November 12, 2009 Opinion » Sustainable City

Critical Mass confusion

Halifax's monthly group bike ride attracts more smiling faces every year, yet occasionally cops, grumpy drivers and yahoo stunt-riders wanna rumble.

by Chris Benjamin

"What are you guys doing?" asks a woman from inside her parked car on Spring Garden. More than a hundred cyclists, some dressed as skeletons, sex workers and bears, are blocking her from pulling out of her pit-stop at Timmy's.

"We're going for a bike ride," answers one of the Canadian Olympians. It's Critical Mass, Halloween edition, and the answer is typical of the critical mass movement: slightly enigmatic, almost evasive, yet simple enough. A big ole bike ride, last Friday of every month, lots of people, howling good fun.

This Critical Mass is a pretty big one by Halifax standards, it being Halloween and also one month after the triple ticket incident. On the September ride three cyclists were nailed with traffic infraction tickets around Oxford Street and Quinpool Road.

"It was a left turn," recalls Scott MacPhee, who was fined $135.75 for his participation in September's event. He's been a Halifax masser since 2004. "We don't usually make left turns."

MacPhee says a paddy wagon shot past the 65 bikes in the mass that evening and blocked the road, holding traffic at a standstill for 20 minutes. "They asked us who our leader was," he says. He was near the front and stepped forward to explain the Critical Mass's organizational structure, or lack thereof.

Critical Mass started as large informal bike rides in 1970s Stockholm, which were later named after the Beijing cycling practice of "massing up" at intersections and crossing in unison, for protection from Beijing drivers' complete indifference to human life. Even when Critical Mass became a movement 20 years later in San Fransisco, it kept its dedication to being disorganized, with no leaders or members. Now, the event is held in more than 300 cities around the world, a celebration of self-propelled bipedalism and a cry for better cycling infrastructure.

"If you had leaders they could get picked out of the crowd by police," MacPhee explains of the diffuse structure. As it turns out, that is exactly what happened to him. "I think they nailed me for speaking up."

His ticket reads: "Failing to ride bicycle on extreme right of highway."

"I didn't break any law," MacPhee says. "I was in the process of making a left turn as per the Canadian Cycling Handbook." He is a certified Canadian Cycling Association (Can-Bike) Instructor---that's the same course bike cops take and sometimes instruct.

MacPhee acknowledges that "technically mass is illegal, because you are supposed to be single file," and the bike mass takes up an entire lane of traffic. But the beauty is that cops can't ticket the whole mass. "Most times police don't even come." MacPhee was told that in this case, a driver called in a complaint about cyclists holding up traffic.

The lords of the road being dissatisfied, somebody had to pay. MacPhee says it won't be him. He's challenging the ticket in traffic court and he expects to win, but he hopes for much more. "I would like the Nova Scotia Motor Vehicles Act to be changed," he says.

It may sound nitpicky, but MacPhee points to a serious contradiction between our Act and the Canadian Cycling Handbook, which is the gold standard for safe cycling in Canada. It instructs cyclists to stay one metre away from the curb and parked roadside vehicles. This distance saves cyclists from "the big door prize," an opening car door straight to the ribs. Yet our provincial traffic act wants cyclists on the "extreme right."

At a more fundamental level, MacPhee hopes for better dialogue between cyclists and the police. Whether it's cycling in general or Critical Mass as an event, he sees no reason to criminalize people practicing and celebrating sustainable active transportation.

Twenty cyclists at a recent meeting to discuss how to prevent such criminalization agreed that mass is a celebration rather than a protest, MacPhee says. "In Halifax, sometimes some anarchist wannabes ride all over the road and sidewalk yelling at cars with no helmets on, but that aggressive behaviour turns people off---if we piss off the general public we'll be looked at as just a fringe group."

But because most of the riders at mass are respectful and kind to car drivers, the event has grown steadily in the five years MacPhee has been participating. "It's getting bigger every year," he says. "Its power is just in having that many people---kids, seniors, teens, hardcore and utilitarian cyclists. We don't want to hold up traffic; we just want to get the word out on the need for better infrastructure."

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Bureaucracy does not equal responsibility.

Don't think car culture is cruel? Ask those whose homes are displaced by oil pipelines, by countries that have been thrown into civil wars over oil (and the ensuing displacement, injury, loss, death). If you're motivated by some consideration for wildlife, consider vasts lands cut by roads that have decimated habitat. Don't dismiss me as naive; the truth is I've worked with children orphaned by war and some who are worse off, selling their bodies as young as 7 years old.

I know it's complex but cars and oil are, without a doubt, part of the problem.

And if you want to dismiss comments from folks b/c you've deemed them armchair pundits, I'd consider more carefully that many people are enormously active in cycling infrastructure, advocacy and education, nevermind being ordinary everyday cyclists.

My patience for the dialogue diminishes when justifications for continuing the status quo are as mundane as not wanting to be disturbed from your slumber, inconvenienced by a longer route, taking some extra moments for the improvement of all.

Much criticism is leveled at city council for its lack of vision but really, its our responsibility as residents to be bolder and show that we're willing to see and make change.

Posted by yesforachange on November 18, 2009 at 8:37 PM | Report this comment

I think the other problem with CM Meow is that parades and marathons and the like get their routes approved and sometimes get streets blocked off and sometimes get volunteers or police to direct traffic. These non-CM events are being responsible. The method CM uses leaves a bad taste in people's mouths because they aren't respecting the other users of the road. If they are going to hold regular rides, then why not get organized and do it properly? You might find drivers and pedestrians more understanding if CM didn't come off as being an act of defiance.

Posted by Miles (from home) on November 18, 2009 at 6:16 PM | Report this comment

There's nothing wrong with that, but, thankfully there's a few people in the CM community that volunteer or get involved within the city/province to actively promote the change, because in reality the CM does not accomplish much for cyclists other than give those taking part an evening of venting and 'positive vibes, dude'.

Posted by Cranky on November 18, 2009 at 5:47 PM | Report this comment

It happens ONCE A MONTH, people. The longest it can possibly inconvenience you is 5 MINUTES. Is it really that much of a hardship to allow a few cyclists to pass by on the street? Would you spew this kind of venom if it was a parade, or a cancer walk, or a marathon that held you up for a few minutes? Whether or not you agree with the 'cause' is beside the point, the point is that it's just a group of people doing something they enjoy and not causing anyone any harm. Some of them may have political motives, some of them may be trying to promote bicycle culture, and a lot of them are just out to enjoy a Friday night ride with their fellow cyclists. For the most part, they're all just decent folks like the rest of us, who want something positive - a greener earth, friendlier roads, better infrastructure, healthier lifestyles, less pollution...What the hell is wrong with that???

Posted by me0w on November 18, 2009 at 5:29 PM | Report this comment

Sebastian: thats part of the reason I am for/against bike lanes at the same time. Why should I take a lengthier route to get where I am going just because I'm a bike? I'm in a rush to get to work, too.

Posted by Cranky on November 18, 2009 at 1:33 PM | Report this comment