London:
The cycle police were pretty laid back and vastly outnumbered, though they did still try to manage the ride by blocking the front so that the back could catch up. What does it matter if a 1,000 riders get split into two or more though? Towards the end of the ride the police seemed to give up doing anything, they didn’t even try to stop a couple of cars going the wrong way down a one way street, and they just blended in and became a part of the Mass.
The police intervened with an incident with a young rider at King’s Cross. I couldn’t make out whether the rider had been involved in accident and the police were just taking particulars or if the rider was being reprimanded. Anyway this led to some booing from the Mass.
Participants did quite a lot of blockading traffic and even a small sit
down in Parliament Square, though this was probably celebratory and
defiant. Nothing was done to stop the sound systems playing in the SOCPA zone this time. The impression I got from other riders was that this was a very good Mass. I went expecting the worst and got almost the best.
http://criticalmasslondon.org.uk
———————————
the incident at kings cross involved a rider being caught stealing a light from the back of a cops bike. the police got pissed and tried to arrest her but a few other riders, and unfortunately i mean a few, intervened and let it be known that it would be very difficult for the police to arrest her – which they decided would therefore not be worth it. i personally think that those on the CM should not allow fellow riders to be arrested – an easy thing to acheive when we vastly outnumber the cops.
respect to the few that helped out.
———————————
The atmosphere on the ride was really friendly with a few small sound systems and a variety of pretty mad bikes and trailers adding to the magic. There were loads of new faces and people of every age and background.
There were also plenty of cops. They had talked to a few people as the ride met up at Waterloo Bridge and were seen handing some kind of paperwork to the owner of one of the sound systems, but no sign of any significant attempt to curtail the ride. Far from being oppressive, they kept themselves to themselves on the whole.
I personally got a quite pissed off a few times by seemingly inconsiderate behavior from the ride itself – for example, not letting pedestrians cross the road. In another example, a bus coming in the opposite direction was blocked by cyclists on the wrong side of the road and held up for at least ten minutes as a result.
The cops did grab a few idiots and give them some stern words on several occasions throughout the ride for cycling on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic.
The police made fools of themselves at Parliament Square when they tried to block the rides third or forth rotation around the square and ended up stalling the ride there for a good half hour. The ride would have moved off much quicker if left to it’s own devices as the ride likes to move and becomes impatient when people stop.
———————————
Videos from London:
Quicktime video – video/mp4 9.3M
Windows video – video/x-ms-wmv 13M
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Manchester video rough-cut
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
BIG BIKE BLESSING – Another great Critical Mass bike ride in Glasgow
About 80 cyclists came out to the Big Bike Blessing on this sunny evening in Glasgow. The priest from the church of the Holly Bikes were sent by St Cycle to help cyclists realize that by ridding their bikes they are actually saving the city dwellers and the planet at the same time. Every cyclists was praised as a hero, a savior for they are the only ones that can help this oil driven economy. They are the only ones that can bring fresh air to the contaminated city. They are the ones taking action on a daily bases no matter where they are from, what their religion might be, or what their profession is. The bike will save us. AMEN!
Holly oil was used to bless about 20 bikes and every cyclist was thanked for their incredible achievement, their heroic act of using their self propelled vehicles. They were told that the Great St Cycles is looking over all of us and that we will be looked after during our ride around the city as long as we stick together.
The ceremonious aspect of this gathering actually created some great interactions and made people curious to the point of wanting to know more. There were some very interesting discussion about our religious belief in bikes (which challenged people in their own beliefs). This also brought all the cyclists together.
As for cultural diversity, and just to show that it’s not about the religion but about bikes, there were a few people sending blessings dressed in a more Hindu style as well. There was even some strange reptile that decided to join the ceremonies of the day.
The Weird Bike Show brought out the ZEM (Zero Emissions Machine) once again, with it’s hopping sound system and provided the brothers and sisters from the church of the Holly Bikes a brilliant ride.
The promised Divine Intervention did occur around Trongate where a pair of shoes belonging to no other than St Cycles were carefully left on top of an electric box before he himself was taken to the sky.
As for the police charging cyclists of blocking traffic last month, there was a completely different vibe this month. There were two police officers on bikes that came along to the ride. They were very mellow and therefor were given quite a few blessings.
We also have some excellent footage that shows how fast bikes can get out of the way to let things like fire trucks and the police through. The only thing holding these emergency vehicles up were the motors … not bikes.
The mass finished in George Sq where everyone left was stamped with a ‘Bike Route’ Stamp ensuring a special discount to the gig at the Art School with Jumble Sales Sound System and Bedlam Boudoir fancy burlesque night.
For those that claimed Critical Mass was dead … I’m pleased to inform you that our numbers are still growing and we’re loving it.
Bless you Bike!!
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Bristol: Critical Mass yesterday was phenomenal. I think we had over 100 participants and it was flowing beautifully for about 40 minutes… Then of course some drivers, three I think, all got a bit impatient all at once and a couple of cyclists were knocked over, 14 police cars an ambulance and a riot van, two arrests later, tail backs from the Fountains right up past Stokes Croft… all got a bit nasty. It will be interesting to see if the press have anything to say and what the police presence is next time…
Just to be clear though, whilst there was quite a lot going on as far as I am aware at least one of those arrested got stuck in to the fracas after the police arrived and had nothing to do with the ride itself, and neither of the cyclists who were hit behaved inappropriately at any point. No motorists were arrested and the police let one hit and run driver leave the scene without formally recording an accident, despite him having deliberately rammed a cyclist and ruined his bicycle.
So, people, I understand there will be another ride on the 29th of May. Meet 5.30pm at the Fountains, leave at 6pm. Those of you who aren’t at Glastonbury that is. The more reasonable cyclists that attend the better we can create a good organic flow and have a safe and effective ride to celebrate cycling.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
I was at the Edinburgh Critical Mass yesterday, with about 15 or 20 of us there. It went along fairly peacefully, with the exception of the police in the middle of the meadows. The banner that someone had, had to be taken down, but apart from that there was no issue, apart from some tailbacks.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
York‘s May Critical Mass a success
Somewhere between 35 and 40 riders took part in this months ride including a number of new faces. Flags displaying statements such as “One Less Car” and “I [bike] YRK” were attached to people’s bikes as they assembled at the Minster. The large amounts of fliering in the previous week seemed to have had a wonderful effect, though the weather could have been better. We met some interesting responses along the way. When we reached the suggested end point of St Sampsons Square, the ride ended up continuing to circle the square for some time before finally stopping. It definitely looks like, having slipped to just 20 a month, the ride is heading back to higher numbers, and could make 100 by the end of the year.
At 6:05 the ride left, heading for Holgate Road and Poppleton Road. After crossing Clifton Bridge, the ride headed down Water End into Clifton, and after a messy turn, proceeded along Kingsway North to the roundabout, where the customary 2.5 rotations was achieved. The ride then followed Crighton Avenue to Burton Stone Lane, where the away team coach for the evening’s City match was found coming in the opposite direction. The ride turned towards town, in along Bootham, through Gillygate, through Lord Mayors walk and out along Monkgate, where the roundabout provided yet more fun. Back in, through Bootham Bar, and round the Minster, then over to the Assembly Rooms and Davey Gate. At this point, the ride approached the agreed finishing point in St Sampsons Square. Due to the cycle racks and phones, the ride went round the first side, where upon, instead of turning into the square, it continued onwards around and around. So immature, but so much fun!
In the fourth year of this imaginative and spectacular environmental protest, The World Naked Bike Ride is to see its first event in Southampton on Friday 8 June.
Last summer, over 600 people converged outside Drax coal-fired power station for 10 days of sustainable living and collective education, culminating in a day of mass action against Drax. This year, the Camp for Climate Action will pitch its tents near Heathrow airport.
Friday 8th June 2007
What is the Earth First! Summer Gathering?
Plane Stupid (www.planestupid.com) is calling out for local Plane Stupid groups to form to fight the fastest growing cause of climate change (aviation) in your area. Plane Stupid thinks that local groups taking action in their area but within a wider network of Plane Stupid activists is the best way to fight the unsustainable growth of the aviation industry. If you would like to set up a group in your area all you need is a few enthusiastic members committed to using direct action to fight climate change.