Critical Mass and motorcycles

[Sam Clements]

Ooops!  I just reread the original message at the SD and the article to
which I referred.   In both cases, they were referring to "bikers" meaning
bicyclists.

Living in Northern Ohio, I naturally think of a "biker" as a motorcyclist.
We have limited places to ride bicycles here, certainly not on the street in
traffic.  Sorry for the confusion.

SC
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jesse Sheidlower" <jester at PANIX.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, February 02, 2003 12:25 AM
Subject: Re: Critical Mass and motorcycles


> On Sun, Feb 02, 2003 at 12:19:26AM -0500, Sam Clements wrote:
> > Someone over at the StraightDope posted a weird message about a
"critical
> > mass" of motorcycles in Philly last week.  I jovially asked for a
> > description of what a "critical mass" of motorcycles might be.  Another
> > poster cited an article from someone in Calif? and I remembered that I
saw
> > about 200 motorcycles go through a traffic light just down the street
from
> > me here in Akron in September.  Mentioned in the article was the fact
that
> > they were going through a red light.
> >
> > So, is there currently some validity to the term "critical mass" as
applied
> > to motocycles going through red lights?
>
> "Critical Mass" is the proper name for a monthly mass bicycle ride aimed
> at asserting cyclists' rights to the road. It started in San Francisco
> in 1992 and has now spread to many cities around the world; it's only
> semi-planned so no one can be held responsible. Not all CM rides go
> through lights; some are more anarchistic, and some are very law-abiding,
> merely showing through force of numbers that, as their slogan goes,
> "We're not blocking traffic, we ARE traffic."
>
> I hadn't heard of this having spread to motorcyclists.
>
> Jesse Sheidlower
> OED
>