Photos from Friday's Critical Mass

by sxean Wed Apr 30, 2003 03:45

I wince every time I hear the argument, what if there was an ambulance trying to get through and you were all blocking the traffic up. Best answer, usually being have you ever had to pick up your car and move it off the road in a hurry?

by Velorutionary - League of Wheelpeople Tue Apr 29, 2003 04:16

There are always arguments about what should happen on Critical Mass. There's a good one going on here in response to a "Critical Massifesto":
http://www.cicle.org/infoexchange/viewtopic.php?t=12

Some other good stuff on the site too including anti-car abuse propaganda and anti-war stuff:
http://www.cicle.org/welcome.html

by Ocean Tue Apr 29, 2003 01:59

i hate all this shit around critical mass and RTS that the protestors are somehow just acting the bollox. people driving cars, especially in the city, deserve to be obstructed, especially from "going about their business".

(A): there are more important issues than drivers (or anyone else) "going about their business".

(B): the obstruction is illustration of the problems inherent with the private car as mode of transport in the city (ie. gridlock).

i hate the way people complain about the government as if their civil rights emanate from the virtue that they pay VRT, VAT, road tax insurance and whatever. rights should not be considered something that is bought and the bitterness of drivers would be more constructively applied in a more radical critiique of the status quo.

drivers think that they have it bad when they have the cheek to go around clogging up the city with noise and smoke for those of us who make more responsible decisions on how to get about the place.

drivers effectively support the oppression of the palestinian people by the state of israel backed by america, by actively helping to maintain the oil based economy of the world.

i'll see the illuminati on monday...

on our fucking streets.

Ocean

by pot-holer Mon Apr 28, 2003 10:55

it is my understanding that by the 'strict' meaning of the law, drivers have *less* right to the road than non-motorised road users. Only upon receipt of a license and the payment of a fee may one drive a motor-proppelled vehicle on our streets, all other users have free and unrestricted access. Fight for your rights.

by Matthew Mon Apr 28, 2003 10:13

One car wheel is in the cycle lane, BUT the cycle lane is bordered by a broken, not a continuous white line. This means it is a Non-Mandatory Cycle Lane, and bikes are obliged to use it for daylight hours on weekdays, but also means that bikes must give way to cars driving or parking in the lane! Shows you what a joke these cycle lanes are.

More info at:
http://www.geocities.com/cyclopath2001/

by del preston Sun Apr 27, 2003 22:44 delprest at yahoo dot co dot uk

Funny thing is that at last year's critical mass on April 26th a driver ploughed through us too. The driver got away with it that time and I've no way of being compensated. Be careful....

by R Isible - 1 of IMC Sun Apr 27, 2003 21:46

Dublin Critical Mass 25/4 report - Statoil petrol station occupied, motorist damages bike
by Indymedia Kevin - IMC Eire Sat, Apr 26 2003, 1:43pm

Critical Mass rides again

The second Dublin Critical Mass of 2003 kicked off around 6.20pm from the usual starting point, the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square. Approximately 60 people started the ride and were joined by a goof few more along the way.

The ride wound its way down Capel Street, after some friendly banter with the Parnell Street taxi drivers; their response to the Critical Mass shouts of "leave your car at home" was "yeah, leave your car at home, take a taxi instead!"

After crossing Grattan Bridge and heading up Parliament Street, there was a moment of confusion as half of the group wanted to turn left down Dame Street, whereas the other half wanted to go right up towards Christchurch. The reason for going right was to head down the quays to the Statoil Petrol Station.

Spontaneously the group all turned right and headed up towards Christchurch, then turned right down underneath the Cathedral "Arch" and onto the quays. The riders then cycled into the foreground of the Statoil Petrol Station, shouting "two wheels good, four wheels bad", "no blood for oil", and "cars kill people". The entrance to the station was temporarily blocked, and motorists trying to get in were told the station was closed.

After a few minutes at the Statoil, the group headed off again, turning up by Oliver Bond Street flats, negotiating the hill with relative ease, bar one or two of the more unfit! After snaking back down towards Dame Street, several motorists who had been stuck behind the cyclists since Thomas Street became very aggressive. One woman in a red Toyota? with 2000 Offaly plates started beeping her horn incessantly, revving her engine and coming up as close as physically possible to the back of the Critical Mass.

She was told to back off by the people taking up the rear of the ride, but continued in an aggressive manner and gestured at the cyclists to get out of her way. It was pointed out to her that if she were stuck behind a load of cars she would be perfectly happy to sit there patiently, and if she relaxed the ride would be finished in ten minutes.

Unfortunately she did not back off, and when one cyclist braked (who was in the official bike lane at the time), she rammed his back tyre with her car and warped it beyond further use. She was surrounded by angry cyclists who stopped her from going any further. She would not roll down her window and talk to us and tried several times to drive away without making any attempt to converse with the cyclist whose bike she had just damaged.

One cyclist stood in front of her car to prevent her leaving, and a Garda on a motorbike, with the number T171, arrived on the scene. He instructed the motorist and the cyclist to pull over to the side, where their details were taken. Several witnesses gave statements to the Garda saying that the woman had been acting aggressively towards the back of the ride.

The ride moved on slowly down Dame Street, provoking the usual mix of reactions from pedestrians and motorists. Bus drivers generally gave the thumbs up or a beep on their horn, but taxi drivers tended to abuse the cyclists, with one particularly nasty individual swearing at and insulting the riders from Westmoreland Street up to Abbey Street.

Three pedestrians joined in the Critical Mass at the bottom of O'Connell Street, and the taxi driver said "here lads, there's some nice bikes there for you", implying they should steal the bikes, but their response was "taxi drivers are bleedin pricks!"

Near the GPO another stressed motorist in a wine coloured Fiat Brava attempted to force his way through the cyclists, but was surrounded and was asked to remain calm. His passenger in the car pleaded with him to wait a few minutes and was visibly upset with the driver's attitude, and he eventually stopped and waited. A BeanGarda who witnessed him driving through the cyclists (and driving in the bus lane) pulled him into Henry Street and reprimanded him.

The ride finished up at the junction of O'Connell Street and Parnell Street with the customary raising of the bikes above the riders heads to cheers of "Viva La Velo!" and "the revolution will not be motorised".

Overall the Garda acted extremely fairly with the riders, showing a large degree of leniency towards the protest, and reprimanding motorists who only heightened the aggression and stress on the city streets.

add your comments
COMMENTS

Photos
by Indymedia Kevin - IMC Eire Sat, Apr 26 2003, 1:48pm

Some photos from the CM below

http://www.indymedia.ie/cgi-bin/newswire.cgi?id=45140

Another photographer was there, photos should be up soon I think.

sounds great
by conor mc gowan - ucdsa/cfe Sat, Apr 26 2003, 6:04pm
conor@ziplip.com

that cycle sounded great.a more millitant mood (blockading statoil-good stuff) and the usual fat pricks moaning from behind their wheels.

well done all the cm'ers - see you all next month!

by simon Sun Apr 27, 2003 20:34

I have been on a good few c.mass rides and there have been occasional occurances where ambulances and the like need access and these are allways let through. Nobody wants to endanger lives.

I agree that it can be irratating for drivers but I say tough. It is more annoying to have a city that functions as a throughway for cars - with all its pollution, accidents, damaged roads (i.e. potholes)etc. etc. I find cars extremely annoying as a cyclist with the daily near death experiences and damage to my lungs etc.

If you were to talk with any city planners including our own director of traffic Eoin Keegan the days of improving access within cities for cars is gone. the costs to health, business and lifestyle are now too great and this is not only a dublin perspective. The policy is that of hiderence i.e. make it as difficult for cars to enter the city : bus lanes, one way systems, reorientating traffic flow away from city, luas using up 'valuable' road space etc.

It is a funny fact that in one way its a fringe 'anarcho' event but there are many in the city authorities that smile with glee when critical mass rolls by. To call critical mass fascism is a joke as its more a case of common sense and common cause.

by Barney Sun Apr 27, 2003 17:00

but why do you have to harass innocent people who are trying to go about their business. That person in the car might have been trying to go see a dying mother or father in thier last hours.

You should never ram your views down people's throats in an offensive, irritating way. It just alienates people. Some would call it fascism.

by Ant Sun Apr 27, 2003 15:56

As seen from the photos, the driver was driving with one wheel in the cycle lane when she hit the back wheel.

So beware cyclists if you come across this car and its unbalanced driver.

Thanks to Alicia - looseindublin@hotmail.com for the photos.