wabikemosabi: My beard has suddenly reached critical mass. I think because the mustache portion has merged with my nostril hair. Hirsuteness is my forte.
about 3 minutes ago
rick_vosper: Interested in the Critical Mass video, Still We Ride link Anyone know it?
about 49 minutes ago
AdamUltraberg: Wonder what the next "Anti-Fattist" protest will be called. Too bad "Critical Mass" is taken :[
about 2 hours ago
Sarashina_Nikki: awww Allen family reunion. The amount of presh contained within LA must be approaching critical mass.
about 2 hours ago
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"Corking" is a controversial practice at Critical Mass. |
 | By Jason McDowell  OnMilwaukee.com Reporter Photography by TheeErin E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Jason McDowell |
| Published June 8, 2009 at 9:03 a.m. |
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Critical Mass is a monthly gathering of cyclists in major cities around the nation. The main idea behind the event is to rally as many cyclists as possible to hit the roads to make large, fast, gas-powered automobiles aware that bikes are not only present on city streets, but also legally allowed.
Depending on the size of the group (places like Austin, Chicago and Portland get several hundred cyclists to show up), the mass of riders can temporarily stall automobile traffic. Corking is one of those car-stopping tactics, and it is controversial.
If a group of riders is halfway through an intersection when a traffic light turns red, a few people stop and put their bodies and bikes in front of the path of oncoming traffic to form a human barrier to make sure the rest of the group makes it through safely. If the group is a hundred riders strong, it can take a minute before cross traffic can take advantage of their green light.
The practice is meant to protect the cohesion of the group, but this can lead to tension between those with two wheels and those with four. It also runs counter to the legal fight Mass riders are waging; they break some laws to draw attention to the other laws that protect them.
However, where normal traffic is supposed to stop, corkers insist this practice is done for the safety of the group. Cyclists are safer in larger numbers and losing track of the group causes cyclists to spread out across the street. After the lead cyclists have gone through their green light, it is difficult to know when a light has turned yellow or red. Slowing down or constantly turning around and diverting attention away from the front can produce harmful results.
We've all seen what can happen to even the professionally trained cyclists in large road races like the Tour de France; pile-ups are a frequent occurrence.
An argument against corking is that spreading out is better for Critical Mass. Instead of encountering one unnaturally large clump of cyclists, motorists actually become aware of riders when they are stretched across a longer portion of the road.
The main concept of Critical Mass lingers a bit longer, if more subtly, when the encounter happens more naturally.
Are you a cyclist, a motorist or both? Use the Talkback feature to post your thoughts on corking, cycling or Critical Mass.
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36 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review. |
Recent Talkbacks ...
Posted by ChateauDweller on June 11, 2009 at 8:23 a.m. (report)
"I can do whatever I want because I can justify it in my own mind." --Hckeyboy
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Posted by Hckyboy00 on June 11, 2009 at 1:36 a.m. (report)
@tinylittlefish of course i'm on my own side. Why shouldn't i be? As far as car/bicycle privilege goes, the Darwinist in me hates the fact that the less you weigh, the more right of way you legally deserve. I'm not a big fan of legal protection of stupidity. I'm not "threatening" anybody, per se. I'm simply making a statement in which it would behoove reckless cyclists to consider the situation in which they are riding. My reaction of privilege is that i don't understand why i have to follow laws when others seem so willing to break them without consequence. I'm simply providing the possibility of consequence. Is it "vigilante" in it's origins? probably, and i won't deny that. Also, i didn't say that most laws were impossible to enforce, i said that the 45 second law is nearly impossible, most other laws regarding two-wheeled vehicles (including motorcycles) fall under the category of "aren't enforced" which is another rant that i've given previously. I did not make a practice of running red lights prior to the whole cyclist thing, the only time i do it, is when a cyclist decides that they are in so much of a hurry that they don't need to stop. You can tell yourself two things if it makes you feel better a) i am also in so big a rush, i simply must get through that intersection, or b) i am actually protecting the cyclist by providing my car as a shield for their body (it's noble of me, i know). about my cycling on sidewalks, as i stated, i only do it on major roads that i simply don't feel comfortable riding on the street, also i don't want to be a hindrance to traffic, and my fairly slow pace is far better suited to stay off streets with speed limits in excess of 35 mph. As somebody who drives for a living everyday, i am well aware of how inattentive other drivers are of the road. If self-preservation is a crime, i'll eat the fine. I'm very cautious about riding on the sidewalk, as i do not wear headphones, and slow down to make pedestrians aware that i am approaching, rather than flying by them with inches to spare. And to sum up my latest extended post, i would love cars and cycles to co-exist by mutually following the rules of the road. seat belt and helmets, stopping at intersections, using signals to turn, remaining in your designated lane, all the things we are supposed to do, but there are guilty parties on both sides, so it's just not ever going to happen, but as long as events like Critical Mass "educate" drivers on how cycles get to disobey traffic laws, i could care less about sharing the road, because clearly they don't either.
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Posted by littletinyfish on June 10, 2009 at 9:44 a.m. (report)
@hckyboy I gave you the link to the 45 second rule because you asked for it, not because I was defending a cyclists "right" to run red lights. Secondly, I don't understand where you're coming from. You are complaining about how cyclists have a privileged attitude, yet you are on your high horse threatening cyclists with your two-tons of steel. You complain that cyclists are breaking the laws by running red lights, yet you yourself follow cyclists through red lights. Then you go on to say that most of these laws are impossible to enforce anyway, so why bother following them? AND believe yourself to be privileged enough to break the law and ride on the sidewalk. You complain that cyclists don't wear helmets and, in protest, you don't wear your seat belt. I don't understand how putting your life at risk is a slap in the face to those who ride dangerously. I don't agree with the sentiment, but does it make sense why ChateauDweller may want to take a swipe at you? Which side are you on? It sounds like your own. How would you rather have cars and cyclists coexist?
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Posted by Hckyboy00 on June 10, 2009 at 4:22 a.m. (report)
@ ChateauDweller Why does what i said make you aim for bikes? @tinylittlefish Fair enough, there is indeed a 45 second rule. However, a) that rule is impossible to enforce, due to the fact that it is dependent on the lack of traffic. With nobody there to see you break the law, is the law enforceable? b) i've never seen a bike wait 45 seconds for a light, nor do i believe they would if they had to. slowing down to a momentary track stand before curving right into the perpendicular lanes of traffic only to curve the whole way through to the original intended direction is not waiting 45 seconds for a light to change, nor does it account for sprinting through stop signs usually beside a car so they don't have to slow down and rebuild momentum. (here's a hint, try having more than one gear, like cars) I'm all for sharing the road with bikes, but the fact is most downtown cyclists have a privileged attitude when it comes to the road, and you need to educate bikes about driving with cars because similar to a pedestrian, you may have the right of way technically speaking when you weave into my lane, but that doesn't mean the steel frame of a bike is going to save you from my 2 ton steel roll cage.
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Posted by Broner on June 9, 2009 at 11:46 a.m. (report)
I have a great idea. Since "The main idea behind the event [Critical Mass] is to rally as many cyclists as possible to hit the roads to make large, fast, gas-powered automobiles aware that bikes are not only present on city streets, but also legally allowed." we car drivers should rally as many motorists as possible to hit the bike lanes and paths to make sure small, slow, people-powered bikes are aware that they should ride their bikes legally on the road. Who's with me!?!?!?
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