Critical Mass: Bicyclists' Friend!?

Alex Weaver, a reporter at Medill Reports Chicago, wrote a reasonably balanced article about Critical Mass in which he interviewed yours truly.  Read the complete article here.

As I told Mr. Weaver, I have mixed feelings about Critical Mass.  Its spirit and purpose is good.  Sometimes the implementation is not so much.  Here's is the rest of what I said in the interview:

"I have not ridden Critical Mass myself, for no reason other than I just haven't been able to find the time.  Critical Mass is good and bad.  The message of, "Hey, we are here," is good.  Motorists need to get used to seeing bikes on the road.  When they do that should help reduce the number of collisions.  On the other hand, sometimes the way Critical Mass is carried out may be counter productive to bicycling.  I shed no tears for drivers who feel inconvenienced by people on bikes.  Drivers often don't realize that a person on a bike is one less car in their way.  Also, Illinois law is quite clear that cyclists are permitted users of the streets.  However, Critical Mass is sometimes carried out in a way that seems to goad drivers into confrontation.  That's bad.  Illinois requires cars and bikes to share the road.  Motorists often don't get that.  But Critical Mass is not sharing either.  It is bikes taking over the streets, in a sort of "in your face" way.  Chicago police seem to back off most of the time and permit Critical Mass -- from what I've heard and read -- showing considerable restraint."

In Horrific Scene, Motorist Intentionally Plows Into Group of Young Bicyclists

On Friday, February 25th, a motorist intentionally plowed through a large group of bicyclists participating in a Critical Mass ride in Porto Alegre, Brazil.  On the last Friday of every month hundreds of bicyclists in cities around the world, including here in Chicago, gather together to ride the streets in order to raise awareness regarding bike safety.  Drivers have been known to express frustration when encountering a Critical Mass ride because it tends to slow motorized traffic.  In Porto Alegre, in a shocking act of violence, a driver attempted to kill numerous young people on their bicycles because. . . they were riding their bicycles.

Below is some raw and graphic video of the event.  I found it difficult to watch.

New York City Settles Case Brought By Critical Mass Riders Harassed By Police

New York City has settled a lawsuit brought by five bicyclists who were allegedly harassed by police officers during Critical Mass rides. The amount of the settlement was just shy of $100,000. This story was reported in yesterday's New York Times. Read the full story by clicking here.