My Critical Mass Philosophy

There is no such thing as your typical critical masser. If you are rich, poor, asian, white, Jew, Lesbian, Republican, Mozambican - basically human, you can join the ride. You don't even need a bike as there are many who bring tandem bikes, or even trailers with couches attached, that you will be invited to enjoy. Skateboarders, even joggers have joined the mass. Anyone except cars.

There is no leader for the mass. Everyone has their own reasons. But the seminal issue all share is a belief that bicycles should be treated fairly when it comes to transportation issues.

When a street is installed there are several regulations that define every aspect of that street, from the widths of the lanes, the thickness of the pavement, to the type of paint used to strip the street. Studies are done on traffic characteristics such as the daily volumes, peaks, speeds and type of vehicles used. Traffic control devices follow similar regulations. Businesses and homes are required to have a set number of parking spaces. More regulations define the size of the parking spaces. Taking care of traffic accidents, injures and fatalities uses enormous amounts of resources from law enforment agencies and hospitals. Vehicle Codes are generally bigger than the Christain Bible. How much does the US government on the military spend to keep the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia safe? Trillions of US dollars have been spent on an infrastructure oriented toward motor vehicles. This infrastructure is not paid for with only gas taxes, and vehicle registration fees but with income taxes, sales taxes and property taxes. Basically EVERYONE pays including those who use bicycles as their main mode of transportation.

One of the main rallying calls heard at the birth of this country was no taxation without representation. I pay a lot of taxes and would like to see more fairness for bicycles. I have heard people gripe that bicycles shouldn't get special privileges. I dare them to demonstrate these special so-called special privileges. How many roads have bike lanes? I would venture to say less than 1% of roads in the US have bike lanes. When it comes to parking I would say there was less than 1% bike racks as compared to car spaces. Many drivers don't even recognize the rights cyclists do have to use the roads. I have been honked at, flipped off, yelled at, threatened, and things thrown at me simply because the person didn't know bicycles could use the road. If I run a light in Berkeley in an 3 ton SUV at 35 mph the fine is the same $271 as if I rode through the light at 5 mph on a 50 lb bike. No sane person would say the potential destructive power of an SUV is the same as a bicycle. Yet no due consideration has been given toward the actual damages a bike would do when the fine schedule is determined. It is treated as if it is just as hazardous as the SUV. So when it comes to fines I am treated exactly like a car. Yet if I took the entire vehicle lane on my bike, acting just like a car, I would be given a ticket for impeding the flow of traffic. Is this the special treatment described above? The law gives me the same fines as cars but not the same rights?

What can be done??

Talk to People
The first and most basic thing anyone can do is just talk. I have managed to catch up to some of these people who have harassed me and talk to them about the dangers encountered by bicycles on the road. To my surprise the first time I started doing this some people did respond positively. In the past, I used to yell, and flip people off but only served to make me feel better and got nothing done. (You catch more bees with honey.)

Join an Advocacy Group
It is easier to get things done if you can consolidate forces. Let your voice be heard. Join us in Critical Mass. Some bicycle advocacy groups keep their members informed about legislation, and public meetings where you can pressure officals on bicycle friendly issues.

Stand on a Street Corner Yelling at Cars
Just Kidding....

I would like to polish this soapbox some more. If you have and good ideas of points to add or change please let me know.