critical mass (1 Viewer)

[faganfest!]

...is becoming sort of nonexistant, and it's sad, isn't it?

last friday there was such a small turnout (3 bikes and three of four walkers) that it didn't even go ahead. when you look at the past few, i shouldn't have had any expectations, but it's depressing to see it ran into the ground like this.

why has it become so low-key, and what do people think can be done to re-ignite it?

 

[Blackenedflag]

The black bloc?

 

[Janer]

What is it and it's aims etc etc?

 

[The Schnapper]

What is it and it's aims etc etc?

Just more hippy shit Jan Jan

 

[nooleen]

What is it and it's aims etc etc?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass

 

[Carlow Punks!]

What is it and it's aims etc etc?

Its about a load of street punks getting together en masse on a cycle in support of the timely resurgance old school punk.

Pledge your support NOW!

 

[nooleen]

here's some photos i took in london last month and never got around to posting, this seems as good a place to put them as anywhere.

 

[Janer]

pppfff look at the bottler in green in the last pic

 

[jimbobjones]

...

why has it become so low-key, and what do people think can be done to re-ignite it?

flyer locked up bikes
flyer commuting cyclists in mornings/days/evenings at traffic lights
poster/flyer bike shops
email mail outs
meetings shock horror

i dont have much time to do all this these days but that'd be the way to get it going from my experience a few years back
the winter break thing is a real killer of the momentum though and always will be.

 

[jimbobjones]

The black bloc?

the black bloc on the critical mass was a real killer blow as well. the idea of critical mass being a celebration of car free transport and bikes, so getting a whole load of clowns once in a blue moon masked up scared off all the random cyclists who it should really have been all about. basically the critical mass getting highjacked by politicos before it had chance to grow itself...

 

[brianoak]

the black bloc on the critical mass was a real killer blow as well. the idea of critical mass being a celebration of car free transport and bikes, so getting a whole load of clowns once in a blue moon masked up scared off all the random cyclists who it should really have been all about. basically the critical mass getting highjacked by politicos before it had chance to grow itself...

Thats what happened last one I was on.Turned into an anti war demo.....

 

[Blackenedflag]

the black bloc on the critical mass was a real killer blow as well. the idea of critical mass being a celebration of car free transport and bikes, so getting a whole load of clowns once in a blue moon masked up scared off all the random cyclists who it should really have been all about. basically the critical mass getting highjacked by politicos before it had chance to grow itself...

Oh I agree. It was more of a tongue in cheek comment.

 

[W.]

the black bloc on the critical mass was a real killer blow as well. the idea of critical mass being a celebration of car free transport and bikes, so getting a whole load of clowns once in a blue moon masked up scared off all the random cyclists who it should really have been all about. basically the critical mass getting highjacked by politicos before it had chance to grow itself...

hmm, dunno if thats a joke but I don't recall there ever being a black bloc on critical mass. Sure there's only ever been about 4 black blocs in ireland ever.

 

[W.]

Anyway on critical mass. It was an imported tactic that worked for a while (similar to rts in that regard) and is a bit of a laugh but it wasn't progressing at all. It served a purpose but its better to see it die or put on the shelf for a while rather than drag the arse out of it.

 

[jimbobjones]

hmm, dunno if thats a joke but I don't recall there ever being a black bloc on critical mass. Sure there's only ever been about 4 black blocs in ireland ever.

the critical mass on the may day summit weekend. also the same weekend as a cycling campaign conference, in which all the cycle campaigner types got freaked out about going on the critical mass. critical mass should be a broad spectrum of people of all ages young and old which it was for the first few years.
as far as a tactic that worked for awhile. cycling in the city is getting worse all the time as you know yourself Wheeler since you almost got killed by a truck awhile back, so there is a definite need for a tactic/community of cyclists coming together in the critical mass form, though maybe it is dead for the moment...
and what i said about the critical mass getting highjacked by politicos that also goes for it being highjacked by occasional politicians like the green party etc. who also showed up once or twice on it...

 

[GARYXKNIFEDX]

I'm with Anto on this topic.
Anyway,i'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet
http://www.thumped.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=36393

 

[brianoak]

I'm with Anto on this topic.
Anyway,i'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet
http://www.thumped.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=36393

We could do a combined lecture on the folly of buying shit bikes and thinking you can ride twenty miles a day on them and then coming back looking for your warranty when your bike has the two wheeled equivalent of leprosy.

 

[The Schnapper]

Whats so shimano about all of this?

 

[jimbobjones]

Anyway,i'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet
http://www.thumped.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=36393

nice one Gary that should be abit of craic alright. me and Ciaran are doing a bike zine display for it as far as i know...

 

[broken arm]

and what i said about the critical mass getting highjacked by politicos that also goes for it being highjacked by occasional politicians like the green party etc. who also showed up once or twice on it...

when i first went on critical mass in dublin about 10 or so years ago many of the people who set it up then are in the green party. long before it was cool to be a cyclist in dublin.

it was the time of wearing the "one less car" banners around your neck

like a noose

it was all a bit serious then