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Critical to
Recall Real `Mass' Appeal
Charles Higgins, San Francisco Gate
Friday, June 30, 2000
(link
to original SF Gate article)
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- San Francisco -- Bikes held aloft, they clustered
defiantly in front of the Bryant Street freeway on-ramp
on a recent Friday. Most of the daisies had been handed
out already, and the motorcycle cops were not receptive
to flowers.
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- As they circled around anxiously, a police wagon
raced down Eighth Street. And it was clear once again
that Critical Mass, after nearly eight years of monthly
rides, could still slice the last Friday of any month
with a jagged edge.
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- Sadly, it is the confrontational side of Critical
Mass that most people remember. The idea that the bicycle
is a practical mode of transportation and a symbol of
good quality of life gets lost in the fracas.
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- But there are many faces to Critical Mass. The event
is at once a rebellion and a celebration. It is a
manifestation of deep consternation over transportation,
the environment, materialism and free market-driven urban
planning.
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- And it brings people together in the open air for a
festive rolling adventure. It is at once a loud scream
and a soft whisper.
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- Though it raises the blood pressure of some rush-hour
commuters, Critical Mass offers a change, if only for a
few moments, in the domination of the streets. In place
of tons of steel and glass is a rolling community of
people who can talk to each other and experience safety
in numbers.
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- Critical Mass exists because thousands of people are
exhilarated and inspired by its ability to redefine
public space that was mapped out two generations ago with
the oil industry at heart. It is the voice of the
minority amid the deafening roar of engines and the
seduction of Madison Avenue advertising.
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- Before Critical Mass emerged in 1992, bicyclists were
nearly invisible. On the streets and in the political
landscape, they were less than a minority.
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- The ride has helped people question the arbitrary
rules set forth by an auto-dominated society.
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- While some activism and confrontation remain a small
part of the ride, Critical Mass provides an opportunity
for average people to gather surrounded by other cyclists
on the streets that otherwise threaten them. It is an
expression of how many people think differently from
mainstream society. Critical Mass originally intended to
bring people together, at the same time and place, to
ride home. It was and is an experiment with unpredictable
consequences. That it grew and transplanted to cities all
over the world says something about the collective
frustration people feel about the streets.
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- But with new bike lanes, bike routes, bike parking
and public promotion of the bicycle as a practical mode
of transportation, it might seem that Critical Mass has
served its purpose. The fact remains that only a small
part of the bike plan for San Francisco was implemented,
and many proposed bike lanes were rejected by merchants
and City Hall. Pedestrians and cyclists continue to be
injured and killed by an increasing number of angry and
careless drivers. Bicycles are still an afterthought when
new buildings and transportation plans are proposed.
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- In the end, the ride is likely to continue as long as
people need a place to express frustration about
invisibility and, conversely, to celebrate human-scale
community. Critical Mass is as much about daisies and
bugles as it is about global warming and SUV
domination.
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- Charles Higgins is a city native who
has used his bicycle for transportation for
20 years.
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Website
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Critical-Mass.info
