It's coming up on that time a year again!  May Critical Mass!  I aka Ms. Red lead the May Critical Mass last year with the help of some amazing individuals back to The Kedzie Stop; an old warehouse building turned artists studios, for a after mass dance party!  And I would love to do it again this year!  With experience under my belt and more people to help keep the mass together, I would love to get things started with ideas & comments on how to make it even better than last year.

**Attempting to go with last years idea of a spring parade/costume ride

**Talks about a musical performance as well in the back alley

Please share your thoughts & ideas and lend any help you can!

Ciao a tutti!!

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Hey Red!  I'll help of course.

I've mentioned this thread over on http://www.thechainlink.org/group/criticalmassdiscussion

Standard route development advice is at http://ChicagoCriticalMass.org/routedev

And of course post-away at https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoCriticalMass

My top suggestions: 1. Determine and share where the nearest booze store is.  I and a dozen others wandered for blocks, searching, after the end last year.  2. Was there an inside part at the end last year?  I and others weren't clear where dancing or bathrooms might be, and assumed outside.  Maybe some signs would help?  3. Did cops come last year?  What can we do to reduce that risk? Like not block the alley, or whatever?

A pic from last year.

A plot from last year.

Pedicab activism planned on May's mass (last mass before the absurdly regressive new ordinace takes effect):

http://www.thechainlink.org/events/chicago-critical-mass-413

http://www.thechainlink.org/forum/topics/may-critical-mass

Anyone have a map or know what Friday's route is?

We won't know until the ride starts; that's the way it works.


Sam A. said:

Anyone have a map or know what Friday's route is?

Please excuse my ignorance but what exactly is critical mass about? I'm a cyclist. I love cycling. And, of course, I respect cyclists. But I'm also a driver. And, one time, I got stuck at an intersection waiting for a Critical Mass for more than a half hour while I had to pee really bad. If the ride is meant to raise awareness about cyclists, then I'm not sure that the ride achieves that goal in positive way. To me, respect between cyclists and drivers is achieved through consciously doing our best, both as drivers and as cyclists, to share the road. Purposefully causing congestion isn't respectful, IMO.
Believe me I really wish I had.


Jeff Schneider said:

You should have gone to the toilet before you got in the car.  Didn't your mom teach you that?

Tristan Jackson said:

Please excuse my ignorance but what exactly is critical mass about? I'm a cyclist. I love cycling. And, of course, I respect cyclists. But I'm also a driver. And, one time, I got stuck at an intersection waiting for a Critical Mass for more than a half hour while I had to pee really bad. If the ride is meant to raise awareness about cyclists, then I'm not sure that the ride achieves that goal in positive way. To me, respect between cyclists and drivers is achieved through consciously doing our best, both as drivers and as cyclists, to share the road. Purposefully causing congestion isn't respectful, IMO.

Maybe there was a backup after the mass had already passed where this person didn't make it through lights? but honestly, at more than ten minutes the other direction should be clear enough to turn around and try a different street, or drive in the opposite direction of the mass to find where it's ended and cross there. 

h' 1.0 said:

More than half an hour?

Someone usually jumps out of the ride and films a "front to back" video of the whole mass, and typically the larger rides take somewhere around 10 minutes total to pass. And then automobile  traffic is immediately moving afterwards.

Do you remember what month/year that was?
 
Tristan Jackson said:

Please excuse my ignorance but what exactly is critical mass about? I'm a cyclist. I love cycling. And, of course, I respect cyclists. But I'm also a driver. And, one time, I got stuck at an intersection waiting for a Critical Mass for more than a half hour while I had to pee really bad. If the ride is meant to raise awareness about cyclists, then I'm not sure that the ride achieves that goal in positive way. To me, respect between cyclists and drivers is achieved through consciously doing our best, both as drivers and as cyclists, to share the road. Purposefully causing congestion isn't respectful, IMO.
I was stuck at the intersection of Roosevelt and Wabash heading West. I believe it was the summer of 2011, but I could be wrong about the date. The memory is still vivid (even if the date isn't) because I had to pee so damn bad. I wanted to throw stuff at the fools wearing no helmets, riding on the wrong side of the road, taking their sweet time to clear the intersection. Unfortunately, Roosevelt is a congested street at rush hour even without a ride like that.



h' 1.0 said:

More than half an hour?

Someone usually jumps out of the ride and films a "front to back" video of the whole mass, and typically the larger rides take somewhere around 10 minutes total to pass. And then automobile  traffic is immediately moving afterwards.

Do you remember what month/year that was?
 
Tristan Jackson said:

Please excuse my ignorance but what exactly is critical mass about? I'm a cyclist. I love cycling. And, of course, I respect cyclists. But I'm also a driver. And, one time, I got stuck at an intersection waiting for a Critical Mass for more than a half hour while I had to pee really bad. If the ride is meant to raise awareness about cyclists, then I'm not sure that the ride achieves that goal in positive way. To me, respect between cyclists and drivers is achieved through consciously doing our best, both as drivers and as cyclists, to share the road. Purposefully causing congestion isn't respectful, IMO.
I definitely couldn't turn around. We, the cars, were tightly packed next to each other. Many drivers simply turned off their engines because there was no going anywhere. And it definitely took longer than 10 minutes for all the cyclists to clear the intersection because there was a long, seemingly never ending tail of buffoons taking their sweet time.


Michelle Milham said:

Maybe there was a backup after the mass had already passed where this person didn't make it through lights? but honestly, at more than ten minutes the other direction should be clear enough to turn around and try a different street, or drive in the opposite direction of the mass to find where it's ended and cross there. 

h' 1.0 said:

More than half an hour?

Someone usually jumps out of the ride and films a "front to back" video of the whole mass, and typically the larger rides take somewhere around 10 minutes total to pass. And then automobile  traffic is immediately moving afterwards.

Do you remember what month/year that was?
 
Tristan Jackson said:

Please excuse my ignorance but what exactly is critical mass about? I'm a cyclist. I love cycling. And, of course, I respect cyclists. But I'm also a driver. And, one time, I got stuck at an intersection waiting for a Critical Mass for more than a half hour while I had to pee really bad. If the ride is meant to raise awareness about cyclists, then I'm not sure that the ride achieves that goal in positive way. To me, respect between cyclists and drivers is achieved through consciously doing our best, both as drivers and as cyclists, to share the road. Purposefully causing congestion isn't respectful, IMO.

Depends on what you're drinking.  If macro lager and/or fairly "basic" spirits is what you're after, there's a convenience store at the NE corner of Kedzie and Franklin.

If you like "fancy" beer, I suspect the 10 minute ride to Puerto Rico Food & Liquors on Augusta is your best bet.

Andronymous said:

1. Determine and share where the nearest booze store is.  I and a dozen others wandered for blocks, searching, after the end last year.

If all the bicyclists had been in cars instead can you imagine how much longer you would have had to wait?

Tristan Jackson said:

I definitely couldn't turn around. We, the cars, were tightly packed next to each other. Many drivers simply turned off their engines because there was no going anywhere. And it definitely took longer than 10 minutes for all the cyclists to clear the intersection because there was a long, seemingly never ending tail of buffoons taking their sweet time.


Michelle Milham said:

Maybe there was a backup after the mass had already passed where this person didn't make it through lights? but honestly, at more than ten minutes the other direction should be clear enough to turn around and try a different street, or drive in the opposite direction of the mass to find where it's ended and cross there. 

h' 1.0 said:

More than half an hour?

Someone usually jumps out of the ride and films a "front to back" video of the whole mass, and typically the larger rides take somewhere around 10 minutes total to pass. And then automobile  traffic is immediately moving afterwards.

Do you remember what month/year that was?
 
Tristan Jackson said:

Please excuse my ignorance but what exactly is critical mass about? I'm a cyclist. I love cycling. And, of course, I respect cyclists. But I'm also a driver. And, one time, I got stuck at an intersection waiting for a Critical Mass for more than a half hour while I had to pee really bad. If the ride is meant to raise awareness about cyclists, then I'm not sure that the ride achieves that goal in positive way. To me, respect between cyclists and drivers is achieved through consciously doing our best, both as drivers and as cyclists, to share the road. Purposefully causing congestion isn't respectful, IMO.

False argument.   Had all the bicyclists been in cars, they wouldn't have been running the lights....     Again, the argument that because car drivers often act like jerks its okay to act like a jerk is really not a good one.  Go ahead.  Join Critical Mass.   Be aware that your conduct has consequences and if and when the City bans bicycling in the Central Business District, you can look back at that "fun" you had.  



Bob Kastigar said:

If all the bicyclists had been in cars instead can you imagine how much longer you would have had to wait?

Tristan Jackson said:

I definitely couldn't turn around. We, the cars, were tightly packed next to each other. Many drivers simply turned off their engines because there was no going anywhere. And it definitely took longer than 10 minutes for all the cyclists to clear the intersection because there was a long, seemingly never ending tail of buffoons taking their sweet time.


Michelle Milham said:

Maybe there was a backup after the mass had already passed where this person didn't make it through lights? but honestly, at more than ten minutes the other direction should be clear enough to turn around and try a different street, or drive in the opposite direction of the mass to find where it's ended and cross there. 

h' 1.0 said:

More than half an hour?

Someone usually jumps out of the ride and films a "front to back" video of the whole mass, and typically the larger rides take somewhere around 10 minutes total to pass. And then automobile  traffic is immediately moving afterwards.

Do you remember what month/year that was?
 
Tristan Jackson said:

Please excuse my ignorance but what exactly is critical mass about? I'm a cyclist. I love cycling. And, of course, I respect cyclists. But I'm also a driver. And, one time, I got stuck at an intersection waiting for a Critical Mass for more than a half hour while I had to pee really bad. If the ride is meant to raise awareness about cyclists, then I'm not sure that the ride achieves that goal in positive way. To me, respect between cyclists and drivers is achieved through consciously doing our best, both as drivers and as cyclists, to share the road. Purposefully causing congestion isn't respectful, IMO.

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