The impression I've gained from reading the occasional email chain from this list is that people are extremely divided when it comes to critical mass in Boston. Over the past few months there seems to be an upsurge in negative feeling towards the ride. The main reasons seem to be the juvenile hooliganism that can overtake a group. Plus, the ever present stories of rider/driver confrontations (was it in Portland OR, or somewhere out west when the driver plowed into a group of bicyclists and then was chased down by a mob and had his tires slashed?). Post one of those and watch the flames fly.<br>
<br>I've enjoyed the mass rides I've been on for the feeling of community and solidarity one gets from riding in a pack of a few hundred people, the creativity displayed by some of the incredible homemade bikes displayed (I'm looking at you man riding 10 feet in the air) and then general fun of it all.<br>
<br>At this point I don't quite trust the Boston city council to really do anything. Although they did change the comm ave biking which was nice when I was at BU.<br><br>Spike<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Dec 11, 2008 at 11:51 PM, Greg Howard <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:greg.howard@gmail.com">greg.howard@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><div class="Ih2E3d">> good luck on this...there is no organization to critical mass. It has<br>
> existed since at least 1994 in San Francisco. There is NO<br>
> organization...that is the whole point. Anyone who claims to be a leader or<br>
> organizer or know the agenda is wrong.<br>
<br>
</div>that's just silly. CM is a leaderless "organized coincidence", but it<br>
was started by identifiable people, and a great many people have put a<br>
tremendous amount of effort into organizing and framing it since 1992<br>
(in San Francisco). Just because there are no leaders who claim such<br>
a title does not mean that there are no organizers. In any case,<br>
Steph will find more CM history than she probably wants at<br>
<a href="http://www.critical-mass.org/" target="_blank">http://www.critical-mass.org/</a><br>
<br>
That said, Boston has a highly unorganized CM, and I would suggest<br>
that CM has *not* historically been a major part of bike advocacy in<br>
Boston. Given CM's complex history and philosophies, it is probably<br>
not a good focus of an article on bikes in Boston. This is as opposed<br>
to, for example, San Francisco, where the CM dynamic drove the bike<br>
politics for a decade of extraordinarily effective advocacy. To my<br>
mind, and no offense intended, the story of bike advocacy in Boston<br>
has more to do with the long-term stalemate between differing<br>
philosophies about bicycle facilities, an argument which has almost<br>
entirely hobbled advocacy in the area for a couple of decades --<br>
until, I hope, quite recently.<br>
<br>
best<br>
<font color="#888888"><br>
<br>
greg<br>
</font><div><div></div><div class="Wj3C7c"><br>
<br>
<br>
On Thu, Dec 11, 2008 at 10:46 PM, David Atkins <<a href="mailto:datkinsg@gmail.com">datkinsg@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
> good luck on this...there is no organization to critical mass. It has<br>
> existed since at least 1994 in San Francisco. There is NO<br>
> organization...that is the whole point. Anyone who claims to be a leader or<br>
> organizer or know the agenda is wrong.<br>
><br>
> On Thu, Dec 11, 2008 at 5:16 PM, Steph Koyfman <<a href="mailto:koyfman@bu.edu">koyfman@bu.edu</a>> wrote:<br>
>><br>
>> Hello all -<br>
>><br>
>> I'm a journalism student at BU writing my enterprise story on the bike<br>
>> reform movement in Boston - this has mostly to do with Menino electing<br>
>> Nicole Freedman, what her life has been about, and how this creates a<br>
>> conversation with existing movements around the city. As you've probably<br>
>> already guessed, I would love to have your input on this. I already talked<br>
>> to Adam, who was listed on the site as the leader but he told me I might<br>
>> strike more gold speaking with any of you.<br>
>><br>
>> I probably won't be sitting down to actually write this until Saturday.<br>
>> If you can get back to me at all by then, it would be much appreciated.<br>
>><br>
>> The questions so far:<br>
>> -When and where did Critical Mass take its roots? What were the conditions<br>
>> that prompted this? (I actually think I met the guy that coined the phrase<br>
>> in a documentary, sitting in a loft in SoHo, he was pretty old so I'm<br>
>> assuming it's been around for awhile.)<br>
>> -What is the overriding philosophy of CM?<br>
>> -What do you believe is the extent of your influence?<br>
>> -How have people responded to you?<br>
>> -Are you involved with the City of Boston, either directly or indirectly?<br>
>> -How do you feel about Mayor Menino's bike initiative?<br>
>><br>
>> Again, I realize how short notice this is - my thanks in advance.<br>
>><br>
>> -Steph<br>
>><br>
>><br>
>><br>
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><br>
><br>
><br>
> --<br>
> Dave Atkins<br>
> <a href="http://daveatkins.org" target="_blank">http://daveatkins.org</a><br>
> twitter: @daveatkins<br>
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><br>
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</div></div></blockquote></div><br>