Vancouver Critical Mass
Welcome to Fall
Equinox has passed. The summer is over. That means its getting darker in the evenings quickly. Soon we'll lose our Daylight Savings time extra hour and it will be really dark while commuting.
The most dangerous time for cars not seeing other road users is at twilight when the light is fading but people haven't adapted to the dark night yet. The worst season for blind killer cars is the fall, when we are all unaccustomed to the shorter days.
Check out this silly video by The B:C:Clettes, and the VACC. You may recognise the lead singer/hotty as Amy from Momentum Magazine, and probably others too. Where did they get those luminescent hot pants!? I want!
Lot's of cozy winter cycling ahead. So light yourself up. Ride together. Ride Strong. Take care and take the lane.
The most dangerous time for cars not seeing other road users is at twilight when the light is fading but people haven't adapted to the dark night yet. The worst season for blind killer cars is the fall, when we are all unaccustomed to the shorter days.
Check out this silly video by The B:C:Clettes, and the VACC. You may recognise the lead singer/hotty as Amy from Momentum Magazine, and probably others too. Where did they get those luminescent hot pants!? I want!
Lot's of cozy winter cycling ahead. So light yourself up. Ride together. Ride Strong. Take care and take the lane.
Labels: autumn, killer cars, lights, music video, safety, season, silly, visible
posted by VanCM Blogger @ 9/29/2009 12:49:00 pm
4 Comments:
At 2:53 pm, September 30, 2009,
brand0con said…
Lights are one safety item you can never have too much of. Until you resemble an ambulance, you can do better.
Your readers might be interested in this twitter feed I created to keep track of the mass. http://twitter.com/VanCriticalMass
At 6:54 pm, October 30, 2009,
Anonymous said…
The most dangerous time for any vehicles or pedestrians not seeing other road users is at twilight when the light is fading but people haven't adapted to the dark night yet. The worst season for blind killer bikes is the fall, when we are all unaccustomed to the shorter days.
At 9:18 pm, November 17, 2009,
Fairness said…
You realize that this activity just makes everyone hate you, right? By engaging in this sort of mischief you're only shooting yourselves in the foot and holding back cycling culture.
I used to ride my bicycle everywhere. Now, I don't because I don't want to be stereotyped with the "assholes" at the end of the month.
Advocate for more bike paths, get yourselves a bike only bridge across false creek. Get out there and knock on doors. Get signatures. Do something to further your cause. If you're dissatisfied with the MVA then work to have it changed through your political representatives, through city council meetings, through protesting peacefully; go to Victoria. Do something useful. Ruining everyone's day with your monthly rides didn't get you that lane on the Burrard Street bridge.
I'm working on a petition and speaking to my elected officials about having bicylists registered and plated. I'll tell you this right now, it's gaining momentum and has more of a chance of accomplishing something, unlike your bike rides.
Alternatively, you guys could get jobs. I'd wage $20 that a majority of a random sampling of those on bikes at the end of the month are on some kind of governmental assistance.
If the majority of you guys pay no taxes, ride around once a month causing mischief and openly violate numerous criminal and MVA violations, why the hell should we care what you think.
Additionally, if you guys try "corking" in front of my car or if you so much as touch my car, I'm calling the police to let them no that a deranged person is in the middle of the street and throwing themselves on vehicles in an effort to make them stop. I would be treating you normally like any other mentally challenged person in the street in a precarious situation in an intersection.
Of course, if I see a cyclist obeying the rules of the road, I'll go the extra mile and help them.
About to get stuck behind a parked car? Did you signal? I'll slow down and let you in. The fact that you signalled tells me you're concerned about safety enough to warn others around you. It also tells me that you probably intend to jump back in the right lane at the soonest opportunity. In this situation, you are not in the way, you are the traffic and are doing a fine job of it.
On the other hand, pass me on the right or cut me off, the next time I pass, I'll be sure to have my tires as close to the curb as is possible.
At a traffic light and you decide to stay behind the car in front of you until it moves forward? Then I respect you enough to stay far back and not get angry because it takes a while to accelerate.
Oh, you decided to run the red light? I'll keep that in mind the next time that you need to perform a manoeuvre that requires some kindness from me.
Did you decide to run that stop sign? I'll honk at you like I do any other person who ignores the rules. Who knows, you may be incapacitated in some way and you were unable to see the sign. You may be a danger to me further down the road if you don't obey stop signs.
Did you stop at the stop sign? I'll be sure to pass wide and keep my eye on you in my side view mirror. Your attention to your own safety makes me feel at ease behind the wheel because I know what to expect when and if we meet up further down the same road.
If you should hit my vehicle doing something illegal and potentially injure yourself doing so, the first thing I'll do is ask if you're okay. Once your safety is assured, through paramedics or by my own first aid if necessary. I'll be scouring the area for witnesses because I'll be suing you all the way to the welfare office.
At 10:28 am, December 22, 2009,
Rusl Bicycle said…
I'm glad you're thinking of all theses things unFairness. The best thing you could do is get out of your car and put those great ideas into action. You're welcome for helping you think outside the box. We make Fridays better for everyone but we can only do it once a month and yes that isn't enough.
One cannot avoid conflict if there is conflict already there. We precipitate what is already there - and in doing so we decreasing the overall tension on the street. Problems must be made visible before they can be solved. You say otherwise, but you're talking carpaganda - and we're all use to is by now. No, doing nothing will not work. No, stopping what is unstoppable and spontaneous won't work. Making the streets appear calm and safe when they are actually the biggest killers in our city would be a lie. We do what is right for all of us. I wish I were wrong because then your easy answers (us stopping bugging you) would work. But you know as well as I do that your story about quitting cycling due to CM is BS. You've got good ideas about lobbying. That stuff should be pursued. It is being pursued. But it is hard work, so it needs yours and my help and support. A street celebration once a month is a great way to support it. We support that work 100%. You can too if you want. It is hard alone. Meet some people who can help you at Critical Mass. Ride on Critical Mass instead of taking ignorant potshots from the sidelines and you'll feel a lot better. You can do it!
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