Car runs down Critical Mass in Brazil
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign
I changed the title to illustrate the point that Critical Mass may be
provoking the beast by blocking the road. The article simply doesn't
say. The point is that I'm against CM strategy and for TAKING THE
LANE, not the road.
Again, the guy may have charged at them out of rage against bikes in
an act of random violence. Just today I was riding on the road and
this "mafia car" (black car, black windows) slowed down and blasted an
AIR HORN at me. DRIVERS LOOKING FOR TROUBLE ABOUND.
Here's the stunning news:
SAO PAULO – A motorist sped his car through a pack of more than 100
cycling activists in southern Brazil, sending bikes and screaming
riders flying through the air and landing hard on the asphalt in a
scene captured on amateur video and posted online.
At least 40 cyclists were injured, with most suffering cuts and broken
bones, but nobody was killed, authorities said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110301/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_brazil_bicyclists_hit
------------------------------------------------------
Forrest Hodge
Well they were blocking the road completely, and allegedly weren't
letting traffic through. Some people have places to be.
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign
> On 2/28/2011 10:10 PM, His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the
> Stop the Bullshit Campaign wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > "Car runs down bicycling demonstrators in Brazil"
>
> > I changed the title to illustrate the point that Critical Mass may be
> > provoking the beast by blocking the road. The article simply doesn't
> > say. The point is that I'm against CM strategy and for TAKING THE
> > LANE, not the road.
>
> > Again, the guy may have charged at them out of rage against bikes in
> > an act of random violence. Just today I was riding on the road and
> > this "mafia car" (black car, black windows) slowed down and blasted an
> > AIR HORN at me. DRIVERS LOOKING FOR TROUBLE ABOUND.
>
> > Here's the stunning news:
>
> > SAO PAULO – A motorist sped his car through a pack of more than 100
> > cycling activists in southern Brazil, sending bikes and screaming
> > riders flying through the air and landing hard on the asphalt in a
> > scene captured on amateur video and posted online.
>
> > At least 40 cyclists were injured, with most suffering cuts and broken
> > bones, but nobody was killed, authorities said.
>
>
> > ------------------------------------------------------
>
> >http://webspawner.com/users/BANANAREVOLUTION
>
> Well they were blocking the road completely, and allegedly weren't
>
> - Show quoted text -
Did you read that in the article? (I'm lazy to read now)
Now imagine a truck does the same with cars blocking the fast lane,
and they do it all the time.
ash
Stop the Bullshit Campaign" <nolionnoprob...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> "Car runs down bicycling demonstrators in Brazil"
>
> I changed the title to illustrate the point that Critical Mass may be
> provoking the beast by blocking the road. The article simply doesn't
> say. The point is that I'm against CM strategy and for TAKING THE
> LANE, not the road.
>
> Again, the guy may have charged at them out of rage against bikes in
> an act of random violence. Just today I was riding on the road and
> this "mafia car" (black car, black windows) slowed down and blasted an
> AIR HORN at me. DRIVERS LOOKING FOR TROUBLE ABOUND.
>
> Here's the stunning news:
>
> SAO PAULO – A motorist sped his car through a pack of more than 100
> cycling activists in southern Brazil, sending bikes and screaming
> riders flying through the air and landing hard on the asphalt in a
> scene captured on amateur video and posted online.
>
> At least 40 cyclists were injured, with most suffering cuts and broken
> bones, but nobody was killed, authorities said.
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------
>
> http://webspawner.com/users/BANANAREVOLUTION
Whilst not condoning his actions in any way (was a very stupid thing
to do), I can see stupidity on both sides of the argument with CM
activists displaying this in spades. Own your space in your lane, but
don't presume to own the whole road as this just pisses people off -
well CM as an act is designed to piss people off.
I can see more of this happening when CM's are held in future TBH - it
was like skittles and he wasn't exactly driving a huge Chelsea Tractor
either.
Forrest Hodge
On the highway trucks go 55-70 MPH. Whilst most traffic goes around
65-80 MPH. The difference in speed is far greater with bicycle and a
car, or even a bike and truck.
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign
Sometimes I think CM are coordinated by Big Oil, just to make the
drivers look good.
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign
Yeah, speed differential kills but a cyclist on the edge of the road
is not any safer than taking the lane.
Jym Dyer
=v= No it isn't. Pretty sleazy to use a tragedy as
a springboard for making up negative motivations to
misattribute to people.
<_Jym_>
Jym Dyer
> Sometimes I think CM are coordinated by Big Oil, just
> to make the drivers look good.
=v= I highly doubt the "sometimes I think" part of this
message. Note that we're nominally talking about a driver
who is now imprisoned, which isn't what I call looking good.
=v= Every location on the North American continent that is
enjoying new bike-friendly policies, infrastructure, and a
burgeoning of ridership is a location where Critical Mass has
thrived for the previous decade or longer. Reality suggests
quite the opposite of your unthinking opinion.
<_Jym_>
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign
I understand the guy is free while they investigate, and the drivers
may be thinking, "Hey finally someone had the courage to do what it
takes."
It's rebelion without a cause or solution. That's why the system lets
it happen without harassment. When someone took to riding bicycle on
an LA freeway they stopped it immediately. I know it's illegal, but
bicycles have to grind slowly on streets or sidewalks. And when small
groups take the lane all over the nation, they'll worry about it
because their lion's share will be threatened with all people claiming
their rightful claim to the road. The scraps --if any-- it's simply
not good enough. Bicycles shouldn't be on sidewalks or gutters, just
take the right lane with a few requirements --lights, visibility
vests...
How do we call this movement? How about 'CLAIM THE LANE MOVEMENT'?
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign
it very well:
Is Critical Mass counterproductive?
I have never taken part in a critical mass cycling event but I have
read a great deal about these events recently and have paid particular
attention to those in London and other UK cities. I have read web
pages about the London events and I have watched, several times over,
some of the video clips of more recent events.
Apparently these events are not organised, not regulated or marshalled
in any way and have no clear objective other than (I read somewhere)
“to celebrate cycling and claim back the roads from motor traffic” or
words to that effect, which is all so much puerile tosh.
To quote from the webpage of the Central London Critical Mass:
“Who are we and what are our aims?
“We are not sure, opinions seem to differ. There are probably as many
aims of CM as there are participants. Each individual comes there with
his or her own idea of what it’s about, and the sum of this makes up
the Mass. We have no organisers and no planned routes.”
It reminds me of the preacher at the lunatic asylum who started his
sermon to the inmates by posing the question “Why are we all here?” To
which a voice from the back of the room piped up with the reply
“Because we are not all there!”
http://justwilliams.wordpress.com/2008/08/03/critical-mass-counterproductive/
Opus
> I understand the guy is free while they investigate, and the drivers
> may be thinking, "Hey finally someone had the courage to do what it
> takes."
>
Neis is currently under "protective custody" in a mental institution
in Puerto Alegre by court order until the investigation is complete.
Brazilian law allows this in 3 conditions, the first of which is if
the suspect is a flight risk, second is if the suspect could be a
danger to the community if allowed to be free, the third is if the
community is a danger to the suspect. IMHO either of the last two
conditions could be applied for this case.
Jym Dyer
> It's rebelion [sic] without a cause or solution.
=v= What blithering nonsense. I've been riding Critical Mass
for almost 18 years. You, on the other hand, are afraid to
actually bike in the streets. You think you're going to tell
me what CM is or isn't? Get real.
<_Jym_>
Tºm Shermªn™ °_°
> The insult to Tibetans and Monkeys writes:
>> Sometimes I think CM are coordinated by Big Oil, just
>> to make the drivers look good.
>
> =v= I highly doubt the "sometimes I think" part of this
> message. Note that we're nominally talking about a driver
> who is now imprisoned, which isn't what I call looking good.
>
What does "=v=" mean?
> =v= Every location on the North American continent that is
> enjoying new bike-friendly policies, infrastructure, and a
> burgeoning of ridership is a location where Critical Mass has
> thrived for the previous decade or longer. Reality suggests
> quite the opposite of your unthinking opinion.
> <_Jym_>
Proper infrastructure such as bike lockers and showers, or cyclist ghettos?
--
Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731,-83.985007
I am a vehicular cyclist.
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign
So what have you accomplished in 18 years and thousands of people
taking to the streets?
I'm not afraid to ride a big group like that but I highly doubt the
results. My Wisdom of the Jungle tells me not to ride when it amounts
to suicide. I occasionally do it where few others dare, but then I
come back to the Internet where I know I can have a greater impact.
If on the other hand I had a small coordinated group, I'd deliver
results quickly.
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign
Perhaps I have got it wrong but I assume that the majority of those
who participate in these events imagine that they are somehow
promoting the cause of cycling. No doubt I share their aspirations.
Even so, I deplore their participation in these events.
You have only to look at videos of London events of recent years to
see that they cause obstruction, delay and annoyance to other road
users, which is hardly an intelligent way to win (as the current
jargon has it) the hearts and minds of the wider public. Substantial
numbers of cyclists among those taking part give the clearest possible
impression of being a totally indisciplined and unruly rabble and
there are numerous instances of illegal cycling behaviour. It all
reinforces the already too widespread view of cyclists as having no
respect for other road users, for the rules of the road or for
anything else other than their own selfish agenda.
I have no doubt at all that there are many genuine, respectable and
sincere cyclists on these rides who behave as well as can be expected
given the scale and nature of the events – but as in any large
gathering you will also find the usual suspects, the great unwashed
disaffected and miscellaneous anarchists, few of whom have any real
commitment to whatever cause is supposedly being promoted but they are
there anyway “for a laugh” or to cause trouble if they can. What they
certainly do, like it or not, is undermine the reputation of ALL those
taking part and of the cause itself.
A good ride in the company of other cyclists is a fine thing. So why
not celebrate the best of cycling rather than demonstrate it in such
an unfavourable light? Why not have a proper organising group with
leaders and marshalls and predetermined routes, and official support,
where participants can demonstrate how cycling, even in large numbers,
can be carried out in accordance with the rules of the road and
accomodated with due consideration for other road users in our cities
and towns? This has got to come anyway as more and more people get on
their bikes. Wouldn’t it be a marvellous way for cyclists to show that
we are ready for it even if the infrastructure leaves rather a lot to
be desired and that we are willing and able to ride in an orderly and
considerate fashion? Wouldn’t that give a much more positive
impression of cycling, and the potential for more cycling, not only to
other road users and casual bystanders at the time but also through
the media coverage to the population at large? Wouldn’t this make a
much more beneficial contribution to the debate at national and local
government level about making better provision for cycling?
If cyclists who currently participate in critical mass events cannot
rise to this challenge then I suggest that critical mass in the UK
should be abandoned – for it amounts to nothing more than an
inconsiderate self-indulgence on the part of participants which
offers nothing positive to the cause of cycling.
Joel
originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign <comandan...@yahoo.com>
wrote:
> CONTINUATION OF OPINION ON CM:
>
> Perhaps I have got it wrong but I assume that the majority of those
> who participate in these events imagine that they are somehow
> promoting the cause of cycling. No doubt I share their aspirations.
> Even so, I deplore their participation in these events.
<snip>
> If cyclists who currently participate in critical mass events cannot
> rise to this challenge then I suggest that critical mass in the UK
> should be abandoned – for it amounts to nothing more than an
> inconsiderate self-indulgence on the part of participants which
> offers nothing positive to the cause of cycling.
I rode in *one* CM event. The idea was to ride down one lane of traffic on
a busy lane that had multiple lanes going in both directions. After about
five minutes of this the group leaders changed tactics and started
'counting coup' on cars by circling around them when they were stopped at
a red light. The car they chose had an elderly couple driving a sedan. The
cyclists circled the car, hollering and pounding on the car.
My 20-mile daily commute is on roads for about 15 miles, which I'm not too
worried about because I've selected the route carefully, ride it nearly
every weekday, and have become a defensive rider. But after that CM event?
No more of that - harassing an elderly couple for driving somewhere in a
car? Hell, I'm not in a car more than once or twice a month as a passenger
- the damned things pollute, cost too much, and bust up would could
otherwise be nice quiet neighbors. But the one CM event I participated in
and the others I've seen are narcissistic and adolescent. Maybe there are
some not as confrontational.
Tºm Shermªn™ °_°
Classic case of venting frustration on an innocent party that was chosen
because they looked like they would not retaliate.
Really dumb thing to do in the US, since if the driver claimed that
he/she was in fear of his/her life and got out of there by running over
some cyclists, most juries would accept the explanation.
Joy Beeson
I know exactly one thing about Critical Mass -- when they were just
starting up and sent a news release to the newsletter I was editing at
the time, I filed it under "cold chills".
--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign
> I know exactly one thing about Critical Mass -- when they were just
> starting up and sent a news release to the newsletter I was editing at
> the time, I filed it under "cold chills".
When they are absorbed by the establishment and are in the media is
because they are quite harmless.
This is for the kids to play revolution.
Jym Dyer
> people taking to the streets?
=v= A revisioning of public space that has caught on all over
the world and made its way into urban planning and municipal
governance. In the places where Critical Mass has blossomed
the most, we now have a tenfold increase in bicycling.
=v= What have you accomplished with a lifetime of incoherent
babble while attempting to peddle T-shirts from the sidewalk?
<_Jym_>
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign
> > So what have you accomplished in 18 years and thousands of
> > people taking to the streets?
>
> the world and made its way into urban planning and municipal
> governance. In the places where Critical Mass has blossomed
> the most, we now have a tenfold increase in bicycling.
Really? Not here in Miami. Most major roads remain "no man's land,"
and the program coming to Miami Beach similar to Velib has nothing to
do with CM as far as I know. Actually the roads will still remain no-
man's land after the program.
>
> =v= What have you accomplished with a lifetime of incoherent
> babble while attempting to peddle T-shirts from the sidewalk?
> <_Jym_>
That's a complex and hypothetical question. I could answer
tangentially what has Jesus accomplished in 2000 years? Well, that
would be a low blow. ;)
I'd say I have put in place a political program of any these
revolutions happening now to get ideas from, most importantly how to
deal with transportation, emphasizing BICYCLES and PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION.
And even if it doesn't happen, by MAKING NOISE we can change our
community, which is the FRONTLINE for many of us.