The Cyclists Who Bring Capital To Standstill

[CopperBrompton]

I don't think so: it's all down to how things are done.

As I say, it's definitely a minority on CM out to cause trouble, but unfortunately that's all it takes. It's a great shame, given what could be.

 

[CopperBrompton]

User, I don't doubt for a moment that you do it with a smile, a cheerful explanation and reassurance that the delay will be short.

As I say, the ones who spoil it are a minority, but they set the tone to such an extent that I left[1] the last one because I didn't want to be associated with what was happening.

Ben

[1] Which was quite amusing, as my route home was in the direction the ride was travelling. I overtook it, then found that for a while the ride was following me, thinking I was leading it. I accelerated away to make it clear I wasn't, and someone chased me down to let me know people were getting left behind. :-)

 

[Bollo]

As someone who became disenchanted with CM a couple of years ago, ....

O, I'm not on a wind-up or point-scoring mission here. Why the disenchantment?

 

[Origamist]

O, I'm not on a wind-up or point-scoring mission here. Why the disenchantment?

A few reasons:

• I felt that whilst cycling in London had evolved, CM hadn't.
• I wasn't sure what I was doing there anymore. 10 years ago there was a frisson when we reclaimed the streets - I don't feel that now.
• I'm not as militant or as "up for it" as I used to be.

 

[chthonic]

A few reasons:

• I felt that whilst cycling in London had evolved, CM hadn't.
• I wasn't sure what I was doing there anymore. 10 years ago there was a frisson when we reclaimed the streets - I don't feel that now.
• I'm not as militant or as "up for it" as I used to be.

I feel much the same way - partly it's having ridden it for years and simply getting bored with the SAME confrontations every time, partly it's the feeling that its role in making cyclists visible is no longer necessary as they are bloody everywhere now! And partly having small children that I need to care for after work, making it difficult to go wandering and not know when I'm getting back. I think the last straw was actually having to defend a taxi driver who was going in the opposite direction to the mass and was corked by an over-excited fool. Too many years of the police doing the corking has meant people have forgotten how (or even the reason) to do it. Some great times were had though. My favourite was the mass stopping outside the Royal Academy because there was an exhibition called "Critical Mass" on, and Piccadilly being so quiet we heard the Fortnum and Mason clock strike.

 

[Bollo]

A few reasons:

• I felt that whilst cycling in London had evolved, CM hadn't.
• I wasn't sure what I was doing there anymore. 10 years ago there was a frisson when we reclaimed the streets - I don't feel that now.
• I'm not as militant or as "up for it" as I used to be.

Thanks. Now change you name back!

I can understand those sentiments. A few years ago I was invited to a CM by a friend while visiting London. It was as you said - generally good-natured with one or two peanuts behind the wheels and the handlebars. I didn't particularly enjoy it, but that probably says more about me than the event.

I guess I should have separated cycling in London in general from CM in particular, although there are links.

I only ride in London occasionally, either for a client visit or when haunting the in-laws. What hits me most are the higher levels of antagonism between all permutations of cyclist, pedestrian, driver, cabbie, bus driver etc... I just don't see that anywhere else that I ride, although I acknowledge its difficult to make a like-for-like comparison.

Unfortunately, the state of cycling in London gets extrapolated across the UK. This includes the good (more people on bikes) and the bad (endemic RLJing, inconsiderate riding etc). This can lead to over-optimism from cycling advocates and unfair generalisations from the press and ultimately the general public. Its also convinced me that cycle advocacy shouldn't just be a numbers game.

 

[Dan B]

I've seen taxi drivers and cyclists having heated arguments on CM, and I think all of it was due to the manner in which CM members blocked cabs.

I don't do CM. I do volunteer for the marshalled street skates in London, and while I wouldn't have said "all" I would definitely agree that the vast majority of driver/blocker incidents can be avoided or defused by the behaviour of the blocker.

On the skates we do not ask the main body of the skate to do any corking, period. That task is managed by dedicated blockers who wear hi-viz tabards, and who are taught when to block, where to block, when to stop blocking, and while standing there to smile and wave, not to get aggressive, and not to physically contact vehicles in any way. The best way to avoid getting in an argument is simply not to reply to abuse, in fact. The job is to stop vehicles ending up in the middle of the procession - not to win the war against petrol dependency by direct action.

We get maybe one incident a week where drivers mouth off or use their horns, but it's very rare that they'll actually try to drive into us. The fact that they can usually see we're not on a power trip is surely a help here

 

[thomas]

User, I don't doubt for a moment that you do it with a smile, a cheerful explanation and reassurance that the delay will be short.

I wasn't corking, but did stop to watch an incident near the begining. There was a driver next to me and I thought he'd be getting annoyed that he had to wait so I explained what it was and that we'd be through quite quickly.

He wasn't annoyed at all and thought it looked like quite good fun. His attitude was he'd get through eventually and there was nothing to be achieved by loosing his cool.

From what I saw, when driver's lost their cool it wouldn't of matted if the ride actually cured cancer or if it helped raised billions of pounds to help starving children.

Driving into someone is never jusitifed.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

Too slow for me,im usually climbing a mountain somewhere.

 

[Origamist]

Unfortunately, the state of cycling in London gets extrapolated across the UK. This includes the good (more people on bikes) and the bad (endemic RLJing, inconsiderate riding etc). This can lead to over-optimism from cycling advocates and unfair generalisations from the press and ultimately the general public. Its also convinced me that cycle advocacy shouldn't just be a numbers game.

Over the years I have become guilty of reifying numbers/data and have lost the ability to debate cogently and write persuasively. What's more, when you have to resort to figures to convince people to cycle, the argument is as good as lost...

Using London as a cycling barometer is double-edged and misleading - but what I would say is that on my commute I am now on talking terms with about 20 cyclists and a further 20 or so I acknowledge with a flash of dentine or a wave. I know it sounds corny, but I'd go so far as to say I feel part of a resurgent cycling community.

 

[Bollo]

Over the years I have become guilty of reifying numbers/data and have lost the ability to debate cogently and write persuasively.

I wouldn't say that at all.

Using London as a cycling barometer is double-edged and misleading

On this we certainly agree!

- but what I would say is that on my commute I am now on talking terms with about 20 cyclists and a further 20 or so I acknowledge with a flash of dentine or a wave. I know it sounds corny, but I'd go so far as to say I feel part of a resurgent cycling community.

My London experiences are, by definition, anecdotal. Its not helped by the areas of London where I usually end up on a bike (points north of Waterloo for work trips and Stratford for the in-laws). Also, as I'm not a regular, there's not the same opportunity to built those relationships.

 

[HJ]

Fair go if that's your bag, but crawling along at less than 3mph for 4 hours packed in like sardines isn't my idea of a ride. Suppose it's a city dweller's thing really.

I thought London was always like that, not just on Critical Mass rides...