Critical Mess

For my readers who aren’t local, critical mass or critical mess as we call it, is a monthly gathering of cyclists from all over the bay area to ride the streets of SF. It is held the last Friday of every month and varies from 1 to 5 thousand cyclists. The event started some years ago over problems w/vehicle/cyclist roadrage incidents. Or more correctly, it started over the refusal of motorists to share the roadways of SF w/cyclists.

I am a regular cyclist and am a firm believer in the original ideal. However, the event itself has turned into a chaotic disgusting excuse for hoodlums and radicals to wreck havoc on anyone in a gas-powered vehicle. And the calls run the gambit from simple harrassment to all out assaults on any readily available person in a vehicle.

My question is, what purpose does this serve? Vehicles aren’t going away. And this attitude certainly doesn’t foster any sort of cohabitation of the roadway. I mean clogging up traffic is fine in my opinion but attacking people’s vehicles just because? Standing in front of an ambulance trying to get to someone in need? Come on, that’s childish at best. I’ve heard the argument that “they [motorists] deserve it for all the years cyclists had to be leary of cars.” Well last time I checked, two wrongs don’t make a right. Instead of protesting peacefully and making a powerful point, you get a bunch of juvenile wanna-be’s acting out like petulant children. Grow up already.