[*BCM*] The original Critical Mass-1994

[Rebecca Albrecht]

 From the pamphlet "How to make a Critcal Mass" that was printed in 
early 1994 by the organizers of the original Critical Mass Ride in SF.
  http://www.scorcher.org/cmhistory/howto.html

  "Critical Mass is foremost a celebration, not a protest. A"Xerocracy", 
in which anyone is free to make copies of their ideas and pass them 
around. Leaflets, flyers, stickers and ‘zines all circulate madly both 
before, during and after the ride, rendering leaders unnecessary by 
ensuring that strategies and tactics are understood by as many people as 
posssible. Xerocracy promotes freedom and undercuts hierarchy because 
the mission is not set by a few in charge, but rather is broadly defined 
by its participants. The ride is not narrowly seen as an attempt to 
lobby for more bike lanes (although that goal exists) or to protest this 
or that aspect of the social order (although such sentiments are often 
expressed). Rather, each person is free to invent his or her own reasons 
for participating and is also free to share those ideas with others. 
Some people are there to promote human powered transportation as a 
viable alternative, others seek the respect of motorists and city 
planners and some take part simply because they like riding bikes and 
feeling a sense of community with all the other cyclists on the Critical 
Mass ride.
This "organic system" doesn’t lead to chaos, but rather a festive, 
celebratory atmosphere. Great pains have been taken to avoid the common 
pitfalls of other movements, with much Xerocratic space being devoted to 
arguments against moralizing attacks on motorists and other unproductive 
tendencies. By presenting bicycling as a fun, positive alternative to 
the dreary destructiveness of car culture, Critical Mass has gained 
immeasurably

TRAFFIC TACTICS
When bicyclists take to the streets en masse, there will be a certain 
percentage of motorists who will not be amused. These motorists—a 
minority, to be sure—will have a hard time seeing a group of bicyclists 
as legitimate traffic, and may insist on forcing their way through the 
crowd. The interference of these frustrated individuals, trapped as they 
are in their cars, are a CONSTANT problem for Critical Mass. Tactics 
have to be developed, understood, and implemented by as many people as 
possible in order to ensure that this problem does not become too much 
of a drag on an otherwise fun and good-natured ride. Here are the ones 
we’ve found work.

DENSITY—STAY TOGETHER!
Think of Critical Mass as a density. It works by forming a mass of 
bicyclists so dense and tight that it simply displaces cars. Anytime the 
ride begins to spread too thin, with areas large enough for a car to 
drive into, you have a potential trouble spot developing.

The simplest and easiest way to deal with this problem is to encourage 
people to be aware of what’s going on around them, and to act when they 
see things go awry. If a gap large enough for a car develops, someone 
needs to ride into it and call over a friend. If the head of the ride 
moves too fast and the Mass becomes too thin, someone in front needs to 
call out for people to slow down, and for the ride to regroup. The same 
goes for those at the tail of the ride, who may be riding so slow that 
the ride, again, spreads too thin. Diagrams on the route sheet pointing 
out trouble areas and regrouping points are a great way to bring all 
this across.

Density is vital in ensuring safety and a solid image of bicycling as 
practical, safe and fun for the ride’s participants. When Critical Mass 
is still passing through an intersection after the light has turned red, 
in rush hour traffic, it is important to justify the long wait for cross 
traffic by maintaining a steady mass of bicyclists riding through the 
intersection.

CORKS
Corks are the diplomats of the ride. Their title comes from their 
function. Here’s how they work: one or two bicyclists block each lane of 
oncoming traffic as the ride goes through an intersection, making sure 
that even if a gap large enough for a car to drive through should 
develop, cars are stopped where they are. This tactic is especially 
effective if the cork takes a friendly, non-antagonistic stance with 
motorists, even holding up signs that say "thanks for waiting" and "honk 
if you like bikes!" Corks need to protect the rear of the ride, too, 
from cars turning into it. Of course, no one needs to be officially 
designated as a cork, and people will largely take on this role of their 
own initiative.

Red Lights
Should Critical Mass obey the same traffic laws that motorized traffic 
follows? Yes and no. For the most part, traffic laws were made for cars, 
as anyone who routinely bicycles through stop signs can attest, and they 
certainly weren’t written with large groups of bicyclists in mind. So 
the answer to this question is obvious: Critical Mass should bend or 
ignore existing traffic laws where the group’s safety and effectiveness 
will be served, and follow the law where it serves our interests and needs.

Red lights are a perfect example of this principle. When the head of the 
ride reaches a red light, it only makes sense to stop. This way, a) no 
one endangers themselves by riding into oncoming traffic, b) we allow 
motorists the simple courtesy of their right of way, and c) we give 
ourselves an opportunity to stop, regroup and form a solid Mass. But if, 
as Critical Mass passes through an intersection, the light changes, it 
does not make sense to break into two groups, and the ride should just 
continue through the intersection, shielded from the waiting cars by corks.

Breaking Mass
When the Mass thins out too much to justify holding an intersection 
through a red light, it can be useful for someone to yell out "BREAK 
MASS!" The first section of Critical Mass would continue through the 
intersection and the second part would wait for the light to turn green. 
If all goes well, the two groups will be reunited at the next light. 
This tactic is most often used when the Mass gets larger and less cohesive.

KNOW THE LAW
The above planning is the skeleton of what the Mass needs in order to be 
as enjoyable and carefree as it is. However, other issues arise as soon 
as bicyclists, hundreds of bicyclists, hit the streets. Should Critical 
Mass obey the same traffic laws that motorized traffic follows? For the 
most part, traffic laws were made for cars, as anyone who routinely 
bicycles through stop signs can attest, and they certainly weren’t 
written with large groups of bicyclists in mind. So the answer to this 
question is Critical Mass should bend or ignore existing traffic laws 
where the group’s safety and effectiveness will be served.

Traffic laws vary from state to state and city to city. Find out what 
the Vehicle Code says about bikes in your area. Know your rights; in 
California bicyclists "enjoy" all the rights and responsibilities of 
motor vehicles. Knowing the truth about what is in the book and being 
able to correct those who quote it wrongly empowers the riders on 
Critical Mass. You can obtain a traffic rules and regulations book at a 
Department of Motor Vehicles office.

TESTOSTERONE BRIGADE
What kind of approach do we take toward people who choose to drive, or 
who happen to be stuck in cars, maybe for business, when the ride 
passes? Just as important as devising strategies to deal with hostile 
motorists is the need to deal with those in the ride who may provoke them.

For some bicyclists, Critical Mass is an opportunity to berate 
motorists, now that WE own the road for once. Our society’s 
over-reliance on motorized traffic is a massive and overwhelming social 
problem, and it won’t be changed through the use of bitchy, ineffective 
tactics by a small minority of pissed-off bicyclists. But a movement for 
change based on a reclaiming of public space and the building of human 
community, open to people from across the social and political spectrum, 
could contribute to a deeper and more fundamental change in the way our 
society operates.

VANGUARDS
One of the important things to realize is that the Mass will tend to 
follow whoever is is front, whether they have a clear idea of where 
they’re going or not. "Vanguard" types, frustrated that their 
self-destructive antics are not put up with in the middle of the ride, 
will generally sprint ahead of the ride, go through red lights when it 
isn’t necessary, and try to block as much traffic as possible. Or, they 
may decide to lead the ride off the agreed route.

What happens then is that the head of the ride goes too fast, the ride 
spreads out, cars get in the middle of the ride, no one has any idea 
what is going on, dangerous situations occur pretty rapidly, and your 
Critical Mass becomes a Critical Mess.

The way to counter this is to get two or three friends at the head of 
the ride who have some idea of what the route is and, more importantly, 
are committed to staying in a group. If you all stick together as a 
clump, you can influence the course of the ride by riding slowly, 
speaking out where necessary, and trying to keep everyone together. If 
you do this, you have to be prepared to take a certain amount of shit 
from people who may see you as someone imposing your ideas on everyone 
else. But speaking your mind and actively asserting your initiative is 
not akin to being authoritarian—in fact, it’s the essence of democracy.

SNAILS
Snails are a group of antagonistic bicyclists who poke slowly behind the 
rest of the mass. This dawdling causes the mass to thin out and anger 
car drivers who are waiting for the ride to progress through the 
intersection or who are behind the mass and impatient for the mass get 
moving.

Again, make your opinion known and be comfortable with that type of 
interaction. Remember, these people are not out to have the best time 
for the greatest numbers. They are selfishly antagonizing motorists and 
destroying any positive association that the drivers once might have had 
when the rest of the jovial mass passed them.

COPS
Public demonstrations tend to make the government look bad, since they 
vividly show that the government does not always represent or have the 
support of the people. Naturally, the police are concerned about popular 
demonstrations, and they generally take one of two approaches: either 
they attack the demonstration—exposing the force on which this society 
is based—or they attempt to portray themselves as the demonstration’s 
sponsors and diligent protectors.

With the Bay Area Critical Mass rides, they have generally taken the 
second, paternalistic approach, allowing the ride to take place, 
blocking traffic for us and making sure their presence is felt as an 
"escort". On one occasion they even went so far as to announce over a 
bullhorn before the ride "Welcome to this event!"—an outsider might have 
surmised that the whole thing was planned and executed by the police 
themselves!

When police begin to arrest people or hassle riders, they are trying to 
provoke a confrontation which will justify a repressive crackdown—a 
confrontation in which their victory is almost guaranteed. It is 
important not to take them up on the offer. When the police demand that 
the ride move into the right lane, do it. Then, when the coast is clear, 
go back. After a few more attempts to control the ride, the police 
usually give in and realize, short of arresting everyone, there’s little 
they can do except ride along and actually act like the public servants 
they professed to be in the beginning.

The best strategy is to avoid breaking any laws you don’t have to, try 
to reason with those individuals on the ride who display a tendency to 
get out of hand and don’t give the police an excuse to stop your ride or 
bust anybody. Be up front and above board about the ride. After all, 
we’re just riding home together in an organized coincidence, so give the 
cops the route sheet if they want one.

As much as they may try to own or control the ride, Critical Mass is a 
popular movement that operates independently of government regulations, 
and as such, we don’t have any business with the police (although they 
may have business with us). Within the anti-authoritarian culture of the 
bicyclist milieu, refusing the arbitrary commands of the police might 
make sense. But the best approach to the police presence at Critical 
Mass is not to engage in some pathetic, losing confrontation, or embrace 
them as our saviors and protectors. Rather, we should ignore them and 
get on with the business of trying to build a Mass.