<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
Hooray for meaningful contributions to the discussion.<br>
<br>
I'm not sure where the other e-mail about the bike action on the common
went, so I will respond here. I would be in favor of either teaming up
with another bike advocacy group (does the BRA/Boston Bikes have any
one on this list we can talk to? MassBike? I know we are kind of
"having a tiff" with MassBike, but fundamentally we all want the same
thing) or just doing our own thing. Either on a separate day, and
either on the common or the steps of gov't center or wherever else,
just making a big ol' scene. Maybe co-opt a CM day and utilize the
energy of the 300+ cyclists -- announce it at the beginning so that
those who want to just ride CM for the sake of riding bikes can do so,
and anyone who supports our cause can come along with us to ___ (be it
state house or the common or wherever). The only problem with co-opting
a CM is that then we are at night, but I think it might be an
interesting thing to try, and would almost definitely get a lot of
numbers.<br>
<br>
Also, as per the comment about "pontificating" versus "acting" --
sometimes it's not quite that simple. In the case of CM, just riding at
the front doesn't guarantee that the ride will go where you want it to
go -- as I'm sure you all know the ride can kind of make decisions on
its own without any one person making that decision. That, and, even in
the event of a sensible group of people at the front making these
so-called "decisions" and taking "action," it only takes one or two
other cyclists to go down a one-way street or onto an on-ramp or
whatnot before 2 more follow, and now five and ten and suddenly half
the ride is 100 yards down the road and it is too late, too cumbersome,
or just plain hard to shout to everyone to stop and turn around -- see
the staircase example this last friday. And, as with all things CM, it
is safer to act en masse, and splitting the ride into a few people who
want to avoid a certain road and the remainder all plowing onward is
counter productive to the safety-in-numbers CM enjoys.<br>
<br>
--Yuki<br>
<br>
jb fentner wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:BAY139-W2067F8721CCE610E405B5CA7220@phx.gbl"
type="cite">
<style>
.hmmessage P
{
margin:0px;
padding:0px
}
body.hmmessage
{
FONT-SIZE: 10pt;
FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma
}
</style>frankly i didn't know the cop had actually stopped the
riders.. it looked more like one of them fell or something. meh<br>
<br>
anyway, when else do you get to ride on storrow? i've done memorial a
few times but that's way less of a death zone even during rush hour.
frankly, i was so effing wasted by that point that i was under the
impression that we were going outbound on memorial until we pulled off
by BU.. ;D<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
> From: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:dave@st.germa.in">dave@st.germa.in</a><br>
> To: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a><br>
> Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:33:53 -0400<br>
> Subject: Re: [*BCM*] tonight's ride<br>
> <br>
> Riding on Storrow Drive at night was a bozo move. Frankly, I'm <br>
> surprised the cops didn't do more than stop a few folks. What kind
of <br>
> solidarity would you have liked? Should the entire mass have
stopped <br>
> in the middle of Storrow and yelled at the cop? We're not talking <br>
> about a human rights march here -- the idiots at the front of the
mass <br>
> decided to risk endangering the rest of the riders, and if they
get <br>
> tickets as a consequence, too bad.<br>
> <br>
> Dave<br>
> <br>
> <br>
> On Oct 31, 2008, at 22:59 , jennifer thomson wrote:<br>
> <br>
> > hey all,<br>
> ><br>
> > just wanted to say that tonight's ride was awesome.
especially <br>
> > riding on storrow!<br>
> ><br>
> > however, it wasn't ok that the ride abandoned the people who
got <br>
> > stopped by the cop on storrow. we need a lot more solidarity
in <br>
> > situations like these.<br>
> ><br>
> > jennifer<br>
> > _______________________________________________<br>
> > Boston Critical Mass mailing list<br>
> > <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a><br>
> > <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list">http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list</a><br>
> > To unsubscribe email <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org">list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org</a><br>
> <br>
> _______________________________________________<br>
> Boston Critical Mass mailing list<br>
> <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a><br>
> <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list">http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list</a><br>
> To unsubscribe email <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org">list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org</a><br>
<br>
<hr>Want to read Hotmail messages in Outlook? The Wordsmiths show you
how. <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://windowslive.com/connect/post/wedowindowslive.spaces.live.com-Blog-cns%2120EE04FBC541789%21167.entry?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_092008"
target="_new">Learn Now</a>
<pre wrap="">
<hr size="4" width="90%">
_______________________________________________
Boston Critical Mass mailing list
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list">http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list</a>
To unsubscribe email <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org">list-unsubscribe@bostoncriticalmass.org</a></pre>
</blockquote>
</body>
</html>