1. toddtyrtle
   Moderator
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   I've ridden a number of Critical Mass rides here in Toronto and my experience has been that it feels very safe. The fact that the entire roadway is taken up by cyclists ensures that we aren't passed too closely, and the fact that the mass is kept together through lights (much to the chagrin of some motorists) results in the mass staying together without cars 'embedded within' I've heard about (and today's Star is talking about) a ride where those two elements are not present: Critical Manners.

   • They ride single file, obeying the lights, staying out of car lanes and letting vehicles through. Bike-car road rage is to be avoided.

     It's a bit polite for a rally of cycling activists, especially since rides such as Critical Mass typically take up entire widths of road to raise awareness and advocate for bike lanes.

     But this isn't Critical Mass, the cycling activists' ride that occurs monthly in Toronto and other cities. It's Critical Manners. Billing itself as the "respectful" alternative to Critical Mass, the new ride has begun to gain momentum in cities including San Francisco, and now, Vancouver. And amid discussions in Toronto of how to reach détente between cyclists and cars in the wake of the brutal death of cyclist Darcy Allan Sheppard after a run-in with a car Monday night, some here are anxious to make a kinder, gentler pro-bike statement.

   
   (via the Toronto Star)

   I'd be worried that there would be *more* conflicts for the same reasons we have conflicts day to day on the road - disrespectful motorists.

   But hey, I'd be willing to try it, and I'd also love to hear from folks - have any of you ridden in a Critical Manners ride? Have you tried both?

   One thing I *would* like to point out, though, is the inaccuracy of portraying Critical Mass as activism. To my knowledge there is no organization, no political purpose. It's simply a means to get a number of people together in a safe environment for a large ride. Some may carry flags promoting bike lanes on Bloor for example, but this is not the purpose as I understand it.

2. joe
   Admin
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   I wonder if anyone has tried to arrange a Critical Manners Ride in Toronto? There are enough cyclists who don't want to be associated with Critical Mass that it could be very successful.

3. toddtyrtle
   Moderator
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   I posted the question on twitter and got one response:
   

   • @toddtyrtle I rode in #criticalmanners, the first vancvr one It got spread out, but no more dngrous than evryday riding. It's on YouTube

   
   

   Get the Video Widget

   My impressions?
   

   • It looks like fun - I'd be willing to try it here if we could get a few of us
   • The "Not more dangerous than everyday riding" quote does not impress me. That's 90% of why I go to Critical Mass - it *is* safer than everyday riding (when it isn't fragmented by police activity).
   • Notice, as you watch this, the number of bike lanes throughout the ride. I'm sure that makes it easier/safer as well

   Here I think we'd have to give up on the "single file" part or safety would definitely suffer. Taking a single lane would likely work OK, and depending on the size of the group (first ones would likely be small groups) it wouldn't be too hard to stay together or 'reform' when we got to where we were going.

   I'm kind of liking the idea of doing these if only to make a strong show of 'there are lots of us who ride safely and follow the rules'. That's the kind of PR we need as a group.

4. Duncan
   Moderator
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   this magazine has an interview with Jennifer Watkiss who organized Critical Manners in Vancouver:
   

   1. 
      

      This: What made you want to start Critical Manners in Vancouver?

      Jennifer Watkiss: The idea came about for the Vancouver police when the Vancouver Police issued their first-ever warning about a Critical Mass ride, for the July 2009 ride. The June ride had had a number of altercations, they had blocked off one of the major arteries in and out of town, and the July ride was set to come up on a long weekend, being the last Friday of the month. So the VPD issued a warning. I was explaining what the ride was to a friend of mine who had been out of the country for the past ten years, and was wondering what the fuss was all about. I’d always been frustrated with Critical Mass, thought it wasn’t the right thing to represent cyclists in Vancouver and hasn’t been for quite a while. So I was explaining to him what this was, and looking up the origins of Critical Mass found Critical Manners, which started in a similar response in San Francisco in, I believe, 2007. So I thought, wouldn’t that be a nice thing to do, and I figured I’d suggest the idea and, you know, 10 friends would show up, but cyclists in Vancouver really jumped on the cry and started to invite their friends, and pretty soon we had about a hundred people come out for a ride about three weeks ago.

   The rest of the interview is here

   Duncan's City Ride - That's my blog about cycling in the city of Toronto, natch!

5. Angus
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   Jacob Louy has organized several Suburban Critical Masses which follows a manners style ride. He's a friendly guy to meet.
   It's on the second Saturday of every month at 3pm, NW corner of Yonge/Eglinton (right at the intersection). Rain or shine!
   The next one is this weekend, Sept. 12th.

6. Duncan
   Moderator
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   @Angus

   Thanks for the information, here's the blog for Suburban Critical Mass

   And here's a photo post from UrbanToronto

   While it may not look like a lot of cyclists, considering where they are riding, this is probably one of the largest pelotons this area has ever seen!

   Duncan's City Ride - That's my blog about cycling in the city of Toronto, natch!

7. toddtyrtle
   Moderator
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   Wow, I keep *meaning* to go on the Suburban Critical Mass rides and something always comes up. If I'm not too tied up with packing this weekend (we move next Tuesday) I may give it a go. I met Jacob at the memorial last Wednesday - nice guy. I'm curious to see how a manners-style mass goes.

   It's late in the season but perhaps next year it might be fun to try to organize a Critical Manners - not to compete at or as a statement against Critical Mass (I intend to go to both) but to give an alternative to those who aren't comfortable with the feel of Critical Mass. Just a thought.

RSS feed for this topic

Reply

You must log in to post.