Hey all, I participated for the first time in Critical Mass on Friday evening (June 27th). It was a lot of fun and made for some great exercise as well. It was an excellent way to spend a beautiful summer evening. Unfortunately, some of my pics are a bit blurry since I was on the move while taking them so I apologize in advance.
Gathering on the front lawn of the Vancouver Art Gallery
Starting off down Howe Street
Going up onto the Granville Street Bridge
Making our way up to Broadway
Making our way down Broadway
Coming up to Burrard Street
Heading up the Burrard Street Bridge
Turning down Pacific Blvd
Some of the "corkers" working their magic
Looking out into English Bay
Now turning up Denman Street
Now on Georgia, heading towards Stanley Park
In Stanley Park
Coming up to the Lions' Gate Bridge
Everybody stops on the bridge as the crowd switches direction to head back into the city
And the crowd eventually turns around and we head down an alternate route, past Prospect Point and beyond (a scenic run but all downhill and quite fast so I don't have much pictures)
Now back into the West End
It was a nice evening at English Bay
And a bit later, my cohorts and I break away from the pack to make our way along the seawall to Gastown for some drinks and a bit of food
And where I end the evening - throwing back a couple beers on the patio of the Alibi Room
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"You need both a public and a private position." --Hillary Clinton, speaking behind closed doors to the National Multi-Family Housing Council, 2013
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"The destructive effects of automobiles are much less a cause than a symptom of our incompetence at city building" - Jane Jacobs 1961ish
That really looks like a fantastic turnout, and a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the pictures. The area is beautiful and it is nice to see a large bunch of cyclists riding for a cause. I am a cyclist, myself, but I have not ever participated in one of these events.
This event really pisses me off...and it makes riding in traffic even harder when these people give law abiding bicyclists a bad name. A large number of people who attend this are just looking to get into a skirmish with drivers, and there have been various fights and damage to property when this happens. It also brings out various "bike nuts;" who do things like block traffic during morning rush hours and try their best to anger people trying to get to work.
Likewise, this event just goes to show how the police unevenly apply the law.
Laws broken (in pics):
not wearing helmet
not obeying traffic laws
riding on sidewalk
roller blading in traffic
blocking traffic with right of way (going through red light)
There are probably a bunch more.
However, if someone in a car drove on the sidewalk, cut off bikes, etc, they would be fined/arrested. Just goes to show how there is a double standard, and that bike riders are de facto exempt from traffic regulations (which they are not).
I have actually been hit by a bike when crossing at a sidewalk where I had the right of way, and the guy who hit me started yelling "watch where you are going!" while going through a red light. Not to mention while driving a car where I had a guy literally cut in front of me and slam on the brakes (as if he wanted me to hit him!). Don't get me started on dedicated bikeways like almost being forced off the Granville bridge and into cars because the person on the bike behind me didn't appreciate the max 20 km/h sign every couple of meters.
Overall, the attitude of these bike riders need to change, or there will be chaos on the roads.
The above post only amplifies the thought process with most fat assed city car drivers and if it wasn't so pathetic, it would be rather funny.
Yup, these heathens on bikes are a danger to society zivan and they should have their bikes confiscated for all their drunk driving, speeding recklessly through school zones, excessively loud chains and their want to street race on busy streets at all hours.
Great thread raggedy and an equally good job taking photos while on the bike....and I am sure there will be those that will let us know that that too is/was against the law....like I said, pathetic.
^^ You just proved exactly what I said with your attitude. I don't see where I have been proven wrong. You probably didn't even read what I wrote; all of which is true. So you are saying it would be ok to drive a car on the sidewalk then? How about demolish someones house just for fun? Perhaps kill a few people as well? Rules are rules, and everyone that uses a roadway must follow the same ones in order to ensure the proper flow of traffic.
Btw, love your desperate personal attack....pretty pathetic though.
Well, first off, thanks for the wonderful pictures. I am all for more bikes on the road and less cars and that is why I would rather this event be more educational by having the people obey and adhere to traffic laws.
^^ You just proved exactly what I said with your attitude. I don't see where I have been proven wrong. You probably didn't even read what I wrote; all of which is true. So you are saying it would be ok to drive a car on the sidewalk then? How about demolish someones house just for fun? Perhaps kill a few people as well? Rules are rules, and everyone that uses a roadway must follow the same ones in order to ensure the proper flow of traffic.
Btw, love your desperate personal attack....pretty pathetic though.
A car weights serveral thousand pounds, goes seveal times as fast, and is far less maneuverable than a bike. I can hardly see what point you're trying to make by pointing out that police find it less important to hold bikes to the letter of traffic laws. It IS less important - at least from a safety standpoint. The main reason that traffic laws are as detailed and rigid as they are is that motor vehicles are extremely dangerous. A cyclist coliding with another cyclist or a pedestrian can certainly be dangerous, but it generally isn't as bad as a car coliding with a pedestrian, cyclist, or other car.
And I agree that in real life there are many irresponsible/unsafe bike riders - not surprising given that there are no age or liscensing stipulations (and lower entry costs) - but as for bike riders not obeying traffic laws in the pictures, this was a special event, not just people riding in normal traffic. That's like calling people in a parade or marathon jay-walkers.
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