300 bicyclists take revolution to the streets Friday

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300 bicyclists take revolution to the streets Friday
They want motorists to share the road

By STACY SHELTON
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/29/08

On Friday, as happens every last Friday of the month, a minor revolution will break out on Atlanta's streets.

Starting at about 6:30 p.m., more than 300 bicyclists plan to take over several lanes of traffic, shoving King Car aside.

Trish Anderson/Special

(ENLARGE)

Critical Mass bikers ride through Atlanta, near Georgia Tech.

Recent headlines:

• Atlanta and Fulton County news

They call it Critical Mass. It's a rolling message board that says "Bicycles have a right to the road too!"

During last month's ride, a few bicyclists "corked" the intersections at every traffic light, blocking cars for the mass of bikers as they pedaled through a couple of light changes.

Surprisingly few drivers honked. Most just stared with quizzical looks. One elderly woman behind the wheel of a large sedan appeared startled, possibly frightened by the bicycle version of Freaknik gliding down 10th Street near Georgia Tech.

The event is both political statement and rollicking street festival, with some civil disobedience thrown in. (Bicyclists are supposed to follow the same rules as drivers, including stopping for red lights). There's no organized leadership. Routes are not planned, and anyone who wants to lead the pack is welcome to try.

Critical Mass started in San Francisco in 1992 and is now replicated in hundreds of cities worldwide. An Emory University graduate student brought the ride to Atlanta in 1999.

Darian Somers, 34, a Virginia-Highland resident, has seen the mass ride through her neighborhood.

"I don't have a problem with them trying to get the point across," she said. "Feel free to share the road, but follow the same rules that apply to motor vehicles. Don't go flying through a red light while we're all waiting."

To help defuse hostility and spread the joy of their preferred mode of transportation, riders during last month's ride shouted "Happy Friday!" and "Thank you!" to waiting motorists.

The message is not necessarily judgment-free. "Sucks to be in a car," said one young rider, in a tone meant more for his pedalling companions than for drivers.

When the group began to fragment as it rolled through Georgia Tech, calls of "Mass up!" began. A peloton of fast riders had broken away from the pack as the rest clumped up behind them, trying to hang on. The group re-massed at the next red light. The ride lasted about an hour and a half, winding through downtown, Midtown, Inman Park, Little Five Points and Virginia-Highland.

Even in the bicycling community, the unauthorized rides are controversial. Some believe the tactic gives bicycling a bad name. To the critics, Critical Mass creates a bike vs. car mentality that doesn't help when bicyclists are lobbying for more and better biking facilities, including bike racks and designated bike lanes and paths.

But Rachael Spiewak, 27, a regular Critical Mass'er who runs SoPo Bicycle Co-op, a nonprofit bike shop in East Atlanta, said the rides are an important tool for empowering bicyclists and making drivers more aware of them.

"The collective message is, 'We're here, look at us!' Whether people mean for it to be or not, it winds up sending a political message. ... It's kind of a way to take the power back in a peaceful way."

Spiewak said bicyclists are accustomed to second-class status in Atlanta. Bike lanes, intermittent at best, are often made hazardous from road debris, and cars don't always want to share the road. But biking, Spiewak said, "is affordable, clean, it's good for you, and it puts you in touch with other people using the street."

The rides have been relatively calm in Atlanta compared with other cities. In San Francisco, where thousands of bicyclists participate in the monthly last-Friday rides, motorists and bicyclists clash occasionally, both verbally and physically. In July 1997, 250 bicyclists were arrested when they snarled traffic for hours.

In Chicago last August, police took control of a ride and forbade bicyclists to complete the route.

The Atlanta Police Department takes no position on Critical Mass. Last month, officers directing traffic for the Bruce Springsteen concert at Philips Arena stopped traffic on Techwood Drive to let the bikers through.

Officer J. Childers with the Special Operations Unit said he has ticketed one rider, after he saw him run several red lights and get into arguments with drivers waiting at the intersections. His main concern is altercations between motorists and bicyclists.

"Obviously it's a problem, but it's one of those things you pick your battles on," Childers said. "It's irritating to be driving and have them on the street. One of the problems is the sheer numbers of them. ...Bicyclists are supposed to maintain the same laws as vehicles."

Happy Friday!

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Comments

By Alex

Jun 17, 2008 11:04 AM | Link to this

I have an idea... how about holding CM at 3:45AM on Tuesday instead? Then CM can have their pick of any highway or city street. Have a picnic in the intersection of peachtree and 10th...go wild!

By Benny

Jun 6, 2008 8:11 PM | Link to this

The streets are dangerous for bicyclists. We put our lives in other peoples hands every day that we ride. People will run us off the road just to get home 2 minutes faster. It is true that we don't follow every rule of the road. There is a reason for that. It would get us killed, and **** off drivers even more because we can't get out of there way fast enough. The rules were made for cars not bikes! I ride the safest way I can. When It comes to my survival, I don't care about the laws of the road. Before you pass judgment ride a bike on the road. Word of advice, watch out for side mirrors to the back of the arm at 45 miles per hour. The drivers won't stop after they hit you!

By Daniel

Jun 5, 2008 5:24 PM | Link to this

Michelle,
Festivals and parades that use the roadway require city permits. That is the difference. Who decides that it is okay to temporarily block traffic for your special event? Do you decide? That is chaos and anarchy. There is rule of law. I am not inciting violence. But if the police decide to throw down and enforce the law, don't say you didn't have it coming. Critical Mass does not make the streets safer for bicyclists.

By Michelle

Jun 5, 2008 5:03 PM | Link to this

Critical Mass is a special event, same as a parade or festival, open to the public and anyone who wants to join. It's okay to temporarily block traffic for special events. No different than Summerfest or the MLK Day parade, except that it is only for a few minutes rather than a whole day. I understand that driving is very frustrating, but motorists don't need to take their frustration out on their neighbors and community members...and it's never okay to threaten someone, drive recklessly, or to hurt someone with your car.

All kinds of people ride bicycles, and someday you (or your friends and family) may decide to ride too - you'll be glad that other cyclists have already been working to make the streets safer!

By Rachael

Jun 5, 2008 1:45 PM | Link to this

Hi, Daniel. Thank you for asking. The input I gave the AJC reporter came from my personal thoughts and experience as a cyclist in Atlanta, while Sopo, as a consensus-based cooperatively owned organization, has no collective position about Critical Mass. If you or anyone would like to have input about how Sopo runs, you are more than welcome to hang out, turn a wrench, and help your friends and neighbors.

Happy riding!

By ElCon

Jun 5, 2008 1:04 PM | Link to this

Organizing a hissy fit at the time when most drunks are out on the road, Friday evening just after happy hour = Brilliant! Cyclists are mentally challenged, no doubt about it. Don't act surprised when the inevitable happens.

By Blair

Jun 5, 2008 12:58 PM | Link to this

all im saying is its a good thing i dont live in atlanta, or there would be quite a few cyclists eating pavement

By No flashing lights!

Jun 4, 2008 4:08 PM | Link to this

Bam!To Behold, A Public Bulletin Board, Built Of Both Brilliance And Barbarity, By Bastards With Boners. This Bastion. No Mere Bulwark Of Boredom Is A Brutal Barrage of Blistering ******** Barely Benevolent....But Behind The Bigotry And Boobs, Beyond the Bitter Broadcast Of Bragging Buffoons. Here Lies The Body Politic. A Brotherhood of Blasphemy Blessed With More Balls Than Brains. Battling The Boring, Bland, Benign Commute......But I Babble...Better to Be Brief....You May Call Us..... Bikers.

By Sumter

Jun 4, 2008 3:42 PM | Link to this

All the anger here is amazing. All of you who ride mass only to make people want to kill something, because they had to wait through two or three lights, shame on you. You commie bastards, I cant believe that anyone would do that. To all of the people in the cars that are complaining about the people on bikes running stops and endangering themselves, you are right, everyone should be a little more careful. To the people that are bad mouthing people because they have to wait through a few lights, go to Hell. I ride mass every month, I have ridden it in a ot of cities, and I must say it is fun most of the time. Patience is a virtue, money doesn't buy you happiness, Rachel is a very nice person, sharing the road is important for everyone. People in cars do not usually pay attention to pedestrians or cyclists, so maybe once a month it gets crammed down your throat. Traffic is a ****** we should all walk.

By Daniel

Jun 4, 2008 1:11 PM | Link to this

lizbeth,
Big groups don't need to follow the law, for safety. I understand now. Unfortunately, this has never applied to Critical Mass. Years ago, when there were only a dozen or two, they were riding across multiple lanes, corking intersections, and rolling through stop signs. I don't buy it.

Riding in three lanes of traffic and some on the wrong side of the double yellow line. Is this done for safety also?

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