[*BCM*] - Boston t Bike Ride

[Robin Kimball]

Here's a rebuttal from another cyclist, worried but for different reasons:

1a. Critical Mass happens on the last friday of every month.  May the Good 
Lo' help us poor souls on earth if the relevant parties, including cops in 
Boston (who work regular shifts or regular beats, perhaps?  Just thinking) 
who may be called to the scene, do not by now have some solid idea that 
Critical Mass happens on the last friday of every month.
1b. Seems to me, given the reports of police behaviour towards cyclists just 
recently detailed on this here list (both at our Mass and in states like MN, 
lest we forget), that the best case scenario of "I can has escort?" would be 
to be laughed off the phone line.  My worry is that the cops would not 
escort but patrol the Mass, picking off leaders, stragglers, and anyone of 
whom they didn't like the look, as it suited them.  That is, if they can be 
spared from, I dunno, keeping our streets safe from a fate worse than a big, 
smiling, friendly mass of bike riders.

2a.  I don't have a solution to this one, but I want to be the hopeful type, 
that the mass remains thick enough, and doesn't spread too far front to 
back, that anyone at the back has some co-riders around him or her should 
the unfortunate occur.  I think the best solution might be "in-house," that 
the Mass as a collective multiperson body aim to move thickly: a bolus of 
bikers trying a new shape, a new tactic to keep the herd together.  Works 
for water buffalo...
2b.  It's sad as hell that we have to think about this at all.  "Let's see, 
how best to deal with getting picked off by cars?"  Like it's an 
inevitability.  Almost makes you think that there's a listserve of Masshole 
drivers out there asking "How and where can I hit more bikers?"  Oh, wait, 
wasn't that a letter to the editor a few months back? *acidic smiley*

-NR.



>From: "Basil Sharpe" <bsharpe at redcoatpublishing.com>
>Reply-To: Boston Critical Mass <list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
>To: "Boston Critical Mass" <list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
>Subject: [*BCM*]  - Boston t Bike Ride
>Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2007 11:27:57 -0400
>
>
>
>	2 observations from last Friday night's ride and it's dangerous
>incidents.   1. It may be a good idea to inform the Boston Police of an
>upcoming ride and ask for escorts.  At least ask.  2.  AT the start of
>each ride should there be a person at the end of the ride and at the
>start of the pack in communication with each other to inform each other
>of an incident?  This may help keep the group together.  It can be
>frightening for a victim of an aggressive driver accident when all of
>the sudden the whole Critical mass ride is gone down the road and the
>rider is left standing there with his mangled bike in front of a whole
>street full of honking cars.  In other words, as a cyclist, rider A
>decides to ride for the cause, he ends up at the back of the pack get's
>hit.   He then realizes his cause has gone down the road.  NOT a cozy
>feeling.  I think communication between front and rear can drastically
>improve this scenario.   If one goes down at least 30% of us should stay
>with the victim if only moral support.  I know CM is leaderless and all
>but, it may be a good idea at the start of each ride to have front and
>rear volunteers who'se job it is to just keep the group together.
>Perhaps there should even be as many as 15 or so riders who just stay at
>the back of the pack.   This can be informally set up at the start of
>the ride.  After last weeks ride, I think CM in Boston is going to get
>much worse.   This incident with the van really shows what extremes
>drivers are willing to go to when upset by cyclist.   Someone may become
>seriously hurt or worse.   Just thoughts that's all from a very worried
>cyclist.  We have to stick together and perhaps a Police escort is good
>way to help us from getting hurt and to give more credibility to the
>cause.

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