When are those crusty ****-wits going to call it a day? FFS?!! The ****ing idiots are presently bringing manchesters traffic to a standstill. Which I’m sure is endearing cyclists to everyone’s hearts. ****ing clowns!

Capitalist scum.

“get ‘im!”

What’s going on?

I thought manchester’s traffic was already at a standstill?

Wasn’t that kind of the point?

Are you sure it’s reclaim the streets and not critical mass? Quite different you see.

Well according to these half-wits, the way to promote cycling is to cycle, en masse, really slowly through the city streets. Stopping the traffic. Always on a Friday when people are trying to get home from work. A charm offensive, it isn’t

Oh dear princess. It sounds like your shit has been properly gripped. 😀

does binners drive a bus and hail from bristol?

Yeah, that’s Critical Mass. Not heard from Reclaim the Streets for yonks.

Instead of whining why not get on your bike and join them?

APF

If it was reclaim the streets they’d be off their tits on acid and pills jumping up and down to ear bleeding techno. Well, that’s what a mate of mine alleged.

If it was reclaim the streets they’d be off their tits on acid and pills jumping up and down to ear bleeding techno. Well, that’s what a mate of mine alleged.

Thats what it was like when I was a kid. They did not see the irony of the fact that the sound system was on the back of a transit van but I appreciated the party in the middle of Bev Rd in ‘Ull.

I think the whole thing was set up by the local off licence as they stopped outside there for ages and he must have made a fortune.

Yeah, that’s Critical Mass. Not heard from Reclaim the Streets for yonks.

Theyre still around APF, just not in the same guise. I remember watching them ‘do’ a tube carriage. One minute normal train, next minute curtains, a bookcase, a standard lamp, pictures, a violinist and someone in a tux handing out vol au vents!

Saw Critical Mass in Sheffield tonight. Bellends.

CM should be a superb movement for all cyclists.

Sadly, it’s been ‘adopted’ by the usual agit-prop, ‘sticking it to the man, man’ angry mob of muppets. As such, it does more against generating good will towards cyclists than for it.

Sad, really, as the idea of getting to a point of ‘critical mass’, and therefore acceptance and understanding of cyclist, is a Good Thing.

Instead of whining why not get on your bike and join them?

was on my bike trying to get through London last night tryimg to get to the station. except this lot were in the **** way. they didn’t endear themselves to a fellow cyclist never mind anyone else.

reclaim the streets? for what? mobile parties or getting somewhere?

reclaim the streets? for what? mobile parties or getting somewhere?

For communities rather than cars. Is it really so hard to understand?

Perhaps it is.

Edit: flashy, if you wanted to do something with critical mass that met your opinions I’ve no doubt you’d find existing members who’d agree and support you. Need to be a big man and actually do it though, rather than just throbbing away on the Internet.

The whole point of being an agitator is to agitate. Looks like Binners has been thoroughly agitated. 🙂

But yeah, it’s a bloody nuisance.

If you ever look at photos or movies of city centres in the early 1900s, one thing that stands out is the way all traffic simply shares. Bicycles, horses, cars, trams, women with prams, and pedestrians comingling and no vehicle moving faster than a horse. One clip even shows people meeting halfway and stopping for a chat as the traffic flows around them.

That can only happen if speeds are reduced to non-fatal impact levels.

+1 CFH

I think critical mass as it is is counterproductive as it’s too easy to see the crusties who attend as wierd, different, nutters which then makes it easy to write off their message.

The natural critical mass that’s happening as more ‘normal’ people are getting on their bikes is what is actually changing perceptions.

Yossarin, I do do something about it. I’m part of

The natural critical mass that’s happening as more ‘normal’ people are getting on their bikes [which] is what is actually changing perceptions.

I think critical mass as it is is counterproductive as it’s too easy to see the crusties who attend as wierd, different, nutters which then makes it easy to write off their message.

Why is that clubber? The answer is simple. Not enough ‘normal’ people actually get off their arses to do something. As per usual, it’s expected that someone else will take responsibility. Like or loathe CM, they are out there doing what they think is right, which is more than can be said for the rest of you.

That’s right, it actually is YOUR FAULT 🙂

Bollocks flashy, you prefer hiding away on the internet, we all know it.

What exactly do you do that gives you the right to slate CM? do you organise anything? Do you lobby anyone? Do you look after anyone else’s interests but your own? If the answer is yes, where is the proof?

What do I do? I have an opinion. See above. I need do no more to be able to ‘slate’ Critical Mass. Now, you may disagree with that opinion, and that’s fine too.

For communities rather than cars. Is it really so hard to understand?

No, I understand.

But if its a community of crusty wasters – which is what it looked like in London – then I’m out.

I’ve been on cm, seen the reaction and decided that it’s counterproductive. as it goes I think it’s fundamentally so regardless of who attends.

As I said, getting people cycling is what’s making the difference and I’m pretty content with the number of people whose eyes I’ve opened up to that idea and got them doing it, thanks 😉

What do I do? I have an opinion. See above. I need do no more to be able to ‘slate’ Critical Mass. Now, you may disagree with that opinion, and that’s fine too.

Yep, thought as much.

+1 clubber. Exactly my thoughts and experience.

i went on this one and enjoyed it.
Sydney Harbour Bridge 2006

My daughter got hit by one of the participants in London a few years ago
She was half way across a zebra crossing at the time

12 stitches to the resulting leg wound, the dick head that knocked her to the floor [along with the rest] didn’t even bother stopping

EDIT: my opinion of them is somewhat formed by the above incident but I do think it does absolutely diddly squat to further the cause of cycling and a large proportion of those attending are just there to say “hey, look how feral we are, please don’t mention to the boss though or it may impact on my career prospects”

She should have been in an SUV. Nice and safe in there.

Sorry to hear about your daughter, but what exactly is your point? Some CM participants from years ago were nob heads? No sh*t Sherlock.

APF

I liked Reclaim the Streets…no sure trashing cars that got caught up in it was all that bright, loved chucking rotten fruit and veg at the old bill outside Birmingham New Street though.

Followed by a free party in the Q-club, happy days,

Build skateparks not car parks!

Seems like another good concept hijacked by the left, needlessly causing conflict because they can. This will not endear cycling to anyone.

Seems like another good concept hijacked by the left

They seem more like right wing bullies to me 🙂

Well if it’s p’ing off other cyclists, what hope with car drivers?

OK how about turning CM on its head?

Nominate a day and get all people who commute by bike (well, as many as possible) to drive that day (since apparently car ownership amongst cyclists at 83% is higher than the population as a whole), with a big sign in their back window saying “I usually cycle to work” or similar. Get the times, guardian, sustrans, CTc etc behind it and it might just make the point about how bad traffic would be if people didn’t cycle.

What about a critical manners ride?

We need a proper cycle network, Edinburgh spent a fortune on a parliament building that looks like shit and a trams network 😯 😆 .

It’s just a pity that more people aren’t out demanding change!

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuBdf9jYj7o[/video]

+1 CFH and Clubber.

Doing something like that is in principle a good idea. The reality is that the willfully disruptive attitude of many just angers people – noncyclists and other cyclists alike – and is counterproductive.

Shame really.

kaesae – Member
We need a proper cycle network,

We already have a proper cycle network. It’s really handy because it goes from most folks houses into and out of town and even from town to town. There are guidelines and laws for using it and even bits where special facilities have been put in to avoid accidents at junctions and where pedestrians might want to cross. The surface is hard-wearing and tends not to gum up all the gears and stuff on your bike. In busier spots it’s lit in the evenings so you can see if there any surface imperfections you might want to avoid. It’s called “The Road”

What we need to do is get more people using “The Road” for cycling.

See Leicester for an example of how to do it right:

http://yeahyeahyeahyeah-yeah.blogspot.com/2011/03/leicester-critical-mass-leicester.html

Concidentally Leicester’s also one of the few CM rides where the organisers are prepared to be identified, set rules, plan a route, etc. Most CM’s don’t do this because they could (in theory) be classed as an illegal demonstration.

Liverpool has one every second friday of the month, 18.00 hrs at the chinese arch.

Se eyou all there.