We blocked traffic and went through red lights.
Doug
Emergency bike ride. Because they were accompanied by police on
bicycles and motorbikes they were allowed to cause congestion and go
through red lights. Additionally the police kept stopping the front of
the ride until the way ahead was clear which caused further traffic
hold ups. In comparison to Critical Mass, because of the police
presence no impatient drivers dared to try to intimidate these
vulnerable road users and there was no ramming or verbal abuse this
time and no sounding of horns.
--
Critical Mass London
http://www.criticalmasslondon.org.uk
"We aren't blocking traffic, we are traffic".
NM
> About 200 cyclists massed yesterday in Central London for a Climate
> Emergency bike ride. Because they were accompanied by police on
> bicycles and motorbikes they were allowed to cause congestion and go
> through red lights. Additionally the police kept stopping the front of
> the ride until the way ahead was clear which caused further traffic
> hold ups. In comparison to Critical Mass, because of the police
> presence no impatient drivers dared to try to intimidate these
> vulnerable road users and there was no ramming or verbal abuse this
> time and no sounding of horns.
>
> --
> "We aren't blocking traffic, we are traffic".
Legal demonstration properly conducted, such a shame that 'Critical
Trash' couldn't manage that.
Tom Crispin
wrote:
>About 200 cyclists massed yesterday in Central London for a Climate
>Emergency bike ride. Because they were accompanied by police on
>bicycles and motorbikes they were allowed to cause congestion and go
>through red lights. Additionally the police kept stopping the front of
>the ride until the way ahead was clear which caused further traffic
>hold ups. In comparison to Critical Mass, because of the police
>presence no impatient drivers dared to try to intimidate these
>vulnerable road users and there was no ramming or verbal abuse this
>time and no sounding of horns.
If Critical Mass gave the police advance warning of their route they
too would be given a police escort.
I led a bike ride for 500 cyclists from Greenwich to the Tower of
London to join the Mayor of London's Skyride. I had 15 marshals
helping with the ride. We too blocked traffic at junctions to allow
safe passage for riders, but met with little animosity from drivers,
and certainly no ramming.
Strangely Composed
> About 200 cyclists massed yesterday in Central London for a Climate
> Emergency bike ride. Because they were accompanied by police on bicycles
> and motorbikes they were allowed to cause congestion and go through red
> lights. Additionally the police kept stopping the front of the ride
> until the way ahead was clear which caused further traffic hold ups. In
> comparison to Critical Mass, because of the police presence no impatient
> drivers dared to try to intimidate these vulnerable road users and there
> was no ramming or verbal abuse this time and no sounding of horns.
I doubt many of the cyclists were allowed to taunt and harass or
otherwise deliberately provoke confrontations with other road users. The
presence of police constables can have a remarkably moderating effect on
both sides.
Strangely Composed...
in the face of an increasingly insane world
Doug
Expression provided you have police permission first and don't look
like a terrorist or a photographer.
--
Critical Mass London
Doug
taunt, harass or provoke.
Tony Dragon
So everything was done in a legal & considerate manner & there were no
problems.
Using your great power of deduction, what does that tell you.
--
Tony Dragon
Doug
wrote:
illustrate the plight of the cyclist, who is treated as a second-class
road-user by many drivers.
--
Critical Mass London
http://www.criticalmasslondon.org.uk
"Get out of my way you f*ing cyclist".
Tom Crispin
wrote:
>On 6 Dec, 08:10, Tom Crispin <kije.rem...@this.bit.freeuk.com.munge>
>wrote:
>> On Sat, 5 Dec 2009 22:05:48 -0800 (PST), Doug <jag...@riseup.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>> >About 200 cyclists massed yesterday in Central London for a Climate
>> >Emergency bike ride. Because they were accompanied by police on
>> >bicycles and motorbikes they were allowed to cause congestion and go
>> >through red lights. Additionally the police kept stopping the front of
>> >the ride until the way ahead was clear which caused further traffic
>> >hold ups. In comparison to Critical Mass, because of the police
>> >presence no impatient drivers dared to try to intimidate these
>> >vulnerable road users and there was no ramming or verbal abuse this
>> >time and no sounding of horns.
>>
>> If Critical Mass gave the police advance warning of their route they
>> too would be given a police escort.
>>
>> I led a bike ride for 500 cyclists from Greenwich to the Tower of
>> London to join the Mayor of London's Skyride. �I had 15 marshals
>> helping with the ride. �We too blocked traffic at junctions to allow
>> safe passage for riders, but met with little animosity from drivers,
>> and certainly no ramming.
>>
>That's all very well but such 'authorised' rides do little to
>illustrate the plight of the cyclist, who is treated as a second-class
>road-user by many drivers.
Who authorised the Lewisham and Greenwich feeder ride to the Sykride?
Happi Monday
> About 200 cyclists massed yesterday in Central London for a Climate
> Emergency bike ride. Because they were accompanied by police on
> bicycles and motorbikes they were allowed to cause congestion and go
> through red lights. Additionally the police kept stopping the front of
> the ride until the way ahead was clear which caused further traffic
> hold ups. In comparison to Critical Mass, because of the police
> presence no impatient drivers dared to try to intimidate these
> vulnerable road users and there was no ramming or verbal abuse this
> time and no sounding of horns.
Doug
> Doug wrote:
> > About 200 cyclists massed yesterday in Central London for a Climate
> > Emergency bike ride. Because they were accompanied by police on
> > bicycles and motorbikes they were allowed to cause congestion and go
> > through red lights. Additionally the police kept stopping the front of
> > the ride until the way ahead was clear which caused further traffic
> > hold ups. In comparison to Critical Mass, because of the police
> > presence no impatient drivers dared to try to intimidate these
> > vulnerable road users and there was no ramming or verbal abuse this
> > time and no sounding of horns.
>
>
> problems.
>
> Using your great power of deduction, what does that tell you.
>
conditions police wanted to impose on CM were completely unreasonable,
hence the decision by the Law Lords in favour of CM and against the
police.
Here is a video of the event.
https://london.indymedia.org.uk/videos/3275
--
Critical Mass London
http://www.criticalmasslondon.org.uk
"Whose streets? Our streets".
Doug
an authorised event which has corporate backing.
--
Critical Mass London
http://www.criticalmasslondon.org.uk
"More bikes, fewer cars!".
Tom Crispin
wrote:
>Did you have a police presence on the feeder ride?
No.
>Skyride itself is
>an authorised event which has corporate backing.
Your point?
Tony Dragon
Tell me Tom, did you play loud music on your ride, deliberately obstruct
other traffic, made rude gestures to other road users, hold a picnic in
the middle of the roads, wave your bikes in the air etc?
--
Tony Dragon
Tony Dragon
You are right, the police presence did keep inconsiderate cyclists in check.
--
Tony Dragon
Paul - xxx
> About 200 cyclists massed yesterday in Central London for a Climate
> Emergency bike ride. Because they were accompanied by police on
> bicycles and motorbikes they were allowed to cause congestion and go
> through red lights. Additionally the police kept stopping the front of
> the ride until the way ahead was clear which caused further traffic
> hold ups. In comparison to Critical Mass, because of the police
> presence no impatient drivers dared to try to intimidate these
> vulnerable road users and there was no ramming or verbal abuse this
> time and no sounding of horns.
You were happy with all this?
--
Paul - xxx
'96/'97 Landrover Discovery 300 Tdi
Dyna Tech Cro-Mo comp
Tom Crispin
No to all except deliberately obstruct traffic.
When cycling in a large group which includes inexperienced and young
cyclists their safety is a primary concern. It is impractical to take
such a large group on a motor traffic free route, such as the Thames
Cycle Route, so we have to use the road network. For reasons of
safety, and to prevent the group becoming fragmented, we treat the
entire peloton as one vehicle. At traffic control signals or
roundabouts the lead (in this case me) will give way to traffic which
has priority, but once the peloton is moving through the junction we
do so together, regardless of the phase of the lights, or road
priority markings.
Some may question the legality of holding up motor traffic in this
way, but while a lower court might convict, we believe that a higher
court will recognise that we are behaving in a reasonable and
responsible manner and overturn any conviction.
Doug
wrote:
> On Sun, 6 Dec 2009 02:55:05 -0800 (PST), Doug <jag...@riseup.net>
> wrote:
>
> >Did you have a police presence on the feeder ride?
>
> No.
>
>
> >Skyride itself is
> >an authorised event which has corporate backing.
>
> Your point?
>
procession in law it is not treated as such by drivers.
--
Critical Mass London
http://www.criticalmasslondon.org.uk
Tom Crispin
wrote:
>On 6 Dec, 10:58, Tom Crispin <kije.rem...@this.bit.freeuk.com.munge>
>wrote:
>> On Sun, 6 Dec 2009 02:55:05 -0800 (PST), Doug <jag...@riseup.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>> >Did you have a police presence on the feeder ride?
>>
>> No.
>>
>So how did you deal with impatient drivers?
Smile and say thank you.
>> >Skyride itself is
>> >an authorised event which has corporate backing.
>>
>> Your point?
>>
>Not like CM at all. Even though CM is a legal, customarily held
>procession in law it is not treated as such by drivers.
Skyride is not like CM at all. The feeder ride is similar.
webreader
> On 6 Dec, 10:58, Tom Crispin <kije.rem...@this.bit.freeuk.com.munge>
> wrote:> On Sun, 6 Dec 2009 02:55:05 -0800 (PST), Doug <jag...@riseup.net>
> > wrote:
>
> > >Did you have a police presence on the feeder ride?
>
> > No.
>
> So how did you deal with impatient drivers?
>
> > >Skyride itself is
> > >an authorised event which has corporate backing.
>
> > Your point?
>
> Not like CM at all. Even though CM is a legal, customarily held
> procession in law it is not treated as such by drivers.
>
> --
> "Get out of my way you f*ing cyclist".
That is because a good proportion of CM riders are an inconsiderate,
useless rabble who are out to cause trouble.
WSR
Happi Monday
Simply being part of such a daft rally is already provocative. Please
refer to my other post about getting yourself a life.
Happi
Doug
wrote:
like CM. Of course, this is the only way a very large cycle ride can
behave, otherwise it gets split up into small groups, some of which go
the wrong way and get lost.
I would be most interested to learn how drivers treated this 'pelaton'
of yours.
--
Critical Mass London
http://www.criticalmasslondon.org.uk
Doug
> On Dec 6, 3:24 pm, Doug <jag...@riseup.net> wrote:
>
>
>
> > On 6 Dec, 10:58, Tom Crispin <kije.rem...@this.bit.freeuk.com.munge>
> > wrote:> On Sun, 6 Dec 2009 02:55:05 -0800 (PST), Doug <jag...@riseup.net>
> > > wrote:
>
> > > >Did you have a police presence on the feeder ride?
>
> > > No.
>
> > So how did you deal with impatient drivers?
>
> > > >Skyride itself is
> > > >an authorised event which has corporate backing.
>
> > > Your point?
>
> > Not like CM at all. Even though CM is a legal, customarily held
> > procession in law it is not treated as such by drivers.
>
>
> useless rabble who are out to cause trouble.
>
global warming, a large majority on this newsgroup MUST be seriously
polluting motorists who hate cyclists. So gennuine cyclists be warned
if you are expecting fair treatment here.
--
Critical Mass London
Keitht
>
> That is because a good proportion of CM riders are an inconsiderate,
> useless rabble who are out to cause trouble.
>
>
> WSR
You have evidence of that?
Other than the exceedingly lame 'everybody knows'.
--
Its never too late to reinvent the bicycle
Tony Dragon
Well there you have it, Doug is falling back to one of his favourite
positions 'if you disagree with me you can't be a real cyclist'
Oh, you also did not start this thread as about global warming, just
check the subject line, and just how many responses to your posts in
this thread mention 'global warming'?
--
Tony Dragon
Doug
sceptics, aka motorists, in an attempt to scuttle the Copenhagen
Conference and try to vindicate themselves from their seriously
polluting activities.
--
UK Radical Campaigns
www.zing.icom43.net
"The car, more of a toilet than a convenience".
Tony Dragon
Lack of response to comments noted.
--
Tony Dragon
JNugent
> I was referring to the other threads posted here and elsewhere by MMGW
> sceptics, aka motorists, in an attempt to scuttle the Copenhagen
> Conference
{FX: low whistle>
I had no idea that uk usenet (and uk.rec.cycling in particular) was so
influential.
francis
Only in Dougpiles warped, twisted & bigoted brain.
Francis
Mark Williams
> If Critical Mass gave the police advance warning of their route they
> too would be given a police escort.
That is implausible. London Critical Mass, which has never (AFAIK)
given `advance warning' of a route has sometimes had a police escort and
at other times not had a police escort. Other rides (e.g. the London
`Ride of Silence' in 2006) gave `advance warning' of a route and did not
have a police escort, despite the organisers hoping for one.
It's more likely that the criteria used by the police in deciding
whether to send an escort are matters of internal beancounting such as
`will we be able to make lots of desirable arrests' and `will there be
an opportunity for increased budget claims', etc.
> I led a bike ride for 500 cyclists from Greenwich to the Tower of
> London to join the Mayor of London's Skyride. I had 15 marshals
> helping with the ride. We too blocked traffic at junctions to allow
> safe passage for riders, but met with little animosity from drivers,
> and certainly no ramming.
Quite. OTOH, I also frequently go on London CM and do my fair share of
corking and meet with little animosity from drivers and certainly no
ramming (and what little animosity I do encounter is generally
neutralised by having a quiet word with the motorist in question).
Likewise when I'm cycling around on my own (although I do notice that
the manners of road users in London are worse than anywhere else in my
experience).
--
Mark
The Medway Handyman
Thats because they are second class road users.
--
Dave - the small piece of 14th century armour used to protect the armpit.
Doug
time this dominance of our roads by drivers, particularly motorists,
was ended and instead pedestrians and cyclists be restored to equal
access of our public roads without a considerable risk to their lives
from those highly privileged killer drivers.
--
UK Radical Campaigns
www.zing.icom43.net
A driving licence is a licence to kill.
Tony Dragon
Meanwhile the rest of the drivers who are not 'highly privileged killer
drivers' will carry on in an orderly & considerate way.
--
Tony Dragon
Doug
> drivers' will carry on in an orderly & considerate way.
>
a second in any number of ways while travelling at 30mph or more and
thereby smash a vulnerable road users fatally, accidentally of course!
Tony Dragon
Indeed if they did 'slip up' it would be accidental.
--
Tony Dragon
Doug
>
unless of course their vulnerable victim was blamed instead for
getting in their way?
Judith Smith
wrote:
>About 200 cyclists massed yesterday in Central London for a Climate
>Emergency bike ride. Because they were accompanied by police on
>bicycles and motorbikes they were allowed to cause congestion and go
>through red lights. Additionally the police kept stopping the front of
>the ride until the way ahead was clear which caused further traffic
>hold ups. In comparison to Critical Mass, because of the police
>presence no impatient drivers dared to try to intimidate these
>vulnerable road users and there was no ramming or verbal abuse this
>time and no sounding of horns.
I am sorry I must have been a bit slow: I now think that you are
actually mentally ill.
Tony Dragon
You used the words, not me.
--
Tony Dragon