This was a Critical Mass event, which is why the bicyclists are taking up all of the street as a way to reclaim the streets and protest the lack of safety for riders under usual conditions. It’s not legal, but protests are never useful if they’re fully legal now, are they.
As a Bicycle commuter… there’s plenty of “Am I the Asshole?” that needs to go around here.
I understand the cyclists are treating this as a protest, but unless the road is closed, get the hell out of the oncoming lane. You’re not doing anything here other than confirming the drivers bias that you’re the problem.
As for the driver, just fucking STOP until they pass. Is the risk of you hitting someone worth the few minutes that pulling over out of the way costs you? The driver’s pissing and moaning on the video is some self-entitled bull shit.
I obey the traffic laws. I’m apparently one of the only people in my town that has read them. I like riding my bike. I like my town. People Hollar at me from their cars. I get called “fag” every second day. For taking a bike ride.
I mean Ive been a part of many of these in Orlando and the point was to never cross into incoming traffic. So she sort of has a point. That is super dangerous. The idea isn’t to give people who hate cyclist more fuel to hate cyclist. Have respect for all types of traffic.
She sure is.
I don’t like cars, but this is fucking bonkers. Trapping people in place isn’t ‘protesting’, it’s being a twat.
All the people claiming that this is a legitimate protest surely understand that the car driver was only ‘counterprotesting’, right?
Trapping people in place isn’t ‘protesting’,
Have you ever seen any protests? How do you think they work lol
FFS we close our streets for less important things like construction, marathons, parades.
Only protest where no one is inconvenienced and you can easily be ignored, mkay?
What’s fucking bonkers is car infrastructure. Highways trap me in place all the time when I want to talk a a walk or cycle.
Where I live, critical mass is legal. Bikes can go on the street and we have a law that allows multiple vehicles that move as one to be treated like one vehicle.
Where is it legal to drive in the oncoming lane?
Depends on where you are.
In most places you can certainly drive in the oncoming lane to overtake things in your own lane or avoid obstacles. You wouldn’t do it if something was coming the other way though, unless you really like the taste of airbag.
The organizers will inform the city that a critical mass protest is taking place, the city will inform the police and they will cordon off the route. If there are enough people talking part in the protest, the public order authorities will have no other choice - thus the name critical mass. The right to protest takes precedence over the right to drive this specific route.
that’s a different setup than the one OpenPassageways described.
Meanwhile, in Germany: §1 StVO
StVO § 1: Das Auto des Menschen ist unantastbar
pretty sure that’s true everywhere that has signed the vienna convention on road traffic, so like 86 countries
Meanwhile, in Germany they think people can read german
And recording while driving…
lots of people in this thread that don’t understand how protests work.
Protesting the lack of safety for riders by being unsafe riders? I don’t think the best way to convince the public that cyclists can be safely integrated into traffic is to purposefully create dangerous situations.
Ah yes, the inevitable “protests should only happen when it’s convenient for everyone and 100% approved by the authorities” comment.
Removed by mod
Maybe you shouldn’t use loaded language chuckles.
Yeah, but this is a little like protesting against gun violence by juggling loaded handguns and putting everything on the safeties working perfectly. You don’t protest an unsafe amusement park by going on the unsafe rides standing up.
Point being, most people would probably not want to serve as the example of what not to do. Most rules/regulations are written in blood, but most people aren’t volunteering to be the ink to pen those regulations.
No but how about do this but only in the proper lane? You’re still causing attention/inconvenience, but it’s a lot less likely someone is going to mow you down from behind over driving slowly behind you, versus riding directly into oncoming traffic.
Use your brain for two seconds. Don’t you think they already tried what you’re suggesting? If you were planning a bike protest, wouldn’t you only go down one side of the lane? Well, it turns out, the people running this already tried that years ago, and they found that blocking both lanes is the only way to do this safely. Otherwise asshole drivers will try to “just slip past” by doing things like taking left turns. Parades take up all lanes on a road for a damn good reason.
Your idea was already tried and found not to work.
Parades close down the street with barricades/detours and such so cars don’t have the option to dangerously drive at them.
By law they don’t have that option either.
Funny how it’s a problem when cyclists start acting like drivers
Funny how no one would be on the side of a driver driving into oncoming traffic. They’re not acting like drivers unless you want to lump them in with absolute moron dangerous drivers.
Hold up traffic by staying in the proper lane and following road rules like cars and I’ll be on their side.
That’s literally what happens during every parade. They don’t close down half a street and let regular traffic proceed down half a parade route. That’s dangerous. You close the entire street and send the parade down both sides of the street.
Have you really never been to a parade before?
You close the entire street
Right. You close the entire street, with barricades/detours and such. I don’t know what parade you’re going to but the ones I’ve been to don’t parade down both sides of the street while giving cars the option to drive down them.
That’s common in the US, but elsewhere theres often parades and demonstrations that se the entire road without blocking them off. Drivers can either wait or backout or be stuck there while everyone goes around them.
What is the best way?
They could try attending local government meetings that decide city ordinances, or protest outside of the city government buildings?
Are people on this thread really that ignorant that I need to explain how local government works and how the people trying to get home from work in this disaster are not magically going to be on the side of these criminals trying to cause accidents?
Who’s to say that they’re not doing both?
I sometimes go on these critical mass rides and I am heavily involved in the local council meetings here when they discuss infrastructure. Unfortunately, you have to be squeaky wheel in order to get the grease.
Yeah, people are trying to get home etc. But it’s a minor inconvenience compared to cycling on bad infrastructure.
Idiots in cars, idiots on bikes. Hell yeah I’m pro bikes but setting a wheel on incoming lane? Yeaah… no thanks, I’m fine
In the bike party near me, we take over the traffic lane but not the oncoming lane.
Maybe that’s why bike party split off from critical mass
This will make people hate bicyclists more than they already do. Maybe the bicyclists should be more weary of a 2 ton vehicle and safeguard their own lives. And stay on bike paths. And the bike lanes.
One thing I hate is when there’s a dedicated bike lane/path and the bicyclists are driving in the middle of the road instead with the 2 ton+ vehicles and then wonder why people hate them.
Maybe the bikers should be as considerate as the drivers.
Go ride a bike.
Too bad for those losers who hate bicyclists I guess. They are trash people anyway
Imo it looks remarkably safe as long as we ignore the person in the car driving into oncoming traffic.
With her smartphone out, recording.
No but see youre responsible for all the actions of people who want to kill you.
The bikes in the oncoming lane are safe? C’mon what kind of joke. Blocking streets is one thing but they’re actually moving forward straight on in oncoming traffic, in what world is that safe?
Since when are cars the only one entitled to use the road?
Edit: Bunch of fucking idiots who don’t understand roads or protests getting all pissy because they were told they don’t own the road.
in what world is that safe?
In the world of every parade that has been performed in every major city for the last two centuries at least.
Can’t see it; “failed to load media”.
How about they take this up with the officials who can actually make a difference in bike safety and quit making life worse for people who just want to get home?
Go bike around City Hall if you want to “raise awareness.” All you’re doing here is pissing people off.
People who are downvoting literally never leave their house. You are entirely correct. This is an issue of local policy, and that is something that can actually be changed by individuals choosing to be more active in their local politics. It just requires some organization and a coordinated political effort.
Cycling down the street will not only not achieve anything, but it’s also putting both drivers and cyclists in danger. If an accident does happen, it’s not going to be pinned on the driver because they didn’t do anything wrong. Instead, whatever these cyclists were trying to achieve is going to be scrutinized due to their recklessness.
Nah… the asshole driver could literally have waited 30 seconds…
You don’t know what you’re talking about… sorry mate
How brain dead does a person have to be to see an entire parade in front of them and think, “this can’t be some organized event, I must just be able to drive right through here!” Main character syndrome. Or more likely, a sociopath just looking to murder someone.
Here’s an idea. Find another fucking route. They plan these events, publish the routes in advance, have a police presence there, and place them in areas where they won’t cut off people’s only means of getting somewhere.
Do you ever find yourself in this situation? Here’s how to handle it without being a fucking moron:
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Pull off the road.
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Pull out your phone.
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Google “<your city>” critical mass route <today’s date.>"
Is that really that hard? Or are you someone who is so concrete sequential that you have one and only one route you can drive, and any other route home will break your mind? What if a sink hole opened up on the road you normally take home. Would you just blindly drive right into it because you this is the route you take home, and damn it if you’re going to let anything stop you?
Google “<your city>” critical mass route <today’s date.>"
How would a person who has no idea that it is called a critical mass event know to google when a critical mass event is held?
Is it really that hard to understand not everyone know what this is?
You have a very poor understanding of how these critical masses work, they do NOT function like normal protests, at least in the US.
Most critical masses of cyclists are intentionally made to be spontaneous, barely organized, and they do not give prior warning to locals (through the local media or such), the government, or even the police. The whole point of the intentional disorganization to escape the authorities when they eventually come in to restore order. The reason why they’re called “critical masses” to begin with is because large turnouts is the only requirements of these events. There is no organization or leaders or hierarchy or anything to hold accountable.
So what happens is unsuspecting locals going on about their day get met with a mob of cyclists who are blocking traffic, ignoring any and all established safety laws, and disrupting the flow of the city. The people who do come across them don’t know where they came from, where they’re headed, or what they’re going to do next.
That’s why you can’t “go around them” like you’re suggesting. You’re basically trapped in your car until they go away. These events put the cyclists in danger and they put the drivers in danger. That’s why they’re considered dangerous. If they functioned like how you imagined they functioned, then way less people would have an issue with them.
None of your paragraphs addressed my comment. Your comment is completely orthogonal to mine.
Yes, it may be difficult to find the route in advance. But again, how brain dead do you have to be to see a giant parade of people and think “I know, I’m going to try to drive right through that!” Your license should be confiscated if you’re so stupid.
The routes are published in advance. How do I know? Because there’s thousands of people here. It has to be published somewhere if all these people are finding the route. So again, what keeps you from pulling over, searching the route, and simply going around?
You’re not trapped in your car. You can back up, do a u-turn, and go somewhere else. The dumbass in the video could have just turned right and got out of the situation entirely.
Again, just how cousin-fucking stupid do you have to be to see a parade of thousands of people and decide “you know what, I should drive through there!” I don’t care if it’s a protest, a parade, or a mob of people standing on the street because a building just had a fire alarm pull. If you are so stupid that you can’t realize you shouldn’t drive into such a crowd, you need to have your license suspended, as you are simply too stupid to drive.
But again, how brain dead do you have to be to see a giant parade of people and think “I know, I’m going to try to drive right through that!”
I’m not defending the person in video, she’s clearly a clown herself. I’m just pointing out that these events aren’t exactly helpful to the cause they’re trying to advance.
How do I know? Because there’s thousands of people here. It has to be published somewhere if all these people are finding the route.
That’s like playing go fish. Again there’s no central organization to these events by design, so it’s very difficult to actually track down where the information is. It could be on Facebook or Discord or Instagram or anywhere really. Good luck finding the right groups with the right info.
You’re not trapped in your car. You can back up, do a u-turn, and go somewhere else.
This easier said than done. If you’re a normal driver, then you’ll be stuck as they arrive. If there’s a car behind you and the cyclists are already swarming around your car then you can’t move else you’ll risk hitting them.
If you are so stupid that you can’t realize you shouldn’t drive into such a crowd, you need to have your license suspended, as you are simply too stupid to drive.
Sure, but that doesn’t justify these cyclists creating the dangerous situation in the first place.
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Trying to pin this on just one group of people won’t ever achieve anything. The whole point is to raise awareness and possibly have some fun while doing it. That woman who brazenly ignored the cops and recorded it on her phone while driving? Totally oblivious asshole who missed the entire point.
The entire name “critical mass” is based on the thinking that if there are enough cyclists on the road at once, then drivers wouldnt dare to drive through them. They organize with the city (a date and path are set and publicized) to force their bike traffic through town with the ultimate goal of trying to improve safety for cyclists.
Interestingly enough, your entire argument can be wrapped up with a bow that neatly provides justification for their protest. That is some special kind of woosh.
They organize with the city (a date and path are set and publicized) to force their bike traffic through town with the ultimate goal of trying to improve safety for cyclists.
A big part of the problem is that they DON’T do this. If they did then people can plan ahead of time to avoid running into them, and way less people would be annoyed with them. But that’s not how they operate, these events aren’t protests because they’re so disorganized. There’s no leadership, no organization, nothing. They also don’t give any notification to locals, law enforcement, the media, or their local governments. This why they’re considered dangerous, it’s because this disorganization puts the cyclists and drivers in harm’s way.
Most people who run into them, like the woman in the video, do so without prior warning. They’re just going about their day when they’re met with a mob of cyclists who are ignoring the established safety laws and blocking traffic. You have no idea where they came from or where they’re going. Their unpredictable. Yes, this woman filming and driving is being reckless, but she’s not the only one in the video who is.
Too bad I guess. Drivers need to learn to share the road.
Pull over. Wait thirty seconds. Pretty simple
This is an issue of urban planning. Blaming drivers for it is childish.
And why would the infrastructure be planned this way unless drivers have specifically demanded it?
Drivers are the ones who whine to politicians to stop urban planners from doing their jobs properly.
She needed to wait thirty seconds
You complain about one day of bikes being disorganized jerks in one place but you fail to reflect on how the automobile has utterly dominated the structure of all cities and urban areas. I think one is far more disruptive than the other and you’re focusing on the wrong.
That’s the thing, I actually agree with you and these cyclists. Cars DO take up way too much space and we’re way too dependent on them. I 100% support better urban development that’s more sustainable and pedestrian friendly. That being said, I don’t see things like this as a meaningful way to achieve results. If it was an organized protest that actually gave people a heads up that this would be happening then that’s fine, but just randomly forming up cyclist mobs to takeover streets is still dangerous and unnecessary.
Protests have to be disruptive to be heard. If they weren’t disruptive, people would ignore them.
Disruptive and dangerous are two different things. Rosa parks sitting at the back of the bus is a disruptive protest, cycling as an unorganized mob into oncoming traffic is dangerous.
