complete disrequard of the law , in fact they know the law here will side with them no matter what. They throw thing at your car, they weave in and out of traffic. I do believe that most of the recreational bikers are in general ok. It's all the drug taking none working elite pro bikers we have in the area that make it bad for everyone. So believe me with the quality of the Pro athletes moving into the area, the lone time residents will tell you Boulder City sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!