Sep 06 '05 - 1362 W, 4 I - Vote Good + 8 :: Bad - 17 Bike Light on Critical Mass :: Pittsburgh
Critical Mass the celebratory and sometimes controversial monthly
ride that takes place in over 300 cities worldwide, has many a story to tell.
Some are told in newspaper headlines, some in court battles, some by word
of mouth. San Francisco, where it all began, has the most heard about and
recorded history. New York CM is currently playing out their drama in a
lawsuit filed by the city, and it may end up impacting other CMs as well
(see Whose Streets
Our Streets?). Portland is back on the streets and working it out with
the police. But what of other CM's, what's their story?
We are reaching out to our CM friends all over and getting to know about
their rides first hand. We want to have our common and uncommon experiences
shared, so that we can see the connection between all of our CM’s.
And maybe learn from other's experiences as well. It's also a place for
little guys to say “Hey we’re here too!”
Greetings From Pittsburgh, PA!
September 6th, 2005
By: Jessi Berkelhammer :: C.I.C.L.E.
Photography: Tall Bike :: Mtoups | Group :: Peppy
Pittsburgh Critical Mass got rolling in August 2001 after a hiatus
of a few years. Five people rode in the August 2001 mass, and participation
has been steadily growing since then.
At that time, Pittsburgh did not have a strong cycling community. It had
been ranked by "Bicycling Magazine" as one of the worst cities for
biking in the US, presumably because of its hills, old narrow streets, and
abundance of bridges. The public transportation isn't great, so most people
who can afford cars choose to drive. The city, with its labor history and
affordable cost of living, has a thriving counterculture, but the bike community
is itself a recent addition.
Two young groups in particular have boosted the increasing energy of the
biking community. FreeRide!,
a collective bike-recycle project, provides access to bicycles for little
(or no) money, and teaches bike maintenance. Bike
Pittsburgh, a membership-based bike advocacy organization, helps increase
bikers' rights and bike infrastructure. A big energizer for the community
was June's BikeFest, a celebration of bikes modeled after BikeSummer.
BikeFest is becoming a yearly phenomenon in Pittsburgh. For ten days, the
calendar was filled with events to do with, on, or about the bicycle. The
culmination was a 300-person Critical Mass, the largest in Pittsburgh history.
Critical Mass has taken off as the momentum of Pittsburgh's cycling community
increases.
For the past year, Pittsburgh Critical Mass (in decent weather) regularly
tops 100 participants. There is some maintenance, such as posters, flyers
on bikes, a bare-bones
website, and a mailing-list. We have special festive masses, like Critical
Masquerade for Halloween, and themed rides, such as a fountains ride in
the summer. Sometimes a mass will end at a specific event, and other times
not. Custom-built bikes, such as tall bikes and choppers, regularly join Critical Mass.
We used to take the same route often, but lately we have varied more. Flatter routes are easier for novices, and the group sticks together better. However, it is hard to find a flat route in such a hilly city. It's important that rides be slow enough for everybody to feel comfortable, but slower rides sometimes frustrate more experienced riders. It's a balance, and some months we strike it better than others. It's impossible to please everybody, but folks must be pretty happy with Critical Mass, since they keep coming back and bringing more friends.
As masses increase in size, families and senior riders are joining more. Unfortunately, like many progressive events, Pittsburgh's Critical Mass does not yet reflect the city's diversity.
During the April 2003 Critical Mass, four cyclists were arrested on nonsense charges which were later dropped. An anti-war action was planned for the following day, and maybe the cops wanted to practice making arrests. There was also police and media presence at the most recent
Critical Mass, in August 2005, again related to heightened tensions between law enforcement and the progressive community.
During a counter-recruitment action the previous weekend, police used tasers, pepper spray, and police dogs against peaceful demonstrators, and another counter-recruitment action was planned for the day following the mass. According to a fax the police sent to the media, they were on alert for Critical Mass, which they believed was an anti-war event. Approximately 10 cops on bikes rode with us, and corked the intersections. Their presence (combined with rain) gave the ride a somber tone.
They explicitly told me before the ride that we could ride through lights which had turned red while the group was in the middle of the intersection, and implied we could ride as a group (Pennsylvania law prohibits biking more then two abreast.) We rode as we typically do---violating traffic laws when it was important for the safety and coherence of the group. However, the police presence still put many riders on edge, particularly because of the recent police aggression; hopefully the cops will not be a regular addition to Pittsburgh Critical Mass.
Multiple factors have combined to strengthen Pittsburgh's cycling community.
Critical Mass is one part of this, feeding and being fed by the growing
momentum of bikers and bike advocates. Even with our city's hills, bridges,
and narrow streets, improved attitudes and infrastructure is convincing
more and more Pittsburghers that biking is the most reasonable mode of transport.
YO! What's Up?
We ain't no size queens here. It's the motion of the ocean thing that counts ya know. If you have more then two riders who meet once a month for CM then we want to hear from you!
Don't let larger rides in other towns intimidate you, we all gotta start someplace. After all, some of you have a harder nut to crack then others.
There are other CMers out there dying to hear all about you! So come on you micro massers, mini massers, and mighty massers report here...on the double!
Got a CM Love Story?...We want the sweet lowdown baby!
If you met someone special at CM and you two are really hooked up..or three, or four -- who are we to judge -- then tell us your story. We want how, when, where and how long. Don't delay fellow CMers are waiting to hear from you!
More Yada Yada
For those of us who join CM each month, some of the stories here may sound similar to our own CM stories, and some may surprise us, because each CM has it's own vibe and way of doing things. No two CM rides are really ever alike, even in the very same city where they take place.
The philosophy of CM is pretty simple, but like the bible, has had many different interpretations. For instance some CMs are fairly well organized, with monthly meetings to plan routes and themes... while others abhor any mention of organizing, and like to have the ride organically evolve. Some CMs allow police escorts, while others say no 'bleepety-bleep' way. Some CMs do well, others struggle with infighting and poor numbers.
Sometimes a little CM can grow to be powerful enough to change a city or town. Most notable is the city where it all began, San Francisco.
CM literally changed SF from a hostile and uninviting place to ride a bike, and in turn created a bike culture that thrives and has a great influence on local bike policy. To many outsiders it is unimanginable to picture SF without bicycles all over 'da place, but the truth is, twern't always so.
That's the beauty of CM! You never know what it can do or where it will go, only sit back, pedal and enjoy the ride.
Would you like to contribute to C.I.C.L.E.? Do you a have bike-related article, news story, event, idea, suggestion, etc...? Check out our submissions page.