Hello everyone,
I'm Alex. My dad is BykMor and he has this nifty ability to open the front door and that confounded contraption that holds my kibble, but I'm the blogger in the family. Besides, I've forgotten more about bikes than he'll ever know. And I can herd them like no one's business. I get to post to SaltCycle every now and again.
Say what you will about spring in SLC, but the weather WILL get warmer and more people will get out riding. Not enough, mind you... but more. Critical Mass type rides are a neat idea, but don't always have the desired effect. My dad is always complaining about how it probably ticks off more drivers than it enlightens. I stumbled across this a few days ago:http://blog.bicyclecoalition.org/2010/03/philadelphia-courteous-mass.html and thought it sounded neat. We should try it here.
Oh mah lawrd, Saltcycle's got itself a talkin' dawg!! Blogging fame, here we come!
ReplyDeleteAlex, I happen to agree with your dad about the effectiveness of Critical mass, so as a rule I avoid it. It's a good way of meeting fellow cyclists and broadcasting for other more fun bike events, though.
I like the idea of the courteous mass, and would suggest that if we do one we only take one lane rather than the whole road, and wave like crazy people at cars. The only critical masses I like are the ride-like-a-pirate-day and halloween ones, because people seem to maintain their sense of humor a bit better.
Create your own themed critical mass... short shorts,
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/besosdesal/3665111993/in/pool-saltcycle
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thezed/3657514023/in/pool-saltcycle
buy nothing zombie day..
etc.
create, distribute, inspire, share, event!
Z.
I think courteous mass would be really great. I too avoid critical mass, it's not my style to get mad at cars and it seems to do more damage than good. I think it's possible, getting everyone to stop at lights and even stop signs. Let's try it!
ReplyDeletethe thing to keep in mind is that sometimes the agression comes regardless of how well you're behaving. If a driver is annoyed that they have to merge to avoid you or wait until you clear a lane they're going to get mad and honk...
ReplyDeletehttp://seattlest.com/2008/07/28/seattle_critical_mass_needs_to_end.php
ReplyDeleteCourteous Mass, Critical Manners. Whichever - that's the way I'd like to see things roll around here, too.
ReplyDelete