[BCM] Courteous Mass!

Thu Jul 31 10:12:42 EDT 2008

a friend told me about this a while ago...

http://www.bikeathens.com/activities/cmass/

sounds good to me!

-m

On Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 10:09 AM, Jon Ramos <jontramos at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Just for the record, it was not my idea... but I support it.
>
> I will be at both masses also.
>
>
>
> I always hear bicyclists say that they dont do Critical Mass because of the
> radicals... If this idea takes off, then we will be reaching a whole new
> (potentially huge) group of people riding around on bikes having a good time
> and directly / indirectly raising bicycle awareness by virtue of riding in
> an urban area.
>
> Spread it around...
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Jon Ramos <jontramos at yahoo.com>
> To: Boston Critical Mass <list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
> Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 8:26:29 AM
> Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Courteous Mass!
>
>  I think "Courteous Mass" is exactly the right name.  If it is called
> anything else, then people wont behave any differently than in Critical
> Mass.
>
>
>
> I will be there.  I just posted the Courteous Mass ride info on my cycling
> group's message board (about 540 members in the greater boston area).
>
>
>
> The ride will happen, I just hope we get a MASS-ive turnout.
>
>
>
> Everyone that criticizes and/or complains about the behavior of the
> Critical Mass rides should feel compelled to attend the Courteous Mass
> ride.
>
> We finally have a chance to do more than just talk and complain...  unless
> you all just like to sit around an complain on the list serve... which would
> be sad.
>
>
>
> Be there!
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: "TSmith4918 at aol.com" <TSmith4918 at aol.com>
> To: list at bostoncriticalmass.org
> Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 7:59:28 AM
> Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Open letter to the Cycling Community
>
>  sorry but I have to say that this is the attitude that repels people and
> does little to attract riders to any kind of active biking movement...people
> won't ride because they "should", they have to want to out of self interest
> (whether for global/green issues or local/health/economic/recreational
> reasons).  this viewpoint does not want to share the roads and why would
> someone want to scare drivers since it only puts the rider (and the rest of
> us) at terrible risk. "if everyone rode like us" sums it up: no room for
> compromise or other ways of seeing things.
>
> by definition all bikers experience the same terror on the road and live
> with the risk with dooring, cut-offs, verbal abuse-- not  a commute/ ride
> goes by without wondering if  I'm gonna make it to
> work/home safely--yet most of us keep biking because the risk is worth the
> benefits.  I doubt much is likely to change in terms of the car-bike
> relationship unless more people bike.  While a confrontational approach may
> be fun and stoke feelings of superiority (and i confess to such), it ain't
> gonna instruct or display to drivers why biking is a good, fun, smart,
> beneficial thing to do.
>
> I'm not young either, in fact quite old(50)and have been biking/commuting
> longer than some folks here have been alive.  Makes me no better in any
> regard except being able to say that I have had to share the road from the
> 60's thru the 00's, and it hasn't got any better due to the sheer increase
> in the number of cars on the road.  I think getting people to switch has to
> be based on their self interest:  one silver lining, perhaps, of the higher
> energy costs.  Other than that, we might be limited to showing  folks  the
> simple joy that most of us take in riding ( and leave the moral superiority
> with the car keys at home. )
>
> the proposal for a courteous mass could be a good one: if it's safe, fun,
> and respectful of  fellow citizens  --most of them
> aren't monsters-- stuck in their cars (most of us feel that way in traffic),
> I think it may do more for winning  hearts/minds than the current
> approach.. (the word "courteous", however seems not quite right)
>
> my 2 cents
>
> ----------------------------------------
>
>
> In a message dated 7/31/2008 3:42:54 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> symboliceon at hotmail.com writes:
>
> i think that i've decided to stop caring. there are just too many goddamn
> viewpoints on something so horribly simple that i don't really see the
> point.
>
> people are horrible. no shit.
>
> i'm gonna keep hauling ass through traffic because i know how to, because i
> can, because more of you should.
>
> there are others out there like me and if everyone rode like us these
> streets would be ours. shared properly.
>
> i'm not that young. i'm 27. i'll be scaring the shit out of drivers
> tomorrow on the way to work.. they should be on bikes anyway.
>
> ob-vi
>
>
>
>
>
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