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We here at SFist HQ always want to know your thoughts on the marquee issues facing our fair city. And today, seeing as it is another last Friday and therefore another occasion for everyone's favorite bicycle parade Critical Mass, we thought we'd do a poll. How do you really feel about the whole institution? Is it a fun spectacle that you welcome like every full moon, or is it simply a pain in the ass of everyone who isn't participating? Back in May our commenting community went nuts over the issue of charging Critical Mass organizers for a permit, so let's see how you guys feel given the three options below.
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I don't even own a bike, but I think it's hilarious that a bunch of people on bikes can cause so much annoyance to those with sticks up their asses.
Besides, anyone who's stupid enough to drive in this city deserves to be pissed off anyway.
In a city with such poor public transportation driving is often the best option. Not exactly "stupid".
Agreed. I've done my time on Muni, and having a car in SF has proven to be way better for me. Instead of it taking an hour to get to work, it now takes me 20 minutes.
I'd bet you that I could beat you there on a bike. Just sayin'.
Try a motorcycle, suddenly it is 1959 in SF.
30 minutes from the Haight to pick up food in Chinatown, and back - sweet.
this city does NOT have poor public transportation. Is it worse than driving? Sure, sometimes, to some areas of the city (not to North Beach por ejemplo). Factor in the time it takes to parking tickets, and the cost of driving, and I'm not so sure.
But cities with poor transportation include: every city not named New York, Chicago, or Paris.
If we spent as much money on PT as we did roads/subsidizing the car infrastructure, things would be different.
however, critical mass doesn't really address this problem, or create it, and it is kind of red herring to even be brought up in this comment thread.
I more agree with his statement that "driving is often the best option. Not exactly "stupid"."
Although Muni has a lot of room for improvement, and I curse at it pretty much every time I ride it, in larger cities like LA, public transportation is almost non existent. Being able to get almost anywhere in the city, 24/7 for $2, is definitely good.
"In a city with such poor public transportation driving is often the best option. Not exactly 'stupid'."
Try getting out more. There's a whole world outside your little box, and it's worth checking out. I recommend it.
I often think it was stupid to have kids and older parents in a city with such an underdeveloped public transportation system.
Seeing as it's over 15 years old, maybe Congress will give us $4000 if we trade it in for a new SUV.
Sorry I meant to post that at Xenu, above.
It's not so much the mass amount of bicyclists that bothers me, it's the ones who act up and disobey all traffic laws and cause general havoc on these rides that's so irritating. It's one thing to assert one's rights to pedal the streets, but come on, have some common sense. I don't have a stick up my ass, I just know the difference between decorum and idiocy.
CM has jumped the shark. It's like those re-enactments of the civil war - a rote exercise that's totally predictable.
The minute CM pulls this on the Peninsula or in Oakland, outside of Liberal SF, I'm totally supportive. Seriously. That would blow minds and take some serious guts. And bicyclists who live in those two areas might appreciate it - my brother is an avid cyclist on the Peninsula and I'm sure he'd appreciate the back up support from other cyclists.
there is an oakland cm, fyi
AYHSMB
murphstahoe FTW
I've never done it before. Coming out tonight for my first one. Very excited!
Try stopping at red lights, and not running down pedestrians. You'll earn the fury of your fellow cyclists, but it could be fun.
have you ever ridden critical mass? the one rule (if you can call it that) is that pedestrians get right of way. you'll constantly hear shouts of "pedestrian!" when someone is trying to cross. it can be difficult to stop or divert the onslaught of bicycles, but give us some credit for trying.
You brave soul, actually trying to follow one traffic law while breaking others.
Here's an idea, if you weren't running lights/stop signs, etc. You wouldn't have to look out for pedestrians.
No izzy, you don't get an A for effort. Critical mass was designed to terrorize everyone into accepting bicycles as supreme beings. If people at critical mass were making an effort you'd see them proactively slow down for red lights and yield to pedestrians.
Instead they wait until pedestrians are almost done crossing the intersection before trying to incite panic.
Critical mass is an anti-everything that's not a bicycle event, and it shows. They hold up MUNI passengers, they terrorize pedestrians, and bait car drivers.
Given that cyclists normally don't stop for pedestrians, why is this a rule in Critical Mass?
Yes. The riders (who might well have been nice on other days) were a bunch of assholes, and I never went back.
Discussion threads about critical mass/bike ettiquite have caused me more pain than critical mass ever has. But I guess that's because I'm one of the assholes in the crowd.
face it dewar, you're just a NIMBY.
A much better demonstration would have cyclist put their bikes aside for an evening commute and try it the other way. A BART-strike-like traffic jam in the city might give regular drivers a greater appreciation for those who normally only take up 2'x 4' of pavement. And no cheating.. only one person per vehicle for greatest impact.
Perhaps a picture will give me more credibility.
I thought it was a monthly bike parade. There's a point to it? (kinda joking but not really)
I like it. They often go by my building, and hearing them hootin' and hollerin' as they roll by puts me in a happy weekend mood.
I don't drive or ride a bike. If I were going to get enraged over something, it would be at the 20 or so drivers I see daily running red lights and almost mowing down pedestrians. Most drivers act like homicidal maniacs on a daily basis, so it's only fair that cyclists get their one day a month.
Critical Mass is like a "Yes on 8" rally, but the hate is different. The Left and Right are more similar than many think.
Gee, I don't think those poll choices are polarized enough.
I bike, and I'm just as annoyed by the rude cyclists who run lights and stop signs as everyone else here is. Most cyclists and drivers are decent, some are assholes. You can't hate on an entire mode of transportation b/c some guy cut you off this morning. I rode in my first CM early this summer, and I recommend it to everyone. It was so exhilarating to be able to bike through the Stockton and Broadway tunnels, and cruise down Van Ness without fear of being squashed by a tour bus or big rig. I understand that it's a huge irritant (or even danger) to some, particularly emergency vehicles, but just try it. You'll be all smiles.
I biked in other towns but no here, because it is more like 90%
I love critical mass. It's kind of like a hailstorm - really neat and yet, you can't help but just sit tight and wait until it's over to resume your regular old boring life.
So when's Burning Man? Can we count on critical mass to be cancelled that month? I'm all for biking and getting out of your car, but critical mass is a complete douchefest. Most of those morons probably only got on their bikes one other time that month. I am looking forward to the day that the guy who plows through it in his car kills 20 and makes headlines...
Yar! Widespread disagreement!
Bicyclists in San Francisco are vile, they're terrible to the drivers and even worse to the pedestrians. Most, not all, but most bike riders in SF only follow the rules that they feel they need to. Stop sign? doesn't matter, flying through it. Red light? Doesn't matter, can't stop. but they bitch when cars don't follow the laws. The fact that they aren't scared to get hit by cars just because they can sue is also garbage, I've never seen any group of people more ready to get hit by cars for a pay day.
Critical Mass did its job, made its point. Now it's just a street festival on wheels. When it started, it drew attention to how auto-dominated we've allowed our city streets become. Today, people just disregard it as a monthly nuisance. Worse, it turns some people off to cycling because it promotes an image of bicyclists as some kind of rule-breaking renegade culture; a club you can't join unless your hip, young, and live in one of the city's "cool" neighborhoods.
The most appealing images of cycling come from Copenhagen, where you see people of all ages in all types of wardrobe, from tuxedos to t-shirts, filling bike lanes. The message an image like that sends is that biking can and should be a safe mode of transit for everyone who has two good legs. Bike to Work Day and Sunday Streets do way more to advance bicycling in the City these days because a wider cross-section of the city's population participates. So have a fun and safe ride folks, but don't ride with the illusion that you're doing much to advance your cause.
perl bikecarautogen -infile @Ted_L.30
Drivers in San Francisco are vile, they're terrible to the cyclists and even worse to the pedestrians. Most, not all, but most drivers in SF only follow the rules that they feel they need to. Stop sign? doesn't matter, flying through it. Bus Stop? Doesn't matter, it's a de facto parking place. but they bitch when bikes don't follow the laws. The fact that they aren't scared to get hit by bikes just because they are bigger is also garbage, I've never seen any group of people more ready to get hit by bikes for jollies. Oh, and they want Obama to give them $4500 to buy a new car that gets 1 MPG more than their old one that isn't even paid off yet.
+1
Brilliant stuff here.
@murph bhahahahaha. Car drivers wanted the $4500 rebate? No, in fact many (if not most) don't. The auto industry (and its shareholders) wanted the cash for "clunkers" program.
And, as a pedestrian, I'm far more fearful of being run over by a bicycle than I am of being run over by a car. Why? Most automobiles stop at red lights. Most bicycles don't.
Car drivers wanted the $4500 rebate? No, in fact many (if not most) don't. The auto industry (and its shareholders) wanted the cash for "clunkers" program.
So those people buying cars were actually mannequins, and will be returning the money to the government?
@murph people taking advantage of the program hardly indicate a driving public who wholeheartedly wanted it in the first place. In the absence of this program, nobody would have been up in arms.
In fact, if you look a bit deeper you'll find many people who are pro-car and dislike this program. Auto recycling companies dislike it because the engines (some of the most valuable parts) must be destroyed. Older car enthusiasts dislike it because it eliminates many good running cars (and their associated spare parts). Cheapskates are pissed because you can't put the money towards a more efficient used car.
cyclists should be made to register bikes,stop at red lights,be fully insured and take a proficiency test, cyclists cause more accidents and more trouble than car drivers, if cyclists were taken off the roads car drivers would be able to get around more freely, these assholes that organize this pareade are just a bunch of trouble makers who don't have enough basic road sense to drive a car and should really be a part of gay pride.
-10.
Totally off base. About drivers being vile, I totally don't agree. I'm always amazed how courteous they are to me, e.g. waving me though a stop sign because they assume I'm going to blow through it like so many of the jackass bikers I see in the city. Yet still I come to a complete stop and try to let them go first as I legally should.
Even if drivers were more vile than bikers, is it the right solution to stoop to the vile drivers' level and increase the sum total of hate in the universe by starting Critical Mass? It's sad that some cyclists feel better by taking their aggressions on random people who are just trying to get home. Worse, it hurts the cycling cause by giving the vile drivers a fantastic reason to be more vile to cyclists, and the non-vile drivers a great reason to start being vile. And thus, the cycle of hate feeds on itself.
Using Critical Mass as a response to rude or ignorant drivers is like occupying Iraq for a decade because some terrorists took out a few skyscrapers.
*yawwwwn*
We did this last month and the month before. and and and...
I do it for the lols.
Saw a girl getting ticketed by a cop for god-knows-what; it's only fair I suppose
Oh and what's the deal with the motorcycle mass I saw at Lombard and Columbus just 20 minutes after the cyclists past? At least they respect the traffic lights.
"Passed" that is.
I observed the Critical Mass rally today as a pedestrian. I think they looked like a bunch of anarchist fools. Some of them consumed alcohol & smoked pot before riding. I guess you really can't kill others (just yourself) from drinking & riding, so that's cool. However, I found them very inconsiderate & callous in their disregard to traffic signals. They didn't care about car or pedestrian. They just felt they had the right to do whatever they wanted and they didn't give a flying f%ck about anyone else except their own agenda. I think many have good Green Intentions. However, many still need to learn etiquette & develop some class before they actually make a mark on the world. You attracte more flies with honey than vinegar as the old adage goes. Otherwise, they are no better than the Vancouver DTES skids that are drugged out & jaywalk as they please. At least the DTES drug addicts & mentally insane have a valid reason. Addiction & mental insanity. LOL...
I guess I'm inviting trouble, but I'm genuinely curious whether it's taken for granted in this dicussion that everyone CAN ride a bike. I have comically terrible balance, that would be a lot less comical if I tried to ride a bike in traffic. I can't help but notice that a LOT of people CAN'T ride bikes, not here in hilly San Francisco. This isn't a flat city where anyone can ride a bike, unless you live specifically in the Mission, SOMA, or North Beach and work downtown. You've got to be in pretty good shape to go back and forth anywhere else.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wiggle