4.02.2007 – York:
Another month, another ride, and this time around we narrowly exceeded the previous months attendance. However, the police made another brief intervention, as two cycle police and an officer on foot joined the ride.
The women PC (on foot) was immediately very hostile, demanding that cyclists proceed single file, essentially making the ride pointless. However, they bizarrely vanished, and the ride finished off more or less in one piece. This did have the effect of encouraging a few riders to leave early. There was a bizarre moment where an officer announced into their radio that they’d found the organiser. Ironically, this was the one regular rider who’d been much quieter than usual!
The ride headed out through Monkbar and along the last untouched section of the inner ring: Lord Mayor’s Walk. The ride than headed past the hospital, where the ride had to evacuate the road to allow an ambulance through. Over the bridge into the Clifton area, and along Burton Stone Lane, before heading out to Clifton Green. Here the ride crossed the river, and headed through Leeman Road, before riding along Rougier Street and back across Ousebridge.
The next ride will be on 3rd March, when skies will just about still be light when we set off. And looking ahead, the first “summer time” ride will be on 6th April, Good Friday, when the ride will be advertised as family friendly (and much easier to photograph!!). It’ll be interesting to see what the police decide to do next: it won’t be surprising if they fail to show up until midway through yet again. Legally, they have no right to prevent the ride, nor to interfere with it, other than if the ride stops mid-road or mid-junction. Whatever happens, it should be fun non-the-less.
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Friday 2nd February – St Philip’s Cathedral, Birmingham City Centre:
The second Critical Mass cycle ride of 2007 was to celebrate the legal appeal victory of Daniel Cadden who refused to cycle in the gutter.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/birmingham/2007/01/361089.html
Critical Mass has steadily seen increasing numbers of riders taking part. This month almost 30 Birmingham cyclists met up for a cycle ride around the city centre to highlight the increasing presence of cyclists on our streets. The rides are expected to increase the consciousness of other road-users to the safety needs of cyclists as well as demonstrating that cycling is a fun, viable, healthy and environmentally-benign alternative to infernal combustion powered vehicles.
This month’s ride saw the arrival of Birmingham Critical Mass’ first junior rider in the shape of a two-year-old trailer passenger. Throughout the ride she was able to luxuriate in her carriage and enjoy a range of popular songs related to cycling. The ride was also publicised on the sound system using a sampled voice declaring ‘We are Critical Mass, come ride with us’.
Next month’s Mass will also be accompanied by a musical trailer and it is hoped that people will submit their favourite tunes beforehand for inclusion in a compilation to be played as the ride goes on. This will take place over the Brum Critical Mass riseup.net group. Sign up now, submit your tune ideas and come and hear them on 2nd March. The riseup group has now exceeded 50 members and more are expected following this month’s ride.
Future ride ideas include a ride of suits with bowler hatted cyclists Massing through Birmingham’s rush hour and heavy flyering along busy city cycle routes.
On 2 Febuary at around 3pm, a group of people under the guise of fictional company ‘Greenwash & Co’, did a satirical performance at a talk being given by the current UK minister for the environment, David Miliband, at Edinburgh University. The minister was then pied in the face by a lone pie-bearer in an unrelated incident.
30.01.2007