Critical Mass: Douchebag of the Month - March 2011

[Permalost]

Two of my friends are big Critical Mass advocates, and sometimes go on about how now it's gotten out of hand and it's more about being a big group of drunk/high assholes than promoting bike awareness or something. Personally, I can get behind the idea more when it's less about promoting social change and more about having fun in a big group. As is often the case with large groups of hipsters drinking and having fun, there's gonna be douchebaggery. I've run into the Critical Mass rides while out skateboarding, and I'll join them for a while just for the hell of it.

In San Diego, they usually meet in Balboa Park near a big fountain and ride down a big hill into the downtown area, where they totally piss off everyone driving around downtown. You can stay at the top of the big hill and watch the fixed gear bikers get tossed off their bikes because they have no brakes and can't coast well.

[StepInCross]

Big groups tap into the "group" mentality. Only leaders get to retain their individuality in a high pressure big group situation. Now its just a matter of luck whether the "leader" of said movement is an asshole or not.

[Permalost]

Big groups tap into the "group" mentality. Only leaders get to retain their individuality in a high pressure big group situation. Now its just a matter of luck whether the "leader" of said movement is an asshole or not.

Your posts have an antisocial twang.

[StepInCross]

Your posts have an antisocial twang.

Anti-social, me? IRL, I've got socializing down to a science.

You look at the clothes people wear, the expressions they use, the type of posturing they use and the dogma they subscribe to and than follow that. Simple, eh? BUT THIS TEH INTERNETZ! Me no likey having to pretend so no morez

[FriendlyFire]

So if the pathethic double shift worker didn't have a car and was risking to be run over by stupid car drivers everyday, in the "critical mass" that is car traffic, you'd write something about him too? Or he'd be a commie pinko cuz no car?

People in cars and on bikes both do stupid shit on the road. The difference is only one goes around once a month to intentionally fuck with everyone trying to get anywhere. When people start using cars to make blockades against bikers your point will be valid.

[Homernoid]

the original post is one-sided at least or does operate with another unterstanding of critical mass than I do. Let me illustrate the critical-mass movement in Germany for a second, I may return on the situation in Cow Town later.

German Traffic Law forbidds to ride bikes on footpath when the user is older than 10 years. In short, this forces bikes to be used on bikeways or, expecially when bikeways are missing, on the street. The crucial point about this is the German Traffic Law does not consider bikes to be obstruction of traffic but being a legitimate part of traffic.
When a cars pass a bike, they have to do so in a save manner, expecially in a save distance. When there is no space to overtake in a save manner by car it is highly inapropriate to do so, because it set the bike-riders life at risk. Obvious isn't it?

The majority of car drivers in Germany however seem have the habit to consider bikes as obstruction of traffic and to relegate bikes to the fringe. The German Traffic Law considers this road rage.

In this context Critical Mass is something like a legal reminder of civil society to that cultivating road rage as a habit sets life of other people in grave danger. Unfortunately every knownothing looser in a car is consumed by a power-thrill, when spotting a biker.
Again, this is my part on the situation in Germany.

So to better understand the op. Is riding bike as part of the traffic considered legal in Cow Town? Or is the use of bikes on streets obstruction of traffic?
I am curious of the legal part.
Questionable understanding of citizenship or other best intendet reasons I do not care about.

[Kintanon]

Because people in cars have places to go, whereas people on bicycles appear to just be loitering along at their leisure at 10mph. I have a 30 mile commute one way, if I have to spend 15 minutes behind some asshole riding in the center of the lane on a bicycle in the morning then I'm late to work. CLEARLY that guy has no place urgent to be, so he needs to GTFO off to the side of the road or ride in the grass or something and stay out of the way of people with jobs and shit to do.

And I say this is a person who biked to work for almost two years, but I did it on side streets, not on the main damn highways.

[Homernoid]

As long it is not forbidden, it is most likely allowed, I guess.
How who did it and whatever is of little relevance, if it is legal.

There are days, when I escape on side streets myself, because of the constant road rage.
On the other hand there is this legal saying I try to translate into English:
Droit need not to deviate from tort.

I guess, this is the vital point and the reason, why I asked about the legal situation in Cow Town.
Each and every reasoning why who need to do what might include proper rating of time that is needed to cover a distance under legal conditions.

[Odacon]

As a cyclist, I'd fully endorse strategically placed high tensile fishing line along the routes of these kinds of protests. I mean it's one thing to flout the occasional rule of the road to get to work on time etc. but they're just rubbing their smug "haha we're messing up the machine" bs in the face of stressed commuters.

[dwkfym]

People in cars and on bikes both do stupid shit on the road. The difference is only one goes around once a month to intentionally fuck with everyone trying to get anywhere. When people start using cars to make blockades against bikers your point will be valid.

I <3 u. srsly.

When I had to ride a bike because I had no money, I had a 40 minute bike ride commute. when I had exams at 9pm and got out at 11pm, I would always try to catch the last bus. The funny thing is, the commute would be 15-20 minutes when I was chasing the last bus. Damn red lights kept giving me false hope.

Anyways, when I was doing that I told myself that I couldn't wait till I got a fucking car so I didn't have to ride my bike through shitty el cajon blvd at 11pm. Just because people have a period of time in their lives when they rode bikes doesn't mean that everyone arrives at the same conclusion.

I'll start riding more bikes when I don't have to wear a suit, when I stop sweating profusely, when things are closer together, when murders stop happening on city streets, when my kids become adults and take care of themselves, when I have more time to commute on bikes, etc. Get the point?

On a side note, my car is a garage queen and my preferred method of short distance transportation is running.

[dwkfym]

How who did it and whatever is of little relevance, if it is legal.

Actually it would be highly relevant when the topic of discussion is about asshole behavior and not legality of the behavior. I can walk around glaring everyone down, not yielding to other pedestrians on the sidewalk, make insults to everyone who walks by. I submit to you that all of those things would be relevant to what an asshole I am.

[dwkfym]

Anti-social, me? IRL, I've got socializing down to a science.

You look at the clothes people wear, the expressions they use, the type of posturing they use and the dogma they subscribe to and than follow that. Simple, eh? BUT THIS TEH INTERNETZ! Me no likey having to pretend so no morez

At first I was going to make a mockery about how perhaps the real personalities come out on the internetz, then I realized you're actually being pretty awesome and honest. lol

[bigskymma]

I applaud you Bullshido. I actually live with these morons on a daily basis. Though we do not have critical mass events I live in a university town that is full of white liberal arts majors. They love to protest "the man" and ride their Schwinn's.

The city has seen it fit to give them the same rights as actual vehicles. However, these morons only tend to back up traffic. When traffic backs up they convert themselves to pedestrian status by just riding down the sidewalk.

They have no courtesy for people who actually drive. They hold "rallies" on and off campus to protest cars. Morons. Goddamn f'in hippies.

[Permalost]

As a skateboarder, it can get very annoying listening to a hipster complain about how the world's not bike friendly enough, when my preferred method of transportation is illegal all over the place and gets me hassled by cops and security guards. I think cyclists have it pretty good.

[Lindz]

Alright look the law says bikes have to ride on the road and have the same rights as cars. But if you do that you hold up traffic and piss off all the drivers. On the other hand if you ride on the sidewalk you scare and annoy pedestrians. Separate lanes really is the only solution.

I used to ride everywhere but stopped after nearly getting hit a few times by drivers that didn't see me or didn't bother to give me enough room when passing.