Comments on: Seattle Critical Mass Bicyclists Assaults Motorist

By: worried

worried — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:56:40 +0000

it looks like we have this now in silicon valley. last friday a few thousand people went from santa clara to mountain view and back. it was mostly a hassle nothing as bad as this so far. they claim to be trying to have understanding but they just seem like they want to go to liquor stores and vandalize parking garages. i bike everyday to work and the last thing i need is animosity from motorists. this childish behavior from CM punks must come to an end.

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:16:34 +0000

Regardless of the inaccuracies of how something is reported, the base fact is that people were attacked. There is no good reason for grown adults to attack one another or damage personal propererty. While Dave may be one of the better people out there riding, his own statement of the diversity of the group tells us that he cannot guarantee that there are no bad apples riding along, spoiling for a fight with motorists. Just because someone comes along for a worthy cause does not necessarily make them a good person. Bullies are present in every demographic slice, including the eco-friendly.

Unless you have a permit from the city, you do NOT have the right to block roads “for, oh my god, like a MINUTE”. Take away the car and the bicycle for a moment; if you restrict me from going somewhere, confine me with no way out, and you have no legal reason to do so, that’s called false imprisonment. Before dismissing the inconvenience of drivers as being petty, perhaps Dave should look into why he will not deal with the inconvenience of his group being split up by a traffic light – this is not a race, so the stragglers should be able to catch up. The light only last for oh my god, two or three MINUTES…. =)

This corking thing has to stop – period. It hampers the effectiveness of emergency responders. Other Critical Mass groups have stated that they “part like the Red Sea” for emergency vehicles, which is nice. My question is what happens when an ambulance is two blocks back, around a corner where they can’t see it, and stuck in gridlock? One minute is an *eternity* for emergency responders. Many times, mere seconds mean the difference between life and death. Your child’s kidnappers can escape with a minute’s head start. You can choke to death in one minute. Many things can happen in one minute. One minute it may be (but doubtful with that many riders) that you’re blocking traffic at *every* intersection, but the ensuing gridlock can take an hour to unsnarl, placing innocents at risk.

For someone pointing the finger and saying “Check yourself, and for godÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s sake, stop being so self-righteous”, Dave appears to be seated on a pretty high horse, looking down on everyone else. Next time he calls 911, perhaps the dispatcher should say “Call back in a minute; I’m still on break – one minute won’t make a difference.”

By: Joel

Joel — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:39:39 +0000

Dave,

Civil disobedience is a tactic used to correct severe social wrongs. However, what is the severe social wrong against bicyclists? Bicyclists already have equal rights to the road and have many laws in place to protect them. Criminal Mass is a group of people who want to aggressively impose themselves upon others without a clear sense of purpose. Criminal Mass has much more in common with vigilantes than any sort of real civil disobedience movement.

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 07:21:57 +0000

Joel, are you dense or something? Don’t you understand the concept of civil disobedience? Yes, Critical Mass rides during Friday night traffic downtown and in the heart of the city to make a point to everyone that there are a lot of cyclists that use the same roads that all the car drivers use. And for once — just one short time out of the whole month — they take over the road, and yes, everyone has to wait for them and acknowledge that they’re there for, oh my god, like a MINUTE until they pass on. Boo hoo. Stop being such a crybaby and deal with it. So sorry you and “everyone else” have to be delayed in getting home to your “families.” Does it occur to you that not everyone is like you? If you ever went on a Critical Mass ride you’d see the tremendous diversity of people who are there. It’s a neat thing to see. And, BTW your info about the July incident, upon which you base so much of your opinions, is, um, completely inaccurate. Did you read anything beyond the initial article that appeared in the Seattle Times? The incident was not as you described, parroting someone else’s bad reporting. I know, because I was on that ride. You’re quite ill-informed, and like a lot of ill-informed people, you have ignorant opinions. Check yourself, and for god’s sake, stop being so self-righteous. It would be distasteful even if your opinions were better informed.

By: Jordan

Jordan — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 03:12:49 +0000

The frustrating thing for anyone who has lived in Seattle (or one of its suburbs) is that bicyclists seem intent on obeying the laws and requiring that they be enforced only when it is convenient. I’ve been cut off on the road by a slow moving cyclist who promptly pulled into the crosswalk, nearly running over real pedestrians, at a red light. It’s ridiculous that we allow them both options and that Critical Mass thinks they have a legitimate complaint. If riders would recognize that they either are pedestrians or vehicles and not both, there would be a lot less injuries, accidents and fatalities. Most of the time its simply their fault.

By: Joel

Joel — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 20:52:56 +0000

At last, a dissenting opinion. I do not think I am the mentally challenged one; a group that violates the same principles it is trying to uphold only harms it’s cause. Critical Mass is trying to get motorists to respect cyclists right to the road: but their tactics violate the laws of the road (blocking intersections, riding through red lights, etc.).

Once Critical Mass recognizes the rights of other citizens and obeys the same laws as everyone else, then I will come check it out and ride with you. However, I will not participate in Critical Mass as long as it is Criminal Mass.

By: masser

masser — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 20:44:55 +0000

I suppose that the reason that nobody posted here disagreeing is that anybody who rides in critical mass immediately realized what an idiot the author must be. This person obviously has no first-hand experience with critical mass, since they are under the impression that 1: it is a protest. 2: people “stop and lay down in the middle of the road”, 3: the “victim” of the assault in seattle this summer “bumped into” a cylist, when in reality he ran over a cyclist, 4: critical mass “picks a road” and blocks it, as opposed to riding on the streets. etc. *Edited for language* F- you, author. If you really want to stop critical mass, then come to westlake center last friday of the month at 5:30 and do something. Why dont you ride in it and see how hateful people are – you will be dissappointed, and may regret buying a pistol to fend off the band of hessian thugs that terrorize our blessed wholesome city of seattle.

By: Joel

Joel — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:59:47 +0000

The criminals of Critical Mass do not hesitate to use violence on ordinary citizens just trying to go about their day, however I am much more circumspect. People in America are allowed to act in self defense if they are assaulted and I will do exactly that.

This post on critical mass is meant to be a little over the top and I do not actually own or carry a concealed weapon. I do have pepper spray in my car in case I ever need to protect myself though.

By: Joshua

Joshua — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:52:08 +0000

I hope you dont think twice before using your “concealed weapon’ and get sometime in prison!

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:28:08 +0000

Thank you for the article.
I 100% agree with your view on stopping CM.
How can a group expect to be heard when it breaks traffic laws?
Critical Mass is Criminal Massholes.