A Personal Message to Critical Mass.

[Rhythm Thief]

Chap, you might have missed this:

The blocking of junctions is necessary for safety. It's definitely preferable to having vehicles enter the mass, and it's what the police themselves advise in the situation.

That may well be true, but it's not likely to make those motorists being held up by someone blocking a junction for a load of protesting cyclists think any more of us as a group. I quite agree with the safety reasons for doing it once you have a large group of cyclists to get through a junction: it's the tactic of organising a large get together of cyclists in a city rush hour in the first place that I don't like and think does us no favours.

 

[BentMikey]

It's a territorial p1$$ing contest, many car drivers think they own the road and that cyclists don't belong on it. When they do claim some space, it's tough luck to the drivers. It's showing a little parity for once, and it's decidedly fair. Besides which, CM is a far more dense usage of roadspace, so arguably has more right to it too.

Chap, what part of police advice to block vehicles from entering the mass did you miss?

 

[Rhythm Thief]

It's a territorial p1$$ing contest ...

No it isn't, don't be daft. It's just people trying to get from here to there via different modes of transport, that's all. As I said earlier in the thread, I managed quite happily for over fifteen years commuting around the West Midlands in rush hour traffic. I haven't felt the need to get involved in CM since the first ride I attended and I still don't, because my (admittedly limited) experience of CM from a cyclist's point of view convinced me that all they do is present cyclists as a problem to be solved rather than people using just another mode of transport. And if the majority of CM riders see their presence on the road as a "territorial pissing contest", that only goes to confirm my impression that we'd be better off without them.

 

[chap]

Cum hoc ergo propter hoc

Chap, what part of police advice to block vehicles from entering the mass did you miss?

Now BentMikey, I have afforded you the courtesy of polite consideration, I expect the same.

My previous post, the one prior to that, and all preceding thus have not attacked corking as a general concept. It is when it is used within the context of a mala fide social gathering that the issues begin.

Few would argue that traffic light pedestrian crossings, by their own right, were a menace. It is when the mischievous lad keeps on pressing it before running off that it is considered a nuisance. Were he to use it appropriately to cross the road, few would mind, if it's just for hicks and giggles then that is wrong.

 

[ed_o_brain]

And I'd suggest that if you take your impression of the car drivers you see blocking up the box junction every morning, you'll have a pretty good idea of how the average car driver sees those CM riders who do much the same thing

Well that's the trouble. The highway is a public place. Not just the domain of motorists.
And CM generally takes place in the inner cities - and working in one, full of cars everyday, I really cannot see the reason all those car journeys are really necessary. There's good accessible public transport. Park and ride schemes. And once you are in the city centre, you are in walking distance of all the amenities you need. Driving into the city centre from the 'burbs take ages. In fact, nearly two hours to drive 17 miles the last time I tried it. Parking is expensive - which probably explains the disproportionate number of 'prestige vehicles'. It's inefficient. And for most people unnecessary. The relatively minor disruption caused by a monthy or occasional CM is a mere spec compared to the havoc caused by motorists day in, day out, by monopolising the public's rights of way.

CM is more than a disruption. It is sending a political message. I've participated in it and I've engaged with drivers - the majority of whom are curious about CM. When I have corked junctions, I've had numerous polite informative conversations with good spirited motorists. There are one or two bad eggs, and most often, for some reason, these are professional drivers. They usually end up making themselves look like complete c0cks in front of their brethren (other drivers). I thank the irate and impatient politely and cheerfully for their patience, in front of the other drivers at the front of the queues we have been conversing with who have been pleasant and patient. That usually brings about laughter and a common understanding.

 

[thomas]

When I have corked junctions, I've had numerous polite informative conversations with good spirited motorists. There are one or two bad eggs, and most often, for some reason, these are professional drivers. They usually end up making themselves look like complete c0cks in front of their brethren (other drivers). I thank the irate and impatient politely and cheerfully for their patience, in front of the other drivers at the front of the queues we have been conversing with who have been pleasant and patient. That usually brings about laughter and a common understanding.

On my first one there was a chap on my left. I wasn't really corking, just stopped...anyway, thought he'd be getting annoyed waiting so decided to have a chat with him. He said there was no point getting wound up. It wouldn't get him anywhere, any quicker and he just enjoyed it. A few meters up the road there was a completely irate driver, and an ambulance driver getting very furious.

Now, OBVIOUSLY, if the mass was stopping an ambulance from actually getting somewhere important, fair enough...but it wasn't. Every time there was an ambulance the mass yelled up warnings and people all move to the side of the road, or pulled off it....Less can be said for people's motivation to move for the silly copper who kept pushing his way to the front of the mass to aggressively tell people to move on....while his colleague, who just walked through smiling and laughing, just asking people politely to mind out of the way unsurprisingly was listened to.

Anyway, I should be attending this month's mass in London. Hope to cycle up to London and have lunch at the Kebab Kid, then pootle around London (test my road awareness ) then attend. If anyone going look out for me on my specialised allez...I'll have my Muvi camera on

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Are you making a special trip to London to take part in a CM?

 

[Rhythm Thief]

There are one or two bad eggs, and most often, for some reason, these are professional drivers. They usually end up making themselves look like complete c0cks in front of their brethren (other drivers).

Well, to be honest I can understand that. Put yourself in their shoes ... you've been at work since 4.30 that morning, you've got four drops to do around London (having driven down there from the Midlands), two of which are time specific. You're under pressure from your boss on the other end of the phone to get your last drop off because it's booze, and you can't park up overnight with that on the trailer because it'll walk. And anyway, you've got a full load to collect in Daventry before you can stop for the night. You've already been at work eleven hours; you might just get all this done, but it'll be tight ... oh, hang on, what's this? It's a load of cyclists bleating about their right to hold up all the traffic and how the roads are a public space. No matter how much I agree with you - and I can see your point - for a bloke in a lorry it's not just about getting home ten minutes later than he would otherwise have done.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Not at all. I just can't improve on the prose

I'm less interested in his prose than his claimed mechanism by which travelling at 16mph slows down other people. If it is a tenable argument, I'm surprised you are so reluctant to have it exposed to scrutiny.

 

[CopperBrompton]

CM. There's one twice a day in UK towns and cities. It's called 'The Rush Hour'

When was the last time you saw four or five motorists deliberately box in a cyclist who was simply trying to go about their business? When was the last time you saw a car park sideways across the road in front of a queue of cyclists and give them self-gratification artist signs?

 

[longers]

When was the last time you saw four or five motorists deliberately box in a cyclist who was simply trying to go about their business? When was the last time you saw a car park sideways across the road in front of a queue of cyclists and give them self-gratification artist signs?

If I see any of that but in reverse on the Manchester CM then I'll be offski as that's not my cup of tea and I'm hoping it's not like that.

 

[BentMikey]

When was the last time you saw a moton overtake a cyclist and shout "Get orrrf the road you self-gratification artist", "You don't pay no road tax", "Get on the cycle path", "Get a car", etc. It *is* a territorial thing, many car drivers think they own the road and don't want cyclists on them.

 

[wafflycat]

When was the last time you saw four or five motorists deliberately box in a cyclist who was simply trying to go about their business? When was the last time you saw a car park sideways across the road in front of a queue of cyclists and give them self-gratification artist signs?

Drive/cycle around any town or city and you'll see errant motorists treating other road users like that too often. Shame really. Like last night, driving into Norwich to go to see Dances with Smurfs at the picture palace. Was it cyclists doing the RLJ-ing? No, it was motorists - at several sets of lights. Was it the cyclists blocking the entrances/exits of roundabouts? No, it was motorists.

It's the double standards being applied as regards lots of cyclists on the roads - happens twice a day in every town & city in the land, and it's ok because it's motor traffic. Happens once a month due to cyclists and it's chaos, anti-social, unnecessary, gives a bad impression, etc., yadda, yadda yadda.

 

[Twenty Inch]

When was the last time you saw four or five motorists deliberately box in a cyclist who was simply trying to go about their business? When was the last time you saw a car park sideways across the road in front of a queue of cyclists and give them self-gratification artist signs?

I see motorists deliberately block the road on a daily basis. I've been punched, abused, spat at, knocked off, driven at, and given self-gratification artist signs too many times to count. All of which when I'm going about my daily business. I am a careful, considerate cyclist who doesn't go out of his way to aggravate other road users. So I conclude that the problem is that there is a discourse of intolerance and disregard for cyclists, which CM, from my point of view, does something to redress.

FWIW, the vast majority of motorists who are corked at a CM are relaxed about it. There's a small, stupid minority who take umbrage, but we would never reach them anyway.

I must say though, that the manyfold increase in cycling in Central London has led to an improvement in other road users' manners and awareness of cyclists, which is nice to see.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Drive/cycle around any town or city and you'll see errant motorists treating other road users like that too often. Shame really. Like last night, driving into Norwich to go to see Dances with Smurfs at the picture palace. Was it cyclists doing the RLJ-ing? No, it was motorists - at several sets of lights. Was it the cyclists blocking the entrances/exits of roundabouts? No, it was motorists.

So that is a clear an unequivocal 'no' then. You've never seen the behaviour described. Day to day driving standards and behaviour in Norwich seems to have as much in common with the behaviour seen on CM's as the CM does with the TdeF.

It's the double standards being applied as regards lots of cyclists on the roads - happens twice a day in every town & city in the land, and it's ok because it's motor traffic. Happens once a month due to cyclists and it's chaos, anti-social, unnecessary, gives a bad impression, etc., yadda, yadda yadda.

The argument that cyclists can occasionally place themselves above the law because drivers frequently break the law is a weak one. Does a thief exonerate their own guilt if they denounce another as a fraudster?