[*BCM*] Observation

[Anne Wolfe]

250 people turning out once is not 300 people turning out every month.  Which is what
happens in Sydney.

And if the BPD gets involved, you would have to obey the laws such as traffic lights and
stop signs and so on.  

But I think that if more people did turn out, you could have a road lane full of people,
and if they stopped at a light, when that light changed you'd still have a block long of
a road lane full of people, and that would be a good thing.  And still, the car traffic
could get by, and people could see the beauty of what CM can be.  I think it is just such
a shame that it isn't that now, and as CM keeps to the marginal fringes, that margin is
going to get narrower andnarrower, which is such a shame.
--- Thomas John Vitolo <tjvitolo at bu.edu> wrote:
> >I'm just interested to hear whether people think that riding in it advances a
> cause the believe in, and how.
> 
> I'll take the bait.
> 
> I ride in CM for a number of reasons.  A non-politico/social one:
> 
>  *   Being able to ride through the city at a leisurely pace and without
> constant worry about cars ramming into me is truely enjoyable.  Sure, parks and
> bikepaths offer this to some extent, but I'm an urban kind of guy, and being
> able to see the sights of the city in my saddle (in safety!) is scrumptous and
> allows serendipitous cycling situations.  OK -- that last bit was just for fun,
> so scratch it.
> 
> A politico/social one:
>  * I believe that cyclists, when one or two at a time, don't really grab the
> attention of motorists and remind them that we're around -- at least not in the
> same way a swarm does.  Unfortunately, swarms generally have negative
> connotations, such as swarms of mosquitos or killer Africanized bees. 
> Regardless, presenting motorists with the vision of hundreds (and yes Anne,
> Boston CM has gotten well over 200 cyclists: the Aug 2004 ride was a late sunny
> clear day in the 60s, and I personally counted somewhere around 250 individual
> riders) of cyclists.  I believe that visual power translates into both a
> reminder to us cyclists that we don't have to be marginalized, and an emphasis
> to the motorists that cyclists are a bigger part of this city than perhaps
> they'd realized.
> 
> I don't ride in CM to bring about change in a structured, well documented way. 
> That's what organizations like MassBike are for, and I support their efforts. 
> For me, CM is about more primative, gutteral, instinctive energy.  It's about
> being part of a group that provides synergy.  It's about safe riding through the
> city -- and yes, I do feel safer riding in the CM than alone.
> 
> And, for the record, I believe that CM is far safer because of the way CMers
> ride (straddle all lanes, don't break up the mass by running lights and STOP
> signs), because, well, it keeps the mass of a critical size.  Motorists have
> proven time and time again that, if allowed into the middle of the mass, their
> behavior will put cyclists at much more risk.
> 
> Personally, I'd love it if the BPD would join us for the ride, and make it more
> structured.  I believe they could improve public safety and reduce the amount of
> honking and vocalized hostility on the side of both drivers and riders. 
> However, I'm not holding my breath -- and so I will continue to ride in CM,
> knowing that it's a diverse community with varying goals, intents, and degrees
> of lawbreaking for both political and anarchistic purposes.
> 
> 
> So, to be succinct: CM reinforces community, invigorates the spirit, and allows
> for a safe city ride.  I've not found any other cycling event that comes close
> to prividing that level of instant brain chemical activity.
> 
>  - Tommy V
> 
> 
> Thomas John Vitolo
> Ph D Systems Engineering Candidate,
> Boston University
> 
> Support a few technologists in Washington.  Go to:
> http://actblue.com/list/stomv
> _______________________________________________
> Boston Critical Mass mailing list
> list at bostoncriticalmass.org
> http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list
> 


-------------------------------------------------
I know exactly what I want right now.  I want a hot shower, and I want the Clash. - me.  3/4/05, 7:42 a.m.

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