Vancouver Critical Mass

Mostly event announcements, news, and bicycle related activist opinions...
Download Critical Mass flyers and posters, or upload your own
Email vancouvercm~AT~gmail~DOT~com for a posting password
Yes, we ride the last Friday of every month!

29.12.06

Velolove Announcements!

. Midnight Mass Bike Ride
. Solstice Critical Mass Ride and Roll
. Velofusion Critical Mass Party

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Check these out [Santa Mass]:

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Midnight Mass Bike Ride
Thursday, December 28

Do you have a bike? Do you like riding it? At night? Pack some warm socks,
dig up some bike lights, and start thinking of tasty ways to make booze hot
-- the next midnight ride is the Thursday before Critical Mass.

Meet 11:45 pm at Grandview Park (Commercial Drive at Charles Street --
across from the Havana and Turks) and ride at midnight.

The Midnight Mass Bike Ride happens on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every
month. So mark your calendars, tell your bike loving friends, and hope to
see you there!

midnight-mass.blogspot.com
More photos at flickr.com/photos/midnightmass

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Solstice Critical Mass Ride and Roll
Friday, December 29, 2006

Join fellow bicyclists, skaters, and bladers for a leisurely and spirited
ride and roll through the streets of Vancouver celebrating Winter Solstice
and the last ride of 1006!

Meet at the Vancouver Art Gallery on the Georgia Street side between 5:00
and 5:30 p.m., and roll and ride at 6:00 p.m. The ride is on rain, shine,
or snow! Illuminated and decorated bicycles, trailers, costumes, signs,
flags, noisemakers, gettoblasters and sound systems, drums, and wildly
modified bicycles are all highly encouraged. After the ride is a Velofusion
party starting 8:00 p.m. at the ANZA Club, 3 West 8th at the Ontario Bike
Route.

Celebrated around the world, Critical Mass is a grassroots reclamation of

public space -- on the last Friday of the month -- which allows cyclists
and other self-propelled people to move safely and comfortably through city
streets in a car-free space. Non-polluting forms of transportation are
promoted.

For more information:
velolove.bc.ca
velolove@#@velolove,bc,ca

Worldwide details may be found at:
criticalmassrides.info or critical-mass.org

Upload/View Vancouver Critical Mass Photos at Flickr.com:
flickr.com/groups/vancriticalmass/pool/

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Velofusion Critical Mass Party
Friday, December 29, 2006

The Velofusion Critical Mass afterparty is going to be hot hot HOT -- so
brave the cold with cause and clever constructions all! CR Avery (and more)
will be playing at the Anza for y'all after Mass. Plus DJ's, pizza, movies,
performances and dancing!

Where: The Anza Club, #3 West 8th Avenue at the Ontario bike route.
Cost: $5 if you arrive with Critical Mass, $10 otherwise
Time: 8pm to 1:30am

This is part of the Velofusion community fund raiser project. All money
raised goes back into supporting community projects.

Check out the November party on YouTube:
youtube.com/watch?v=Qj1odM7DEH4

For more information please visit pedalfusion.org or contact
Conrad at ninemonkeys@#@blaze,ca, 604-537-2044.

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On-line Petition Asking For Cycling Tax Incentives

An on-line petition has been created that calls for the Canadian Federal
Government to create cycling related tax incentives. Please consider
signing the petition and passing this on to your friends and other lists.

gopetition.com/online/10170.html

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Eco-rage and Idling Hot Line

A reminder that there's an idling complaints hotline at 604-257-2404 where
you can phone-in licence plate numbers of offenders. The City is not giving
out tickets yet -- but are gathering data and the Hotline welcomes
information on idlers. Better to make a quick phone call than suffer a
coronary from Eco Rage!

In July, 2006, Vancouver City Council unanimously passed an anti-idling
bylaw to cut air pollution. Drivers who leave a car running for more than
three minutes face a $50 fine and the fine doubles to $100 for anyone
caught leaving a car running. However, fines were not to be imposed until
January, 2006 -- a six month period. The District of North Vancouver passed
a bylaw against idling in 2000, but has yet to ticket anybody with a $45
fine. The City of North Vancouver has had the bylaw on its books for a year.

For more information, visit the website at idlefree.ca

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Want to talk about bicycle issues and Critical Mass in Vancouver?
Are you planning bike related events or have announcements?

Join the Velolove discussion list!

For more information or to join, visit:
lists.velolove.bc.ca/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Or email velolove@#@velolove,bc,ca

20.12.06

X Mass? Dec29

Critical X-Mass:

picture of the pumpkin chariot/santa sled march 2001, not dressed
up. The chariot is pulled by 8 pedalling 'reindeer.'


So once again December Mass is upon us. December 29th, last friday of the month. This is the one ride of the year that is always going to be smaller, because of the time of year and people's holidays. It is important to make it fun, especially if the weather is offputting.

We've had the 'Santa Sled' in previous years [The chariot is pulled by 8 pedalling 'reindeer']. But that doesn't exist anymore [but easy to make]. The ride will be after the 25th, and Xmas is not for everybody. I don't know what constitutes a New Years theme? We've had Christmas lights rides in the past and as Cara was busy organising the BikeCraft fair this year no one else has organised one so far as I know. Hot coco and bikes? We've also had Lee lead us in carolling with cunning anti-car lyrics.

There is a lot of potential, but it takes a little imagination. I'm just putting the idea out there to get people thinking. What kind of themes? costumes? activities? ways to make it fun should we try? The political topic of opposing highway expansion is [unfortunately] always current.

Now that CM is a lot bigger phenomenon than it use to be, perhaps some activity to take advantage of the numbers would be appropriate. One year with the santa sled CM on New Years Eve, we met a formation of bicycle police that outnumbered the ride [less than a dozen] who were friendly, but it was funny to think of what 'critical' means. The past few years the December Mass is never so tiny. Always a larger group, I remember the first year we had more than 40 in December and Fred Bass was there, but now it is even bigger. The energy is always superb because people who come out to ride in December are not just half into it.

How to have yet another Holiday Party, this time in the streets?

17.12.06

BikeCraftFairSale

BikeCraft
Sunday December 17
12 - 5pm

S.G. Sahulka & C.G.N. Fisher
present a craft event celebrating the art of bikes and bike riders

the event will be held at Spartacus Books at 319 W. Hastings St.
bikecraft.blogspot.com

While you are thinking of the biking art then why not checkout redsara's art show online and at The Foundation

16.12.06

Harmonizer! Saturday December 16

MOMENTUM MAGAZINE PARTY


Boogie down with your bike-riding homies as we celebrate the 25th issue of
Momentum, the Magazine for Self-propelled People.

Witness the premiere of CLANCY'S ANGELS ­ a postmodern rock gospel
super-group with power choir ­ performing both spirituals and monumental
songs by Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, George Harrison and others.

The REVOLUTIONISTS will rock the dance floor at the end of the night with
their unique blend of booty-boggling quadruple-DJ action.

Don¹t miss a performance by the B:C:CLETTES, all-woman bicycle dance
sensation. (9:30 pm)

Raffle prizes from Norco, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Crome, Denman Island
Chocolates, Terra Breads and more.

December 16
Anza Club, 3 west 8th Ave. (at Ontario)

8:00 pm till 2:00 am
Admission is $10. at the door

Call for more info - 604-669-9850

1.12.06

China Creek Needs You!

The fabulous Pedal Revolutionary Radio blog has some great information and the picture on this issue.

from The Nerve magazine:
If you cycle the 10th ave bike route past Clark, chances are you've been to China Creek and already know what's been going on. It's a classic example of us not being taken seriously and it's complete horseshit. Maybe you've been going to the meetings for the last... what... two years now? Or maybe you only made it to the last one when Vancouver parks planner Michel Desrochers announced that he's going to recommend to the Parks Board that they bulldoze the oldest skatepark in Vancouver. A park that gets used on a daily basis by skateboarders and cyclists of all ages and skill levels. The planners will be presenting their recommendation to city council in early December and a decision will be made within the first couple months 2007. Now would be a great time to let our park board commissioners know what you think:


So whether you're long burnt out on the process by now or are just getting involved at the 11th hour, take the time to send a few e-mails. Skateboarding was, is, and always should be punk rock... and China Creek is as punk rock as skateparks come. Don't let it go without raising some shit. - Jeff Chan (grand_wazoo@.@.com@hotmail)

If you want to do more than just lobby, hook up with the Vancouver Skateboarding Coalition.