Halloween Occupy Vancouver Critical Mass Ride and Roll

Friday, October 28

This is one of the most fun rides of the year!

Hallowe'en and Occupy Vancouver [mic check!] theme this month. Also, hey, it's the City Election which does matter, so you'll probably meet some prospective city officials :-) Bikes are a very hot issue this time around...

Join fellow bicyclists, skaters, and bladers for this leisurely and spirited celebratory ride and roll through the streets of Vancouver! 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 or shine! Costumes and decorated bicycles, trailers, signs, flags, noisemakers, gettoblasters, sound systems, drums, and wildly modified bicycles are all highly encouraged!

After the ride is an after party at the Commercial Drive Legion, 2205 Commercial Drive.

Pre-rides to Critical Mass:

UBC riders meet at the UBC Bike Hub, on the north east end of the Student Union Building, at 4:30 p.m. for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery. Phone 604-822-BIKE for details.

East Van riders meet 4:00 p.m., leaving 4:30 p.m., from Grandview Park, 1200-block Commercial Drive, for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery.

What's Critical Mass and how do I participate?

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.

The ride stays together for safety and fun. If you are at the front of the ride, stop if you are approaching a red light. But continue as a group if the lights change red while passing though an intersection.

You will see participants at the front peel off to block motorized traffic from entering the Mass. That's called "corking". Corkers keep the ride safe and allow the Mass to pass though intersections where the lights have turned red. Thank them for corking!

Never cork alone. Join lone corkers, and for intersections there should be six or more corkers. And remember, do not cork oncoming traffic in opposing lanes.

If you're at the front, please don't speed or take narrow roadways or paths. It stretches the ride out and makes life harder for corkers, riders, and those waiting for the Mass to pass. Be aware of the ride's slower participants, and keep a slower pace. If the Mass has thinned out or has broken into more than one group, which happens following hills or where the street has becomes more lanes, the front should wait at green lights for the group to "mass up".

Don't stay on any given street for very long, so that public transit can pass. And always let emergency vehicles through. Please don't ride on sidewalks or in opposing traffic lanes.

The ride is a celebration, and an alcohol/drug free event. Take absolute responsibility for your actions and show motorists a better way to travel. A way which is more equitable, efficient, fun and socially responsible than the car. There's no need to be unfriendly or argue with motorists -- our sheer numbers tell the story. Look after each other, speak up, and ride with confidence.

Who decides where we go?

You do! Some rides have a destination that may be suggested at the start of the ride, but the route is always decided by the riders in the front. If you have an idea where the ride should go, move to the front and participate with others in a group decision. Remember to make it fun and interesting, and that Critical Mass has no leaders.

A special note to those at the front: It becomes unsafe for those in the rear if the Mass strrrreeeetches out, there are big gaps, or the body of the Mass looses it's tail. If the front can no longer see the rear, or the Mass has just passed through a "choke point" -- stop at an intersection where there's room for the entire Mass to completely bunch up again (and where the front of the ride can see the rear again).

Download the flyer!

a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/312275_10150855076110632_685935631_20888365_1508192885_n.jpg

images1.wikia.nocookie.net/criticalmass/images/d/de/Welcome.jpg

For more information:

vancouvercm.blogspot.com

Critical Mass Vancouver on Facebook:

facebook.com/group.php?gid=2227461980

Worldwide details may be found at:

critical-mass.info
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass
criticalmass.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_rides

Upload/View Vancouver Critical Mass Photos at Flickr.com:

flickr.com/groups/vancriticalmass

Facebook Event:

facebook.com/event.php?eid=303420299672398

-------------------------

Post-Ride Witches and Warlocks Ball:

2205 Commercial Drive

Witches, Warlocks and all other halloween critters our time is almost here. Friday August 28th the festivities of Halloween begin. Enter the realm of the the infamous and oh so delightfully sinful 3rd annual witches and warlocks cauldron ball. Burlesque, DJ's, Sin, Bands and dancing on one of the few wood sprung dance floors in Vancouver.

Dress code: Witches, Warlocks, Incubuses and all other Halloween critters. or if you want you can come dressed as food (anybody not in costume)

Cost:$10 (Damn fine lineup for only $10)

FREE if you arrive after the Halloween critical mass ride(8pm->10pm)
for more info or to purchase tickets visit revelrysociety.org

Fun Family Ride Today!

It's that time of the month, it's that time of the year!

Leaving from the VAG around 6pm. Get there earlier.

Time for a fun ride in the streets of Vancouver. June is Bike Month. We've had an awesome Velopalooza. Good time to be biking in Vancouver.

Critical Mass rides every month. It is not really a protest. It is a celebration of peaceful public space. It is a direct action: by simply riding together we transform an unsafe and inhospitable environment into one that is safe. We can talk to each other and pedestrians are not endangered.

Critical Mass is not formally organised. It is anarchic. YOU are in charge, together. But it is not a mob. (Important to remember after recent mob Hockey destruction) We self organise. So, the event can change every month. For big rides like the June ride where maybe we can't all talk from the front to the back of the group it is really important that we remember these self organising principles to keep the ride safe, fun, positive and together. This has been written many times before but I'll write it again here now:

• Stick together! That is the point. That means corking so the group stays together at intersections. That means stopping at red lights if you are at the front of the ride.
• Keep it fun. That is why we are here, so keep it positive. So, let's take responsibility for the tone. Respect is really important and taking the high road is worth it. That means respect for drivers in cars, even agro drivers. They are people in those cars. They are trapped in a cage because they decided to get into a car this morning. They are trapped and confused because society doesn't facilitate them getting around except by car. So don't take it out on the agro driver even if they are taking it out on you. Talk in a calm voice. Try to diffuse things. If someone isn't receptive to your ideas don't force it. Remember and remind people, we are just riding together, we will be through soon, it isn't a long wait. Thank them for their patience. We all have to be patient as it takes years to change our system which is literally made of concrete and asphalt.
• Talk to everyone! Tell them why you are here. Welcome new Massers. Please really show respect and solidarity with pedestrians. There have been incidents of pedestrians feeling trapped by the Mass in the past and this is not acceptable. A person on foot can be safely accommodated by the bikes at a Mass. That is the point. We're improving the space for everyone in the city, not just bikers.
• Pause at the peak of the bridge to get the group together. It's important to periodically pause so that the fast people at the front and slow people at the back have a chance to stick together. This could be at the peak of a bridge, at a red light, or any time people at the front notice a gap behind them. The ride is no fun when it gets strung out as we take longer overall (too strung out) to go through intersections and it is unfair to corkers to have them stopping cars when bikes aren't there. There have been some rides where the self organising really broke down and we had a lot more conflict and less people having fun. So please, pay attention to this if you like to be up front. Usually this works well in June because it's known to be a big ride and we are extra diligent.
• Be safe and careful: You are still riding a bike. You still need to watch where you are going! Sometimes riders get lulled by the fun social scene of the ride and are chatting instead of looking where they are! Don't get hurt. Wear a helmet. Save the libations for after the ride.
• Watch out for others! We stick together, eh!? Sometimes someone might not notice a problem. It is up to you to speak up and make sure the ride is good for those around you. Some riders might be really inexperienced with biking - some people only ride bikes at Critical Mass because that is the only time they feel safe enough because of the group buffer from the cars. Such people need support from experienced cyclists. It never hurts to communicate. Also, young families like to enjoy the ride and sometimes need extra support.
  
• For big rides (ie June and other summer rides), choose wide enough roads if you are at the front. We don't want a long long narrow strung out ride. Also, don't ride to the top of the LGB then turn around. Let's go to North Van already! It just makes more sense to not be doing U-turns like that.
• If you do experience violent or threatening road rage then talk to the Police about it. Don't try to solve a violent problem yourself. Take a step back and breath. Don't become part of the problem.
  

I could go on for days but I won't. Let's just all have a fun ride. Looks like the rain might be clearing up. The ride is sure to end at a Beach as per tradition. :-)

Another Ride tonight 2x MASS

There is another ride tonight, now (Sorry for posting it so late, I wasn't sure if the plan was changing), somewhat controversial on the velolove list:

Here is an idea for a way to create a happy schism between the traditional CM dogma [sic] and something new: Critical Occupation -- OCCUPY THE BIKE LANES!!

Last Friday of every month, we gather at the Art Gallery after 5PM and depart about 6:00 pm via the bike lanes. Essentially we endeavor to fill up the downtown bike lanes from end to end with riders (how many riders end to end would that actually take?).

To start, we strategically create long line-ups of cyclists where it has the most visual impact, based on things like video and surveillance cameras locations, highest density of pedestrian eyeballs etc. In the spirit of the CM bridge takeovers, we stop and hold up our bikes, screaming and shouting: Thank you Vancouver!
In addition, we constructively interact with citizens on sidewalks and in cars and spread good cheer. We party for as long as we want with costumes, DJ's, live music, mobile PA systems, whatever we need. Kind of like CM mated with Car Free day or something.

Car drivers and the whole community would witness us embracing the magic of our new bike lanes and see just how much fun you can have on a bicycle downtown.

Future proof:
If in the future for some reason (like R. MacDonald becomes Mayor MacCheese) we want to "Go Orthodox" and celebrate CM again we can. We will all be meeting at the same place and time...

BTW: Thanks to all of you who weighed in on this second round of CM debates.

Jamie
Pedal Pundit

This is a 2nd Critical Mass ride happening at the same time as the other ride. Or not a CM ride? I'm not sure. Dontcha love Anarchy?! (Crazy cyclists)

AFAIK there are also regular CM riders meeting on the normal side of the VAG at the normal time. None of the rides will be large because of course it is a very cold February - but a beautiful day for riding and for bringing some public dialogue to the public street!

Take care and take the lane, all.

~rusl

New Years Eve Critical Mass

Be there or be Square! 5:30pm at the Vancouver Art Gallery. This will be a silly ride with a smaller group of really fun people.

Halloween Critical Mass Ride and Roll

Friday, October 29

Join fellow bicyclists, skaters, and bladers for this leisurely and spirited celebratory ride and roll through the streets of Vancouver! 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 or shine! Costumes and decorated bicycles, trailers, signs, flags, noisemakers, gettoblasters, sound systems, drums, and wildly modified bicycles are all highly encouraged!

After the ride is an after party at the Commercial Drive Legion, 2205 Commercial Drive.

Pre-rides to Critical Mass:

UBC riders meet at the UBC Bike Hub, on the north east end of the Student Union Building, at 4:30 p.m. for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery. Phone 604-822-BIKE for details.

East Van riders meet 4:00 p.m., leaving 4:30 p.m., from Grandview Park, 1200-block Commercial Drive, for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery.

What's Critical Mass and how do I participate?

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.

The ride stays together for safety and fun. If you are at the front of the ride, stop if you are approaching a red light. But continue as a group if the lights change red while passing though an intersection.

You will see participants at the front peel off to block motorized traffic from entering the Mass. That's called "corking". Corkers keep the ride safe and allow the Mass to pass though intersections where the lights have turned red. Thank them for corking!

Never cork alone. Join lone corkers, and for intersections there should be six or more corkers. And remember, do not cork oncoming traffic in opposing lanes.

If you're at the front, please don't speed or take narrow roadways or paths. It stretches the ride out and makes life harder for corkers, riders, and those waiting for the Mass to pass. Be aware of the ride's slower participants, and keep a slower pace. If the Mass has thinned out or has broken into more than one group, which happens following hills or where the street has becomes more lanes, the front should wait at green lights for the group to "mass up".

Don't stay on any given street for very long, so that public transit can pass. And always let emergency vehicles through. Please don't ride on sidewalks or in opposing traffic lanes.

The ride is a celebration, and an alcohol/drug free event. Take absolute responsibility for your actions and show motorists a better way to travel. A way which is more equitable, efficient, fun and socially responsible than the car. There's no need to be unfriendly or argue with motorists -- our sheer numbers tell the story. Look after each other, speak up, and ride with confidence.

Who decides where we go?

You do! Some rides have a destination that may be suggested at the start of the ride, but the route is always decided by the riders in the front. If you have an idea where the ride should go, move to the front and participate with others in a group decision. Remember to make it fun and interesting, and that Critical Mass has no leaders.

A special note to those at the front: It becomes unsafe for those in the rear if the Mass strrrreeeetches out, there are big gaps, or the body of the Mass looses it's tail. If the front can no longer see the rear, or the Mass has just passed through a "choke point" -- stop at an intersection where there's room for the entire Mass to completely bunch up again (and where the front of the ride can see the rear again).

Download the flyer!

images1.wikia.nocookie.net/criticalmass/images/3/32/Halloween_cm_2010.jpg

images1.wikia.nocookie.net/criticalmass/images/d/de/Welcome.jpg

For more information:

http://vancouvercm.blogspot.com

Critical Mass Vancouver on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2227461980

Worldwide details may be found at:

www.critical-mass.info
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass
criticalmass.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_rides

Upload/View Vancouver Critical Mass Photos at Flickr.com:

www.flickr.com/groups/vancriticalmass

Thinking about Critical Mass

August Critical Mass Ride and Roll

Friday, August 27

Join fellow bicyclists, skaters, and bladers for this leisurely and spirited celebratory ride and roll through the streets of Vancouver! 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 or shine! Costumes and decorated bicycles, trailers, signs, flags, noisemakers, gettoblasters, sound systems, drums, and wildly modified bicycles are all highly encouraged!

Pre-rides to Critical Mass:

UBC riders meet at the UBC Bike Hub, on the north east end of the Student Union Building, at 4:30 p.m. for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery. Phone 604-822-BIKE for details.

East Van riders meet 4:00 p.m., leaving 4:30 p.m., from Grandview Park, 1200-block Commercial Drive, for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery.

What's Critical Mass and how do I participate?

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.

The ride stays together for safety and fun. If you are at the front of the ride, stop if you are approaching a red light. But continue as a group if the lights change red while passing though an intersection.

You will see participants at the front peel off to block motorized traffic from entering the Mass. That's called "corking". Corkers keep the ride safe and allow the Mass to pass though intersections where the lights have turned red. Thank them for corking!

Never cork alone. Join lone corkers, and for intersections there should be six or more corkers. And remember, do not cork oncoming traffic in opposing lanes.

If you're at the front, please don't speed or take narrow roadways or paths. It stretches the ride out and makes life harder for corkers, riders, and those waiting for the Mass to pass. Be aware of the ride's slower participants, and keep a slower pace. If the Mass has thinned out or has broken into more than one group, which happens following hills or where the street has becomes more lanes, the front should wait at green lights for the group to "mass up".

Don't stay on any given street for very long, so that public transit can pass. And always let emergency vehicles through. Please don't ride on sidewalks or in opposing traffic lanes.

The ride is a celebration, and an alcohol/drug free event. Take absolute responsibility for your actions and show motorists a better way to travel. A way which is more equitable, efficient, fun and socially responsible than the car. There's no need to be unfriendly or argue with motorists -- our sheer numbers tell the story. Look after each other, speak up, and ride with confidence.

Who decides where we go?

You do! Some rides have a destination that may be suggested at the start of the ride, but the route is always decided by the riders in the front. If you have an idea where the ride should go, move to the front and participate with others in a group decision. Remember to make it fun and interesting, and that Critical Mass has no leaders.

A special note to those at the front: It becomes unsafe for those in the rear if the Mass strrrreeeetches out, there are big gaps, or the body of the Mass looses it's tail. If the front can no longer see the rear, or the Mass has just passed through a "choke point" -- stop at an intersection where there's room for the entire Mass to completely bunch up again (and where the front of the ride can see the rear again).

images1.wikia.nocookie.net/criticalmass/images/d/de/Welcome.jpg

For more information:

http://vancouvercm.blogspot.com

Critical Mass Vancouver on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2227461980

Worldwide details may be found at:

www.critical-mass.info
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass
criticalmass.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_rides

Upload/View Vancouver Critical Mass Photos at Flickr.com:

www.flickr.com/groups/vancriticalmass

Critical Mass Ride with Pride

Friday, July 30

Join fellow bicyclists, skaters, and bladers for this leisurely and spirited celebratory ride and roll through the streets of Vancouver with Pride! 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 or shine! Decorated bicycles, trailers, signs, flags, noisemakers, gettoblasters, sound systems, drums, and wildly modified bicycles are all highly encouraged!

The July Mass especially invites the Queer community already among us for an inclusive street celebration on wheels. After, it's off to one of Vancouver's beaches. Which beach will it be? Kits, Lacarno, English Bay? Join the ride to find out where!

Later in the evening is a Car Free Day Appreciation Party.

Pre-rides to Critical Mass:

UBC riders meet at the UBC Bike Hub, on the north east end of the Student Union Building, at 4:30 p.m. for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery. Phone 604-822-BIKE for details.

East Van riders meet 4:00 p.m., leaving 4:30 p.m., from Grandview Park, 1200-block Commercial Drive, for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery.

What's Critical Mass and how do I participate?

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.

The ride stays together for safety and fun. If you are at the front of the ride, stop if you are approaching a red light. But continue as a group if the lights change red while passing though an intersection.

You will see participants at the front peel off to block motorized traffic from entering the Mass. That's called "corking". Corkers keep the ride safe and allow the Mass to pass though intersections where the lights have turned red. Thank them for corking!

Never cork alone. Join lone corkers, and for intersections there should be six or more corkers. And remember, do not cork oncoming traffic in opposing lanes.

If you're at the front, please don't speed or take narrow roadways or paths. It stretches the ride out and makes life harder for corkers, riders, and those waiting for the Mass to pass. Be aware of the ride's slower participants, and keep a slower pace. If the Mass has thinned out or has broken into more than one group, which happens following hills or where the street has becomes more lanes, the front should wait at green lights for the group to "mass up".

Don't stay on any given street for very long, so that public transit can pass. And always let emergency vehicles through. Please don't ride on sidewalks or in opposing traffic lanes.

The ride is a celebration, and an alcohol/drug free event. Take absolute responsibility for your actions and show motorists a better way to travel. A way which is more equitable, efficient, fun and socially responsible than the car. There's no need to be unfriendly or argue with motorists -- our sheer numbers tell the story. Look after each other, speak up, and ride with confidence.

Who decides where we go?

You do! Some rides have a destination that may be suggested at the start of the ride, but the route is always decided by the riders in the front. If you have an idea where the ride should go, move to the front and participate with others in a group decision. Remember to make it fun and interesting, and that Critical Mass has no leaders.

A special note to those at the front: It becomes unsafe for those in the rear if the Mass strrrreeeetches out, there are big gaps, or the body of the Mass looses it's tail. If the front can no longer see the rear, or the Mass has just passed through a "choke point" -- stop at an intersection where there's room for the entire Mass to completely bunch up again (and where the front of the ride can see the rear again).

images1.wikia.nocookie.net/criticalmass/images/d/de/Welcome.jpg

For more information:

http://vancouvercm.blogspot.com

Critical Mass Vancouver on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2227461980

Worldwide details may be found at:

www.critical-mass.info
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass
criticalmass.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_rides

Upload/View Vancouver Critical Mass Photos at Flickr.com:

www.flickr.com/groups/vancriticalmass

Big June Critical Mass Ride to Close Out Bike Month, Friday, June 25

One of the biggest ride and rolls of the year, and possibly the largest ever bike ride to hit the streets of Vancouver, the June Critical Mass Ride closes out this year's Bike Month.

Join fellow bicyclists, skaters, and bladers for this leisurely and spirited celebratory ride and roll through the streets of Vancouver. 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 or shine! Costumes and decorated bicycles, trailers, signs, flags, noisemakers, gettoblasters, sound systems, drums, and wildly modified bicycles are all highly encouraged!

Pre-rides to Critical Mass:

UBC riders meet at the UBC Bike Hub, on the north east end of the Student Union Building, at 4:30 p.m. for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery. Phone 604-822-BIKE for details.

East Van riders meet 4:00 p.m., leaving 4:30 p.m., from Grandview Park, 1200-block Commercial Drive, for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery.

What's Critical Mass and how do I participate?

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.

The ride stays together for safety and fun. If you are at the front of the ride, stop if you are approaching a red light. But continue as a group if the lights change red while passing though an intersection.

You will see participants at the front peel off to block motorized traffic from entering the Mass. That's called "corking". Corkers keep the ride safe and allow the Mass to pass though intersections where the lights have turned red. Thank them for corking!

Never cork alone. Join lone corkers, and for intersections there should be six or more corkers. And remember, do not cork oncoming traffic in opposing lanes.

If you're at the front, please don't speed or take narrow roadways or paths. It stretches the ride out and makes life harder for corkers, riders, and those waiting for the Mass to pass. Be aware of the ride's slower participants, and keep a slower pace. If the Mass has thinned out or has broken into more than one group, which happens following hills or where the street has becomes more lanes, the front should wait at green lights for the group to "mass up".

Don't stay on any given street for very long, so that public transit can pass. And always let emergency vehicles through. Please don't ride on sidewalks or in opposing traffic lanes.

The ride is a celebration, and an alcohol/drug free event. Take absolute responsibility for your actions and show motorists a better way to travel. A way which is more equitable, efficient, fun and socially responsible than the car. There's no need to be unfriendly or argue with motorists -- our sheer numbers tell the story. Look after each other, speak up, and ride with confidence.

Who decides where we go?

You do! Some rides have a destination that may be suggested at the start of the ride, but the route is always decided by the riders in the front. If you have an idea where the ride should go, move to the front and participate with others in a group decision. Remember to make it fun and interesting, and that Critical Mass has no leaders.

A special note to those at the front: It becomes unsafe for those in the rear if the Mass strrrreeeetches out, there are big gaps, or the body of the Mass looses it's tail. If the front can no longer see the rear, or the Mass has just passed through a "choke point" -- stop at an intersection where there's room for the entire Mass to completely bunch up again (and where the front of the ride can see the rear again).

images1.wikia.nocookie.net/criticalmass/images/d/de/Welcome.jpg

For more information:

http://vancouvercm.blogspot.com

Critical Mass Vancouver on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2227461980

Worldwide details may be found at:

www.critical-mass.info
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass
criticalmass.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_rides

Upload/View Vancouver Critical Mass Photos at Flickr.com:

www.flickr.com/groups/vancriticalmass

----------

comment by rusl:

Wow, what a fun ride. I had not been in a while. So many smiling faces and my 2 year old son had a lot of fun handing out chocolate bars to anyone who would have one. (They were expired but still good.)

Definately not the largest ride. I think the number of massers was down quite a bit from peak summer rides other years. But it was still a sea of bikes. In a way I was glad it was less people (I heard estimates of 600-1000) because sometimes the biggest rides with thousands get unwieldy because it is so large it might thin out in some spots or be too slow on a narrow street, motorists are waiting longer, I was glad for a little less intensity personally. If we want to sustain those much bigger rides I think that we need to come up with some strategies for doing that like breaking the mass into different sections of 500 each... or something to keep things smoother... I don' know, just throwing out ideas here... Join the velolove list for discussion on that topic.

I did see one altercation between some massers and somebody in an SUV. The SUV driver was revving his car and lurching forward. A potentially lethal or injuring situation. One of the cyclists used his bike to hit the SUV. When the fight or flight kicks in it may seem like a good idea but don't do that! The best we can all do is try to de-escalate those situations. You can't win by fighting. There are often many police nearby so if you feel someone in a car is using the car to threaten you it is best to have them deal with it because they have the power to instead of maybe making it worse by trying to fight. Calm and friendly demeanor even in the fact of rude/threatening/dangerous drivers is really the best approach. Ghandi had some good ideas. We don't have to go as far as him, we just need to support each other and not let stupid road rage get people hurt. If someone is getting stupid using a bike to hit a car or some such then probably they are panicking and need some help. The best help is calm reassurance. I know it is scary when your life flashes before your eyes but as cyclists we get use to that (unfortunately) and have learned that even when that happens the best results come from taking the best approach which is to keep level headed and act together. Another way to think about it is the drivers perspective. They just don't understand how dangerous they are being. To them it is like a video game. If you make them feel threatened by yelling or trying to force their car they are going to get scared and freak out. They have almost no options trapped in their steel cage. They have pedals and a steering wheel so when they feel threatened they are likely to use those and if you are in the way they just don't care because they can't even feel you. Your life isn't worth their stupid ego. We can calmly defuse even the most tense BS like that --- take a step back and breath. We are strong in one another.

That one incident was the exception, I saw nothing else negative, not even yelling. It was an amazing ride.

There is always going to be some confrontation with Critical Mass because riding a bike on streets made for cars means confrontation. We would like that to be different. We would all like to be able to ride in peace without having to fight just to be there. When we ride together we make that confrontation more obvious to everyone - we precipitate what is already there. We have the opportunity by riding together to change that confrontation from something negative and hidden to something public and positive. What I say tonight was some excellent efforts to do that and amazingly there were hundreds and hundreds of people biking and very few conflicts. The one glaring exception that I witnessed was dramatic but not the end of the world, we can do better. That sort of thing happens everyday, its better that we actually acknowledge it and have a chance to improve instead of what normally happens where that sort of road rage behaviour is the norm and regular people are just too scared to bike with cars around.

Pirate Critical Mass

Yarr! Te' Pirate Critical Mass is upon us once again!!

'Tis Byke Month a comin' an' to kick off ta month we good pyrates ryde t'streets o'Vancouver with al' te 'palooza she brings! Arrrr!

Ye Fryday, th' two and eighth day of May -- as we here know it to be the last Fryday of t'month -- 'tis it. So then it shall be a Pirate Critical Mass. Rydin' for one and all to join in or walk t'plank!

We be a meetin' at t'Vancouver Art Gallery, downtown, between the myghty lyons and where t'water spills from t'earth on the Georgia Street syde. We shall parley there around 5:00 to 5:30 p.m. -- but we reckon we won't be leavin' until six that eve, when we be liberatin' the sea of streets and bridges from th' curse of th' lily-liver'd, steel armour'd, mot'riz'd ships that sail her. No quarter! As our bounty o'safe an comfortable cyclin' takes to the hygh streets. Yaaarrrr!!!

We reckon ther'll be tallbykes, puny bykes, cargoo bykes, an' eberytin' in betwe'en. So come as ye will! Festooned in pyrate gear for all to see! Corsairs, pryvateers, and buccaneers welcome! Bring flute or drum or any noisey thin' you can muster t'inspyre the imaginatin'. Not just ye bycycles but all ye who sail under their own wind are welcome aboard -- be that skateboards, wheelchairs, rollerskates, or as it' may. We set out rain er shine -- so ye best come prepaaared!

Avast, Ye Scurvy Dogs!
We Arn't Blockn' Traffick!
We ARRRRRRRRRRRRRR Traffick!!!

Aye! An elp spread the good word!

http://www.velolove.bc.ca/cm-pirateride.jpg
http://www.velolove.bc.ca/cm-pirateride.pdf

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Pre-rides to Critical Mass:

UBC riders meet at the UBC Bike Hub, on the north east end of the Student Union Building, at 4:30 p.m. for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery. Phone 604-822-BIKE for details.

East Van riders meet 4:00 p.m., leaving 4:30 p.m., from Grandview Park, 1200-block Commercial Drive, for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery.

What's Critical Mass and how do I participate?

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.

The ride stays together for safety and fun. If you are at the front of the ride, stop if you are approaching a red light. But continue as a group if the lights change red while passing though an intersection.

You will see participants at the front peel off to block motorized traffic from entering the Mass. That's called "corking". Corkers keep the ride safe and allow the Mass to pass though intersections where the lights have turned red. Thank them for corking!

Never cork alone. Join lone corkers, and for intersections there should be six or more corkers. And remember, do not cork oncoming traffic in opposing lanes.

If you're at the front, please don't speed or take narrow roadways or paths. It stretches the ride out and makes life harder for corkers, riders, and those waiting for the Mass to pass. Be aware of the ride's slower participants, and keep a slower pace. If the Mass has thinned out or has broken into more than one group, which happens following hills or where the street has becomes more lanes, the front should wait at green lights for the group to "mass up".

Don't stay on any given street for very long, so that public transit can pass. And always let emergency vehicles through. Please don't ride on sidewalks or in opposing traffic lanes.

The ride is a celebration, and an alcohol/drug free event. Take absolute responsibility for your actions and show motorists a better way to travel. A way which is more equitable, efficient, fun and socially responsible than the car. There's no need to be unfriendly or argue with motorists -- our sheer numbers tell the story. Look after each other, speak up, and ride with confidence.

Who decides where we go?

You do! Some rides have a destination that may be suggested at the start of the ride, but the route is always decided by the riders in the front. If you have an idea where the ride should go, move to the front and participate with others in a group decision. Remember to make it fun and interesting, and that Critical Mass has no leaders.

A special note to those at the front: It becomes unsafe for those in the rear if the Mass strrrreeeetches out, there are big gaps, or the body of the Mass looses it's tail. If the front can no longer see the rear, or the Mass has just passed through a "choke point" -- stop at an intersection where there's room for the entire Mass to completely bunch up again (and where the front of the ride can see the rear again).

http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/criticalmass/images/d/de/Welcome.jpg

Critical Mass Vancouver on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2227461980

Worldwide details may be found at:
critical-mass.info
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass
criticalmass.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_rides

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

Love Ride 15th, People's Prom tonight

Hey, I don't know much about this but it sounds fun:

Says it aims to be between Midnight Mass and CM in style. Not sure what that means? I do hope people put some thought into being slightly organised. (Here follows my pro-corking tirade, I have no reason to think the organisers don't already know this, I just like repeating myself ;-)) It may seem a hassle to be pro-active about corking but it is really really worthwhile, doesn't take a lot of effort, and corking is fun anyway because you get to talk to strangers who are 95% of the time nice or interesting. And it keeps the ride together which is SO important for safety. If the choice is between being a total individualist and have to be super vigilant about every car/danger and riding together and having some look out for each other so you can have some spare attention to pay to other riders/the city --- I'd choose riding together every time.

Also, drinking and riding is a fun idea (ie I'd rather be a drunken cyclist than a designated driver) but not a safe or bright idea - especially when some people are not familiar with each other ---such as in this kind of publically announced ride. People in our community have been seriously injured riding drunk! Yes, you are not the danger to others that driving a car is - but I don't want to see cyclists hurt either. So please be sensible and maybe wait until the end of the ride for libation. Watch out for each other and all will be well.

That time of year again, the People's Prom is tonight. The funraising is for anti-olympic efforts this time. Haven't heard too much about it because it always sells out so I think they don't bother with much advertising. I don't know if tickets are left. They were sold at OCB as well as places on the drive but maybe not on this day of the event? Go early if you want to get in then.

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Great Women's March today.

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Hey, check out this new blog I only just discovered. Kinda pixelated graphics? A nifty blog nonetheless. They aren't taking sides on the o'lympdics -- but they are posting good information you don't find elsewhere. New blog for the blogroll :)

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Hey, did you notice that Micheal Bluejay's worldwide Critical Mass hub has ended. :-( Too bad, it was a great resource and he did a lot of good work for 10 years. Makes me feel old that I remember CM blogging when his site first existed. Thanks Micheal! So the wikia is the global resource now I guess. C'mon people the Vancouver page is blank! I'll get a start on that today but please sign up for wikia and add to it!

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Police agreed to a 45ft Banner Drop from Cambie Bridge. Good for them and everyone, maybe the issue of Homelessness will make the Sports TV news ;-p

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I must confess: I am drawn to this Olympic attraction: free zip line over robson.

So much so that I hesitated posting it here selfishly because I don't want to increase the length of the lineup. Has anyone tried this? Is there a lineup? Is it worth it? (free) Can anyone go? (ie, my senior citizen dad? my baby?) Grrr... Olympics. At least its free. I guess I just like heights and to get that unique perspective of the city. Maybe I'll unfurl an anti-olympic banner as I zip down ;-)

We can do this

theglobeandmail.com article about CM:

Vancouver's bike shorts in a knot for nothing

Rod Mickleburgh

Last updated on Thursday, Aug. 06, 2009 10:28PM EDT

What is it with Vancouver? Mere days after the local media and citizenry worked themselves into a ludicrous lather over the closing of a single lane on the Burrard Bridge, oops, they did it again.

This time, hysteria levels were raised to a fever pitch about the Critical Mass bike ride destined to bring civilization as we know it to an end last Friday, with several thousand cyclists refusing to stop at red lights and being purposefully vague about where they were going. The horror, the horror.

These monthly rides to celebrate biking have been taking place for a while, but this time, for some reason, everyone seemed to go a little nuts. Police begged for advance notice of the route, radio hotlines burned with rage, city councillors urged calm, and the media prepared once more for chaos – choppers and breathless reporters at the ready.

Of course, the rides are a pain in the butt for downtown drivers trying to get somewhere on a busy Friday night. The previous Critical Mass produced an actual altercation. But no worry. Riders were told how to handle angry motorists.

“Stopping to ogle seems to escalate the problem by focusing on the conflict. Breathe deeply,” a Critical Mass pamphlet suggested, adding helpfully, “It is harder for people to be angry when we are having so much fun. …” True, that. You want to put a smile on the face of a Hummer driver? Just send thousands of cheery cyclists past him when he's trying to get to the bar.

Similarly, for those brave souls standing in the way of cars at intersections: “You can wave at the bikers going by, and entertain the drivers who are waiting.” How about sawing a cyclist in half?

At any rate, the pedal-pushers rode all over the city, and, as with the predicted Burrard Bridge brouhaha, nothing happened.

Still, Vancouver Police spokeswoman Constable Jana McGuinness kept us all up to date with rapid-fire reports, as if O.J. Simpson were headed down the highway in a white Bronco.

10:24 “The ride appears to be heading towards the Lions Gate Bridge, as they are now in Stanley Park Drive.”

10:35 “Riders appear to have abandoned the plan to head over the Lions Gate Bridge and are now headed back into the downtown core along Robson Street.”

10:51 “Riders are once again heading along the Stanley Park causeway towards the Lions Gate Bridge.”

11:38 “The riders are now crossing the Burrard Bridge and may be heading towards Kits Beach.”

11:50 “The ride has concluded near Kits Beach and participants are breaking off on their own now.”

11:52 “Why am I here?” (Just kidding about that one…)

The city slept soundly.

Video of the May 29th Vancouver ride

I'm sure there will be more to come. Here's one!



And another...

HelmetBasket! Cam of April 26 Ride

thanks to alexwarrior1 for this youtube video!



Brian Seidman sent in another video to velolove: (riding off the Lions Gate Bridge)



Wow, I thought Helmet Cam was a neat perspective... but check out this BASKET CAM! (Lots of nice views of biker bums ;-b)

...and another...


Post links to your video in the comment thread of this article and I'll embed them here on the front page!

Take care and take the lane,
Hooray for nicer weather!

Critical Mass This Friday!

Friday is the Monthly Critical Mass Ride!

All invited, ride a bike. The weather is getting better.
Or skate, run, walk, roll...

april 24, 2009
meet after 5pm
leave after 6pm
from the Vancouver Art Gallery

Speak up about the election coming up!
The Carbon Tax issue is symbolic only and a Red Herring,
the real issue is the Gateway Motorway Expansion plan to
pave 10 lanes across the region and dump more and more
cars here.

Ride peaceful, ride together.
The streets are supposed to be safe public space,
all people need that.
It can only happen when the autos are displaced to
make way for the humans.

Critical Mass is a fun invitation to car drivers to escape the trappings of car culture. Yes, there is a choice. It takes work but we can do it!

Don't forget to tune into the Pedal Revolutionary Radio pre-CM broadcast on Coop Radio 102.7FM from 10:30AM-12noon on the day of CM. This month phone into the show 604-->684-8494 with a Bicycle Haiku and have it read on air!

Boxing Day Critical Mass

Yes, Boxing Day is the last Friday of 2008!

That means the regular monthly Critical Mass meets at 5:30pm at the VAG. It will be an interesting ride with all this snow. Riding in the snow is fun - except when there are cars to make it dangerous and not soft.

For themes? My suggestions would be political: Protest the Federal Harper Gov't (who don't even have support of parliament so really shouldn't be in power) Automobile Industry Bailout! Although it is important to help people against losing jobs we need to stop bailing out the auto industry which can't even exist without subsidies. Private cars are not sustainable socially, finacially or environmentally. The government should be helping workers find new jobs or companies to exit from unsustainable industries. And NO - greenwashing cars is an attempt at perpetuating the auto industry - the wrong direction. There is no such thing as green cars because we need carfree cities to be green. Why isn't Ottawa bailing out the rail and bus and bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure industries BILLIONS?

And the other topical political issue is positive. The local government is FINALLY doing something positive about the Burrard St. Bridge! It has been over 15 years. There was a referendum on this that we won in the mid-1990s! And not only are they making positive noises they are even proposing sanity with a 2 lane solution (because it makes more sense and is cheaper than 1 lane) AND they are doing this early in their mandate rather than at the last minute (as COPE/Green 2001 did and fumbled it). So we should all be really, really supportive of this because it is a signifigant change if it were to happen. And, even though it is a no-brainer to those that think and study this sort of topic, there will be a LOT of opposition (even opposition for the sake of it) and we have to subvert that and keep it positive. It may seem like an insignifigant bridge (which it kinda is, thus sane bike solutions are politically feasible there) it can set an important precedent and example. We NEED real world examples of improving public roads by re-allocating space so that cars don't dominate. Too often people assume that car-free is impossible. This is only partially car-free but it is symbolic and signifigant and if it works well it will set peoples' imagination on fire as they begin to understand that they CAN escape from the cars if they just have the commitment to just make the change happen. It's a no-brainer but car culture runs on no brains.

Ride on!

Critical Mass This Friday!

5:30pm at the VAG.

Check velolove list for theme ideas.

And remember to respect and encourage pedestrians who are very much our allies and why we need to have car-free environments.

PS: word of the day - ROAD OPEN! The typical description of a street reclaimation, Road Closed, is excessively car-centric and highly inaccurate in describing the multifarious ways in which stopping road use that can't share--- allows diverse and expanded public road use and safety. Besides, to say a road is closed to cars is to ignore the basic fact that there are at least 50 alternate routes that a driver could take a car to get to the same place --- we do live in a city where every single building usually has two roads for cars built right to the front and back doors.

How about a "Positive" Mass Bike Ride?

Well, the headline had me worried, but it's actually a really thoughtful article, and a nice public part of the ongoing open CM discussion. [~rusl]

By Devon Bates

from The Republic No. 196

Changes are going to come to the mass bike ride tradition either from the inside or the outside with security on the way with the Police and Fire games in 2009

I cycle past Union Market in Strathcona and the creeping growth of condos to downtown five days a week. I keep my eyes peeled for the bleary eyed, the aggressive, the late, or those who are all of the above. I signal my intentions with my left arm, though many drivers of cars neglect to return the courtesy. On the Adanac/Union bike route alone, I've seen many drivers looking over only one shoulder as they barely slow down for the stop signs. It’s frustrating, it’s frightening, it’s maddening and I can fully understand where the anger and righteousness of some cyclists comes from.

And some car drivers are getting pretty angry and righteousness too. People are dividing themselves along lines where no lines need to be. Kevin Potvin wrote an article in The Republic, issue 192, where he compared riders in Critical Mass with the hosts of CKNW and the many pro-car callers to its shows. He noted that both groups seemed to demonize "the other" in similar ways particularly when it comes to the Critical Mass Bike Ride that starts at the Art Gallery the last Friday of each month at 5 PM. Although I believe that most who attend are there for socializing as opposed to confrontation, I see what Potvin was getting at: both pro-Critical Mass and pro-car people “encourage the further withering of empathy increasingly rampant throughout an alarming range of policy debates."

I've been thinking about the rides and what the next step should be. It's obvious that there are problems associated with Critical Mass and to ignore these problems is foolish. It's like continuously putting off a serious discussion with a spouse as things deteriorate but the situation has not yet led to shouting matches. These feelings can be left to fester—until there is nothing but fighting and then no happy resolution. Or things can be proactively discussed before they deteriorate.

Critical Massers could try to live in denial about this problem and continue on as before because the Critical Mass Bike Ride cannot simply be "called off" for any one month as there is no one group or individual directing the movement. The rides will continue as they have, at least for a little while, because Critical Mass cannot simply be stopped. Critical Mass has become a tradition. As I witnessed with last month's "renegade" Illuminares, a community's popular traditions need no central organization for gatherings to continue to take place.

Critical Massers may believe rides can continue as they have, but given that the 2010 Olympics is on its way, as well as the rapidly approaching 2009 World Police & Fire Games that will likely have Vancouver witness the real beginning of increased security measures, I consider it very unlikely that the ride will be allowed to continue as it has. There are powerful people who have a lot to lose if this area doesn't look like "The Best Place on Earth" when the time comes, and they will stop at nothing to make it appear so. We the cyclists on the inside who get it can try to transform the vibe and direction of the ride, or outsiders will change it for us, or even shut it down. That’s the real choice.

Increasing restriction of social freedoms receives less disapproval from the general public if "valid reasons" can be provided (like public safety), and a little bit of half-truth and omission goes farther than outright lies. If images of drunken jerks starting fights with motorists, or frustrated drivers "just trying to get home" get stuck in a street full of cyclists, are played up by those opposed to the ride, it won't matter that most of the cyclists were well behaved, smiling, and considerate. Jerky behaviour and the general inconvenience of others plays into the hands of those who wish to discredit the ride who could point to those examples as an excuse to shut down the ride for the sake of "public order." Critical Mass has been fun and it has brought people together, but if things stay as they are the future is not bright. But by conducting the ride in a more respectful way, the likelihood of its continuation is increased.

Simple tit for tat solves nothing. Although there are white people who are racist towards non-white people, all non-white people do not have the right to be racist to all white people. I believe that although there are motorists who are disrespectful towards cyclists, all cyclists do not have the right to be disrespectful to all motorists.

I have seen cliquey behaviour from some people during the rides (like openly making fun of American Appareled teens who thought the ride was "cool" and tried jogging along), which made we wonder: Is Critical Mass to become an exclusive club, two wheels good, four wheels bad? Or do we want the "sheeple" to actually consider commuting by bicycle as a viable option? The end result of the bicycle movement should be a reduction in personal fossil fuel usage whenever and wherever possible, not a feeling of moral superiority because we "get it" while others don't.

It's important that we maintain the monthly tradition of a big group of strangers coming together to show a mass bike ride is a lot of fun. The monthly Critical Mass ride offers very important elements for building and maintaining a healthy community. It is potentially a message to younger generations that exercise can be enjoyable instead of a chore, and it is an experience not limited by age group or economic status. It is important to preserve these aspects of the ride, but how?

As a sociodynamic term, "critical mass" refers to sufficient momentum for a social system to become self-sustaining. It is a tipping point. But if there is no thoughtful pro-activity, I worry Critical Mass may become a tipping point for new restrictive by-laws and enforcement crackdowns (like the rush-hour bike helmet crackdown this June, for example), instead of a paradigm shifting event.

A major part of the problem may be our criticism. Can’t we be less critical, and more positive? Why not start something like the Positive Mass Bike Ride?

As a scientific term, "positive mass" is mass that attracts more mass, i.e. the opposite of negative mass or anti-matter. Why not try to attract the masses to the mass instead of alienating them?

I don't know how Positive Mass would manifest but it would need a strong educational component. Too often inquisitive drivers receive only answers like "It's Critical Maaassssss!" as a cyclist passes. It will also be difficult (but vital) to maintain a general inclusiveness while avoiding the head-trips of jerks who'll use any group setting as a place to be jerks. I'm not sure how to combine the messages of avoiding motor vehicle dependence, sticking together as a group, and maintaining the joyous feeling of spontaneity, while not blocking others just doing their thing (albeit doing so with a petroleum-fuelled motor). But I think it's worth trying.

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August 29th Critical Mass - Wedding theme!!!

Event Details:

August 29th Critical Mass Ride - Wedding theme!!!

5pm gather, 6pm ride - Vancouver Art Gallery (usual place, usual time)

August is the month of weddings! When you see newlyweds driving around honking with kleenex flowers on their cars and tin cans behind, don't you wish they were on bicycles? Don't you wish YOU were in a seafoam green bridesmaid dress riding along?? I know I sure do! I'm hoping my wish can come true, and lots of people will dress up themselves and their bicycles in wonderful wedding regalia for the next critical mass. Come feel the summer love!

Food for Thought

A Wiki for the Planet: Clay Shirky on Open Source Environmentalism

By Alexis Madrigal August 20, 2008 | 6:00:00 AM

• blog.wired.com---wiredscience/environment
• ---sustainability
• ---webtech

Clay Shirky is a leading thinker about how the internet is changing the world. In his writing, especially the recent book, herecomeseverybody.org he detailed how the networked world allows people to form leaderless groups that still do useful work.

Through illuminating examples like his calculation that herecomeseverybody.org/...looking-for-the-mouse Wikipedia was created in about the same amount of time that Americans spend watching commercials each weekend, Shirky argues that humans in the post-industrial age are just coming to terms with how to spend their "cognitive surplus."

We talked with him about how that surplus might be directed at tackling global environmental degradation. Shirky focused on the need for new legal and social structures -- working through online media -- to enable collective action.

Along the way, he touched on Facebook's limitations, why conserving oil might not actually help the world, and why Linux programmers and Critical Mass cyclists might be the new models for political action.

Wired.com: Can you talk about how social applications could help solve environmental problems?
Clay Shirky: There is no larger collective-action problem than the environment. The three biggest lies of the environmental movement is that every little bit helps, you can do your part, and together we can do it. [Compact fluorescent lightbulbs] are nice, but people going down and changing CFLs in a handful of fixtures isn't going to cut it.

It's a collective-action problem. The difference between what all the people can do individually and the global consumption of nonrenewable resources is huge. The tension is … what will it take to get people to act in concert? There isn't any additive solution to the problem. It will be both governmental and social because that's the scale of the problem.

Wired.com: Have you seen any social applications online that begin to
approach that scale?
Shirky: No, not yet. This is something I discovered as a result of doing the book. There are lots and lots of examples of large-scale sustained work in the world of IP. Linux and Wikipedia. These are large-scale, long-term efforts. But in the domain of collective action, it's almost all short-term and almost all protest-oriented.

There's a couple of reasons for that. Collective action is considerably harder to arrange than simple collaboration. It's a strange to say that something like Wikipedia is simple, but compared to large-scale collective action problems, it is.

The other big change is that there would have to be some structure for recognizing the groups taking the action. There are examples from intellectual property. The GNU public license, creative commons license, etc. … These are ways of carving out the rights that participants have. It seems to me that one of the things that's missing on a collective action front is the ability for people to come together in a way that is similar
to Linux and Wikipedia, but has specific, targeted policy goals.

Issue-oriented nonprofits, e.g. The Sierra Club, need to be involving more participants, but that seems to require new legal structure, not just a bunch of people trying to do the right thing. If that was all it took, Wikipedia would have happened 10 years before it did. It takes people who want to do the right thing and the structure to
make that happen.

Wired.com: What sort of online tools would enable that kind of collaboration? What's missing?
Shirky: What's missing is there's no license. There's no equivalent of the GPL [www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl GNU General Public License].
There's been some tools for collaborative production of thinking. Anything from mailing lists to Wikis. What we don't have is tools for acting once a decision has been taken. In Linux the final action is the compile step. In Wikipedia the action is the latest edit.

Now we need to turn around and do X out in the world. I don't think that there's anything digital that we could do that would solve this gap. I think the gap is produced by the difficulty of translating thought into action. I think the kind of things that help people turn thoughts into action are much more about social and legal structures.

What is the significant long-term policy we need to put in place to start replacing fossil fuel energy sources? That's not a Facebook app in Facebook's current incarnation.

The way I'm asking myself the question is: who is the current Richard Stallman [founder of the fsf.org Free Software Foundation]
… Is there someone working on the problem of translating thought into action in a way that all members of the group can agree on? This is the incredible thing about Linux. Even when individual coders find decisions not to their liking, it's still better to stick around with Linux as it is. The legitimacy that Linux has acquired has kept the group together. Who's out there that's thinking about the structural difficulties of turning thought into action? I know it's not me. I wish it was. It may be nyls.edu/pages/2726 David Johnson at New York Law School [creator of dotank.nyls.edu Do Tank, Democracy Design Workshop].

Whoever gets that right is going to be providing the key thing that's missing right now.

Wired.com: When you talk about collective action, it sounds like you're talking about local government. Maybe it's not true in national government where each individual's contribution to the decision-making process approaches zero, but you can change policy at the county or city level.

Shirky: You can have some sustained impact on local policy. A group worth modeling is critical-mass.org Critical Mass, who have essentially said that there is absolutely no reason the streets have to be owned by cars. We'll demonstrate that by owning the streets for one day.

The NYPD is furious about these guys and they came out recently and -- they so don't understand what's going on -- they said, "We're willing to sit down with these guys and make a deal. We're willing to sit down with their leader …"

Wired.com: And co-opt them.
Shirky: Exactly, but they won't tell us who their leader is. Critical Mass has a structure where that kind of negotiation is off the table. Who the police deptartment is bargaining with is the populace, the bike-riding populace. That is the kind of thing that is possible.

Wired.com: What do you think about organizing efforts like Bill McKibben's 350.org?
Shirky: I sort of reflexively dislike McKibben. He wrote a book with a section about the value of a duck swimming around a pond and contrasting that with the vast wasteland of television. But he made a whole point of not telling people about where it was. It's private property. He owns it and he's able to go there. Any solution that doesn't work for cities doesn't work. McKibben's natural splendor argument is so unfit for the 21st
century. That said, I haven't seen 350. Maybe his thinking has changed.

Wired.com: What about currently existing apps that allow resource sharing or the like to push down demand? Could they have an impact? Like, say, something like the
new.facebook Carpool app?
Shirky: Obviously this is the type of thing where lots and lots of different efforts add up to something. Certainly the social networking services have a role. For those sorts of point-to-point matching, social networks are quite good. There are a lot of effects there where if you take a group of people that just needs a coordination layer, to come together and do something, the Facebooks of the world are great.

Here's the problem: Lowering demand alone tends to lower the price, and lowering the price lowers it for everybody. Everything that reduces an individual's purchase on the fuel network ends up subsidizing businesses' use of the same fuel.

You can conserve aluminum. You can see that the can goes into recycling. But if you don't use oil, that oil is available to use. Then the cost comes down so demand rises again. As useful as carpooling might be in the short-term … anything that only reduces demand is subsidizing price. Carpooling is important for urban density, air pollution and other reasons but carpooling is not the kind of thing that actually changes the energy equation.

Wired.com: But what about a world in which the supply of energy is limited?
Shirky: The www.theoildrum.com Peak Oil argument .… If the factors driving the price of oil up are much more tied to supply than demand, which isn't this year, and probably not in five years, but maybe in 10 years, we'll be carpooling as a kind of crisis response. But the effect of carpooling will be to lengthen the crisis of oil .… The longer we can use oil as efficiently as we do, the longer it postpones the search for
alternatives.

WiSci 2.0: Alexis Madrigal

• twitter.com/alexismadrigal
• google.com/reader/shared/16689339312176930019
• alexismadrigal.com
  

Wired Science on

• facebook.com/pages/Wired-Science-Blog