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. :-)

Velopalooza 2010

The people at the Velolove list are moving towards this:

Velopalooza

June 4 to June 13, 2010

Put more community fun into Bike Month. Check out the velopalooza website.

June Massive Ride 2009

This Friday June 26th
Ride with us (skate, walk, roll...)
Take public to the streets, by all means except the motor
We are the world that we imagine, and our vision can be made real
The Age of the Bicycle will be upon us!
as we move Towards Carfree Cities.
The choice is Live Free or Drive,
We choose to ride en mass!

Meet 5-5:30pm
Depart 6pm ish
from Vancouver Art Gallery fountain
this Friday June 26, 2008
The traditional June Bike Month
Massive Critical Mass

This year, I strongly suggest we ride ALL the way across the Lions Gate bridge to the North Shore. This is may be more considerate of other (always jammed cars) bridge traffic - and it is more fun than doing the same thing every year. We are traffic (and we increase speeds of people crossing the bridge when we ride there) so lets act like it!

you are invited to come with us and enjoy the safety and comfort that we create by simply riding together. families too! dress us, bring sidewalk chalk, bring musical instruments, or just be part of the fun.

we ride together in a big mass, because together is more fun. That means we don't go too fast and occasionally the front of the ride will stop (say, just past the apex of a bridge) and wait for the mass to bulk up so we don't all become spread thin. this also helps make the ride safer and less confusing for those stuck in cars (the ride sometimes precipitates road rage) because we stay together. We don't cut the ride in half at red lights but volunteer corkers stop and talk to drivers to get them to wait for us to pass. Since there is no leader of the ride we are all responsible for watching out for ourselves, other riders and keeping it fun and safe.

This is not an us vs car drivers ride. Those stuck in car traffic are our friends and we need to be polite and respectful of them as we increase the traffic by putting more people on the roads. We do have to prevent cars from entering the mass and if anyone tries to use a car as a weapon to threaten aggressive force we call 9-11 and try to defuse the tension. We can't avoid all the road rage that precipitates when we liberate city streets from the yolk of car-only dominance - but we can make our ride safer by being intelligent and respectful as we deal with people.

Communication is very important so please talk with pedestrians, other cyclists and those in their cars. Critical Mass is opening up the once silent (loud with the noise of motor nothings) city streets to the conversation about how we live and move around. This is not just transportation, it is about affordable housing (people "must" drive if the only choice is suburbia), the environment, and much much more. You never ride alone so don't act alone, we are strong in one another.

Instructions for Ride and Photos from Last Years:
(and details of corking, flyers to use, etc...)

2007 June massive o=o o=o o=o 2006 june Massive
photos from 2008 0=0 info from 2008

Yesterday I took a Bike Ride with 2011 friends

brianonthemove.vox.com

Thank You Corkers! Vancouver Critical Mass, June 2008...

blog post by Chris Carlsson, one of the original instigators of SF Critical Mass

lipmagazine.org/ccarlsson

A Call to Bikes...


Also check out the flickr/vancriticalmass

Big Critical Mass Ride, and more...

Big Critical Mass Ride to Close Out Bike Month

Friday, June 27, 2008

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 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. Decorated bicycles, trailers, costumes, signs, flags, noisemakers, gettoblasters, sound systems, drums, and wildly modified bicycles are all highly encouraged.

After the ride is a BBQ starting at 8:00 p.m with an after party starting 9:00 p.m. at the ANZA Club, 3 West 8th at the Ontario Bike Route.

As lots of new and first time riders are expected at the ride, please help get the word out that the ride is a celebration where riders are respectful to all. As our portable sound systems are not big enough, help spread this word by printing out the following information and handing it out at the ride (or creating your own handout):

• sara_cmguide
• rusl_cmguide

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 sticks 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. Avoid on coming traffic.

You will see participants peel off at the front 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!

If you're at the front, please don't speed ahead or take narrow roadways or paths. It stretches the ride out and makes life harder for corkers and other riders. If the mass has thinned out or has broken into more than one group, the front should wait at green lights for the group to "mass up".

The ride is a celebration (not a party). 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.

For more information:
velolove.bc.ca
velolove@velolove-bc-ca

criticalmassrides.info or critical-mass.org

Upload/View Vancouver Critical Mass Photos:
flickr.../vancriticalmass

o=o-o=o-o=o-o=o-o=o-o=o-o=o-o=o-o=o-o=o-o=o-o
Midnight Mass Bike Ride
Thursday, June 26

Do you have a bike and like riding it at night? Dig up some bike lights and join the ride the night 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 ride happens the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month, so mark your calendars. Tell your bike loving friends, and hope to see you there!

For more information and videos:
midnight-mass.blogspot.com
More photos at flickr.../midnightmass * bikescape.blogspot.../hybrid-shmybrid

o=o-o=o-o=o-o=o-o=o-o=o-o=o-o=o-o=o-o=o-o=o-o
VeloFusion! & Post Critical Mass BBQ!
Friday, June 27

June is the month that Critical Mass gets record numbers. And as(s) usual, the Velofusion Afterparty is in full effect featuring a wicked vegan friendly BBQ in Johnathan Rogers Park (next to the Anza) and the party itself featuring a supersweaty, furry, fryin' and shakin' good lineup: Threat From Outer Space, Fur Bearing Animals, Bicycle Burlesque, DJ Redworm, DJ Mad Mike Mathers, Dionysiac Drum Core, Visuals by the Interdimensional Travel Company

ANZA Club, #3 West 8th Avenue at the Ontario bike route
BBQ starts at 8pm
ANZA doors open at 9pm till late
$5 if you arrive with Critical Mass. $10 otherwise.

This month is a fundraiser for the Students for a Democratic Society. Y'all may have seen the footage circulating of these folks getting a good pounding from the local authorities. Quite something, really. Come give these folks a good raising yerself.

________________________
velolove.bc.ca announce mailing list

happy ride

some writing about cars, art and fixed gear bicyles.
...and a survey about liking cars and perception of car safety.

Bike Month Over?

Nice Ride everybody. Decent turnout considering the rain. I would say it was a slight bit bigger than last years ride. Then there was a count of 1850 coming off Granville [fairly early on the ride] and this time I helped with a count of 1800 downtown after crossing the viaduct - so much longer into the ride, which usually gets smaller as time goes on.

I could recollect more about it but I'll do that tommorrow. Did anyone see the Global TV news where this brief clip showed a car ramming a corker? That was very disturbing and if there is footage we should try to get charges pressed for that assault. That kind of violence is intolerable. I hope no one was hurt. But the TV clip was too brief for me to be sure.

Please post links to your pictures of the ride here. I saw tons of people taking shots. I took some photo's myself, but I'll post those tommorrow too.

hugs to all massers!

PS, here is one from the flickr Critical Mass Vancouver photo pool:

Post a link to your photos page in the comments and I'll put the link here!

• youtube of CTV new coverage, features helicopter footage

the funny thing about this is I recognise where the interview with the blue taxi driver took place. Right at the start of the mass next to the art gallery. I was there and I saw the TV interviewing a driver in a yellow taxi who was waiting. That taxi driver loved the mass! I guess they chose the interview that reflected the slant they wanted to take: sympathy with ignorant drivers who blame bikes for the problems that cars are. Oh well, we're use to it. Of course it is our fault that your car is too big and clumsy to scoot through the city efficiently... I did like the segue from about cyclists being injured - Somewhat. Statistics are that riding a bike is safer than being in a car! So don't be fooled into fear. With cycling you can really improve your odds with education - more so than driving (statistically).

• Really neet-o sped up footage of the ride - well done!
  

June29 Critical Massive!

Be sure to tell your friends
about the big Critical Mass ride!

And share this basic information about
keeping the ride peaceful with inexperienced riders:

• Corking and 'Rules'

Hooray, it's the end of June Bike Month
the last friday of every month is of course the
{you and you're friends and family are invited to the}
JUNE CRITICAL MASSIVE
an especially big and festive Critical Mass
in the city of Vancouver, meet 530, leave 6pm
from the Vancouver Art Gallery Downtown
on the side with all the people with bikes and costumes
bikes are freedom in motion!

You don't want to miss it. It will be the ride of the year. There is nothing like it. For a little while - as many bikes as possible, a better world is possible - is the reality and the streets are taken over by happy cyclists, skaters, joggers, skippers, talkers, tricyclists, unicyclers, wheelchairistas, pedalling gardens, music, costumes etc. And it is all rolling along nicely.

Posters and handouts that you can print and distribute in your neighborhood!

hacked quarter sheet variety TIFF velolove.bc.ca/cmas_2007wheel.pdf velolove.bc.ca/cmas_2007wheel_4up.pdf velolove.bc.ca/cmas_2007wheel_pole_2up.pdf velolove.bc.ca/cmas_2007wheel_pole_4up.pdf flickr.com/groups/vancriticalmassposters/

In keeping with my very low energy blogging this month, I'm going to direct you to last years' info on this blog. There you will find many more posters, a corking flyer, all of which you can modify or make your own relevant to this year.

• June 2006 Corking and 'Rules' to Recycle for 2007
• June 2006 3000 Wheels Ride Posters to Recycle for 2007

[these all need to be -at least- changed to June 29, 2007]

/// /// ///

One of the biggest ride and rolls of the year, on the First Nations' National Day of (In)Action, 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 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. Decorated bicycles, trailers, costumes, signs, flags, noisemakers, gettoblasters, sound systems, drums, and wildly modified bicycles are all highly encouraged.

After the ride is a party starting 9:00 p.m. at the ANZA Club, 3 West 8th at the Ontario Bike Route.

Pre-rides riding to the 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 after 4:00 pm, leaving 5pm, from Grandview Park, 1200-block Commercial Drive, for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery.
• 
  Blessing of the Bicycles and Bicyclists. 5pm Come, bells ringing, to the steps of the Cathedral to receive a blessing. Christ Church Cathedral, Burrard and West Georgia, 604-684-6306 x 227
  
• 
  
• Others? Post it here, or here.

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@velolove.bc.ca
Upload/View Photos: flickr.com/groups/vancriticalmass/

====

So this is the big one. Last year (2006) we advertised it as the 3000 wheels ride. Last year we beat that number by a lot. It will likely be larger this year. There has not been a lot of ride publicity this year, but a lot of it is word of mouth anyways. Each rider brings another next month/year... and it just keeps growing.

It is so big that sometimes we create traffic problems for ourselves and have trouble BEING the Traffic, so to speak. For instance, many have said that narrow streets of one or 2 lanes are just too small to handle the volume of bikes in a reasonable amount of time. Last year I remember standing still for a while and not riding because there was some delay of this sort. Also with the delays people sometimes get frustrated. It is very important that we all try to avoid negative conflicts and keep people together on the same side. Explaining the ideas in the Corking/Rules Flyer is important for new riders to understand this situation. Many responses to the larger ride have been suggested: such as planned routes, split multiple masses, parade float directions, radio communication, rules about avoiding less than 6 lane roads, schemes for instructing people to make friends with stopped car drivers... I am not aware of concensus or widespread planning for any of it, so I will assume that Friday will be a somewhat cohesive somewhat chaotic event. If you want to get in on last minute thinking about this topic then plan with those you know who will be attending or try the velolove discussions.

Let's all remember to have fun on Friday. This is a very serious topics: Cars, the environment, bicycles, public space, safety... all topics too serious to approach without a sense of humour. Smile and wave and talk to the people stuck in cars, nicely encourage them to cut the engine [idling laws, hey] maybe turn up the stereo, party in the streets! It will be gone before you know it, Critical Mass is a beautiful long term moment about preparing for the present using the cycles that we all share.

PS: Tell all drivers to avoid driving downtown Friday Afternoon/evening. Avoid the Lions Gate too. Avoid the downtown bridges and maybe even Broadway. Leave the car at home Friday. Take a bike if you can. It will be faster and funner. Don't think of it as a curtailment. Realise that it is a temporary respite from confinement - a special time when we can step out of the car and feel safe in the street, sharing the city with all of us who love it.

April Critical Mass

Friday April 27 of course

It's that time of the month. There is going to be a lot of people in the streets even with the april rains. We are starting to reach that criticality, no longer an invisible minority, where will our place be on the road?

Event Details:

Critical Mass Ride & Roll
All human propelled movers invited
[Also skateboards, wheelchairs, handcycles, trikes, unicycles, quadricycles, rollerskates/blades, fast tireless walkers, music, costumes, signs, voices, songs...]
Gather 5->5:30pm Friday Afternoon
Leave 6, from the Vancouver Art Gallery
Downtown, Ride for a few hours
Route decided by people who attend
Rolling street reclamation project
Temporary but Growing.

The April ride is upon us. Last month's March ride had hundreds of participants/leaders. Never before has our collective need for bicycle transportation leadership been more obvious to the mainstream. The ride is an end in itself - and fun. Also, it is a place to network/imagine/build a better future.

June.

It's time to start thinking about the June Bike Massive too! We always have extra special efforts to promote the last Friday of the month June Critical Mass (29th). Last year there were over 1700 riders! It begs the question of course, of what to do when Mass is Massive and achieved. The obvious answer - is to ride. Critical Mass is not a single or dogmatic political ideology, so there are a lot of reasons/responses to it. However, with the sheer scale of things as they were last June, there is an emerging consensus that we need to organise for scale if we expect more people to participate and have fun. It is less of a ride and more of a walk/standstill when there are so many people that the road is too narrow. It is amazing in this stall to see how many more people can fit together and use a road when there aren't giant metal boxes taking up all the space. But, though 'traffic delays' of that sort are inevitable, a lot of people would like to minimise them.

So talk of planning the route has been coming up again and again. Actually since the first extra specially promoted June 2003 Massive Mass, this idea was talked about. Generally the consensus has been to stick to wide roads with enough lanes [last year it was 3 lanes in our direction] needed to move that many people. In none of the years has the route actually stuck to the wide roads. Always we've gone on one lane streets. Last year we even split into 2 to cross the Lions Gate Bridge/go to the beach.

So, what are we going to do this year? We could easily get almost 3000 riders if the weather cooperates and we all work to bring the friends we know. Last year we had some meetings of people interested in promoting and organising for the ride. This year those should happen and I will post dates ASAP here on my blog when I hear about them. There is likely to be a lot of discussion of this on the velolove discussion list, which is open to all Critical Mass riders/interested parties to join. This is not the official government of Critical Mass of course, as this is a diverse event requiring organisation by all who attend [by corking, by riding and talking to others...] So there will be other groups organising for June besides the listserv. Please sign up though if you are interested!

On the issue of planning a route: In San Francisco the idea of the ride is Xerocracy where people interested photocopy a route map for the ride, distribute it, and the best plan wins by being taken by those who show up. Also the ride might change or be a hybrid, as one would expect. There are liable to be problems if the route about a suggested fun plan and instead becomes an enforced limiting parade route. Because, of course, BIKES ARE TRAFFIC, and that is one of the agreed upon points of unity that is Critical Mass - there should be more bikes and more space for them. We are not riding to be a special event parade only, because [as much as we love the Pride Parade and that is a good Vancouver event to aspire to] we are about the use of the very space we ride on - our public streets - and we want there to be a change there everyday. Bikes should not be marginal - as they are now - subject to the dangerous whims of whomever happens to be driving. Roads need to be shared, and sadly, cars just aren't safe to share space with soft sexy cycling bodies.

There is a great movie called We Are Traffic by Ted White which gets into the history of SF CM and the fight between the SF Mayor and the cyclists of that city when the ride was very big. You can see it on Google Video - and you should if you haven't already!

In Vancouver I don't know of any ride where the route has been pre-planned before the event. The closest I have seen is rides where we agree on a destination [such as the ANZA club for a Worklessparty] of a point to pass by [a bridge or maybe a squat]. On the June rides some riders have aspired to being at the front and guiding the mass towards larger roads and away from single lanes. There were even some with radios doing that last year. The results I think all can agree were mixed success [in planning, the rides were great fun success]. It seems people are quite keen on that spontaneity you get from having the route be determined by who happens to be at the front. I do hear complaints when people at the front get indecisive and we stop not deciding which way to go - and the riders at the back are confused. In the June ride the Massiveness changes things. I was trying to get to the front of the ride just so I could see it all pass me by last year - but I was unable - it was just too big a ride. That was inspiring, but also would have been annoying if I had wanted to contribute to deciding the route [luckily I didn't want to].

So, some of the ideas I have talked about with other riders for this year are:

• Having 'float' decorated/music group bicycle lead the route. Something like the Santa sled/pumpkin chariot we have used in other hears. Or something like the pedalplay pedalsound chariot we had in 2004. Personally I would like to have 3 of these: at the back front and middle of the ride to serve as focal points and to lead the route on a planned/flexible route. Maybe we could even split the mass into 3 and then come back together! I would favour a map/route that was made by anyone who was interested contributing beforehand. These floats would have to be made. I personally like making things like that, and could give people tips on steering design. However, I could only possibly make one, and need help with even that. Maybe other people would be keen? Check out the Human Powered Vehicle Contest for some ideas.
• Approaching the city and working with them somehow. We are already working with the city and using the city streets. Also we do not want to have a parade that is not traffic. So the question is how would we work with the city and what would we ask of them? I am all in favour of cooperation, but we also have to realise that what we've got is a system by and for car use - so we do have to have some conflict to change that. Also, who would speak to the city and how - obviously some negotiation is in order. It seems the city might still be in the dark ages of requiring some kind of authoritarian structure over the Mass in order to negotiate - liability ideas... - and that is not critical mass. We choose to cooperate but not to have bosses. Anyways, this city idea is not my proposal, so I should let people who are in favour of it speak for themselves and say no more except - join the velolove email list to join the conversation!
• Asking the police that show up to show up on bicycles instead of cars/motorbikes to be more cooperative with us. This has been a position I have held for years for all rides. Pretty much the only time the police are highly visible is the June ride, so it makes to say this for then.
• Some people were talking about us promoting helmet use in order to negotiate and get support from other groups for Critical Mass. Personally, I do promote Helmet use, it is a good idea. But I object to criminalising biking by saying that we must wear helmet's to protect ourselves from cars. And having the police apply this arbitrarily - mostly to the disadvantaged such as homeless cyclists. Not wearing a helmet is stupid, I definitely agree. But, the legal application of that is wrong while we have subsidised highway expansion!
• Splitting the Mass into smaller masses, by... well there are lots of ideas. Different meeting places or destinations... Riding in small groups then converging into one giant mass. It can be a very beautiful vision but would require serious co-ordination which might not work. Some people advocate this as a way to close down the entire car monopoly zone of the city for a while - a reclaim the streets spontaneous car free day party! Some advocate this idea as a way of being nicer to motorists to be less intrusive in their driving lives. I don't know what would happen.

This issue reminds me of my own experience at the WTO and FTAA "protests." At the WTO there were all these little affinity groups that would occupy different intersections. It felt very organised because each small grouping had some kind of structure and organisation so that people could communicate. And the idea of all these groups working together was inspiring. Whereas, at the FTAA in Quebec city, all the little groups joined into one big marching mass. And in my expereince we got lost in the mass and groups didn't stay organised so it was like just a general anonymous mass instead of the feeling of togetherness (that I like at CM). So this example isn't exactly like CM, we aren't really such a protest and we want to avoid conflict... But that is the idea that makes me like the splitting up plan. But also, at the WTO the plan was successful because we had a clear objective - blockading the conference centre. Our objective is more subtle, to temporarily occupy space and includes all sorts of other things, like fun.

So, those are some ideas, not all mine, and you surely have more. So, lets talk about it this Friday and also over the next two months. And, somebody please call an open meeting for interested parties to talk about this over the next few weeks and then tell me or just post it up here!