Post-June 2010 CM Discussion

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on June 26, 2010 at 4:07pm

I think you are right on that the gaps are a huge factor in aggression.

Additionally, when the front is all inexperienced riders who don't know about massing up, you also get the front threading through stopped cars, and then turning those cars into bottlenecks by trapping them.
It doesn't help that riders plant themselves in front of those cars and beat their chests rather than recognizing it would be better for everyone to let them get out of the way.

"Surprise" start-- I am trying to find out why that happened, but based on what I saw my best guess is that the CPD took over and led people south on Clark almost immediately, and then kept the mass from massing up . . . you can tell this and that to the "leaders" all you want but it appears that anyone who was wanting to help "lead" in the front got the rug pulled out from under them when the mass pulled south before all but a few riders were off the plaza. To reiterate-- there was no opportunity for "leaders" to get to the front so it for the purposes of this discussion it's more true than ever that =all= of us are responsible for what happens on the mass.
As has been done many times in the past, I'd intended to create a 'head' at Clark, let the "tail" recede around the block, wait a bit, and take off when we had 2+ solid blocks of riders behind us, but couldn't get there anywhere near in time to help. As things occurred last night it was absolutely crucial that we stopped the head a block down Clark and waited for the riders from the plaza to get on their bikes, but there didn't seem to be anyone up there thinking of anyone but themself and I couldn't get up there on the 4-seater.

Last month was similar in that we broke away before we had enough riders in the street, , but I think it was Jami and Aaron who were instrumental in that- would be interested to hear if that was due to police meddling as well.

I swear I've typed all this 3 times now . . . can folks please let me know if this reply is visible?

Barbra Mann said:

I felt like it was a bad ride. A lot of people got left behind who didn't want to, in ensuing violence or because of gaps. I thought that the mass only circled Daley Plaza once before the front took off. Usually it's a few times more. Why was there a 'suprise start'? We were cut up and screwed up from the time we went east to Michigan. Bad idea. The Taste was going on! We need to mass up more next time, and not flow into car-filled streets, going around cars. I never got to the front, although I tried, and I usually can. If it is true that the leaders were not massing, and CM was poorly led, it brings that kind of energy on. And what was up with that bottleneck over that bridge? Can you imagine how long mass became at that point? That of course plays into why vehicle operators and cops were extra agitated. Half-closed bridges suck.
How do we avoid violence and twisting the city up that badly? That's the important thing. Does anyone here want violence on some level?
Since there are thousands of people following in mass, looking for a good time, a peaceful demonstration, a rolling party, if you will, let's make July a lot funner! I hope some experienced people have input.

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on June 26, 2010 at 4:07pm

Yeah yeah, everything bad about this ride was because some people got some postcards signed on the plaza before the ride.

Bob Kastigar said:

I heard one comment about "the cowboys leading the mass" and there may have been something to this. They went to fast, and way back down the line the mass was splintering, leaving large gaps where cars could enter. shouting "Mass Up" at the tail end of a ride this large isn't always effective.

Centering the mass on the concern about the Chicago Public Schools may also have been a mistake. There's nothing wrong with supporting the teachers but this advocacy seemed to make the entire ride be very short and centered about downtown without going too far into the various neighborhoods. We ended around the 12th Street Beach or the Museum Campus shortly after 8 PM or so, far too early. There was plenty of daylight left. With the Taste of Chicago going on we would have been better of staying away from downtown, ending maybe at the Foster Avenue beach or the 63rd Street Beach instead.

It's not like it was a bad ride -- it just wasn't a good ride.

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on June 26, 2010 at 4:13pm

I think Mike's just not been around very long.
I'm not sure how he could not know there was a map, and not know that it was followed to the letter with the one exception of the detour down Wabash. We had 4 different versions of the map being passed out including one folded into the derailleurs.
I think he's mistaking disorganization and lack of leadership with intentional "anarchy."
Mike, chaos like last night is not compatible with a 3,000 rider monthly Critical Mass-- we've survived and grown over the years because we have a lot of people willing to flow into leadership roles as the situation necessitates, and who've taken the time to see what interventions and practices make for a happy and peaceful ride. Would be nice if you could join the ranks of the leaderly . . .

This same mess happens every year around this time-- the first time riders outnumber the "old" folks, and when the whole front doesn't know how things work we get rides like last night's. Had I been on a regular bike I think I could have prevented almost all of the stuff people are complaining about (I was only half a block from the very front starting out), but I couldn't get to the front on the 4-seater.
We need to get back to flyering riders with basic ride protocol. Months like this a small percentage of riders what "mass up" means or why it's necessary.



Barbra Mann said:

I wonder if the mom and her toddler, the older people, younger people, and hey even the fit and free cyclists like me enjoyed the 'feel' last night. A lot of people don't care for what ensues when a mass is disjointed. I don't even know what you mean by 'feel of anarchy'. Does anarchy necesarily mean tense, dangerous, aggressive and not meeting the desire of most of the participants? Hey I think it is great that there is no specified leader and that people take leadership of a giant ride through the city...it's a great thing...but it has to be to the benefit of the people, or f*&^ that. I bet if people try to take LSD again next month, the CPD will try to do something about limiting or shutting down Critical Mass. I bet they're meeting now. It is so much better to chill and they'll let us do our thing. But I mean, CHILL! And THINK about what is best and if there is even a reason to rush...or go on an expressway. Sounds like such a powerful thing, but think about it...there's no one to wave to, no one's day to brighten up...it's just expressway. I mean, we're not even in a hurry.
Rowbike Mike said:

I agree that it probably would have been wise to exit the Loop from the get-go, given all of the re-routed traffic related to the Taste of Chicago. In a way, it felt like this put a damper on the incipient momentum of the ride (The ArabFest congestion at Daley Plaza didn't help either, but there's not much we can do about that) I liked the fact that we traveled through Chinatown (I've never done that on a CCM ride before) and went through Pilson and Little Italy. I don't think we earned much good will by riding on Lake Shore Drive at the end.

In the past, I've advocated for the use of a route map. Would that have solved some of these problems? I must admit that I liked the anarchic feel of last night's ride, although it wasn't particularly smooth at times.

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on June 26, 2010 at 4:30pm

Points I'd put on a flyer to try to head off another month like that:

1) Please circle Daley plaza until the bulk of the riders are on their bikes and in the streets before departing


2) Mass up, i.e. stop the front of the mass for 2 or more light cycles, early in the ride, and then periodically as necessary to avoid large gaps in the mass and to keep the pace reasonable for all riders.

3) When the head of the mass comes to a red light, STOP. This is very necessary to keep the ride together as well as best for safety.

4) Chicago Police: We appreciate your assistance but when you take on a directive role in Chicago Critical mass you =always= cause the exact problems you seem to want to prevent.
Please read and respect points one through three and do not decide you have a deeper understanding than the people who've been helping lead for a decade or more. Please. Please?

5) If the head of the mass encounters stopped traffic, please remember that there are other people behind you relying on your judgment and do not thread through the stopped cars.
It is much better to stop the head of the mass behind them and give them an opportunity to get away.
DO NOT cork cars caught in this situation-- most would be happy to pull over or gt away via the next turn. If you trap them in the mass you create bottlenecks and ultimately hurt the ride.

6) Directed at the front again-- there are mass participants who bring sound systems and other contraptions that add to the atmosphere-- don't make them negotiate curbs, stairs, or narrow passageways or have to choose to stay behind.

7) If you do find yourself in a group that has grown separated from the preceding riders, grow a pair and create your own new head. You can follow the map or go your own way, but don't expect cross-traffic to magically know that you're coming, and that you're somehow connected to the cyclists who cleared their intersection 3 or 4 minutes ago.

8) Corkers-- if you're drunk your judgment is impaired and you should not be corking. Regardless, if a car tries to physically force you out of the way, and there don't seem to be any immediate consequences to anyone else]s safety by letting that car get away, then get out of the way of that car and especially do not make any moves that make you look like the aggressor, like throwing your bike at the car's bumper.

I'm sure I could think of about 100 more.

Permalink Reply by BalloonBiker on June 26, 2010 at 7:17pm

Wow, this sounds like a good mass to have missed.

I did lead the mass in May and learned a lot. It was really my first time making a map and intentionally leading the ride. It's kind of a pain, but you really don't need to have that much experience in order to do it.

It's also good to have experience in the back of the ride so you can know what it feels like when the mass is strung out, or in a clusterfuck.

It was helpful that I had been at the front for several masses and got to see how to do it from other experienced ride leaders. I took over in March (I think) and led the ride for several miles.

Howard made a lot of good points that would be a good flyer.

Other handy things for "leading" the rides:

Make yourself visible, I do that with the balloons, Steven Lane has had his piece sign...wear a mask, or have a cool bike.

Have a team, or make other people in front into your team. Let them know that you're intentionally biking slow, give directions to not engulf cars and let cars that are at intersections through.

LET THE COWBOYS GO!. Don't try to keep up with them. Let a nice big gap form. It's okay. When you're visible, people will know that you're the one who knows where you're going and will follow you. The cowboys don't know where they are going (for the most part), and will have to stop and wait....or do their own ride.

Maintain a steady pace. It can help to have a computer on your bike to do this. Sometimes it's hard because the road in front of you is wide open, but resist the temptation.

If you're interested in trying to lead a map, just do it. Get some friends up there with you though, cause it can be a little boring.

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on June 26, 2010 at 7:39pm

I'll make it very simple when it comes to my opinion of what went wrong on mass this last month.

It went to fast.

Period.

the lead was to fast and mass was strung out and that is what causes 99.9% of all the problems you see on mass because there are to many gaps.

SLOW IT DOWN!

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on June 26, 2010 at 7:47pm

Who is this directed at?
As far as all of the accounts go, none of the seasoned riders were either able to get to the front, or willing to get off their ass and make the effort.
I'm sticking to my theory that a lone cop made the ride head north on Clark waaaay to early, surrounded only by newbies, unless I hear someone say "no, I broke the mass away."



notoriousDUG said:

I'll make it very simple when it comes to my opinion of what went wrong on mass this last month.
It went to fast.
Period.

the lead was to fast and mass was strung out and that is what causes 99.9% of all the problems you see on mass because there are to many gaps.

SLOW IT DOWN!

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on June 27, 2010 at 7:42am

It's directed at anyone who reads this.

I tried to make the front of the mass several times before I had to peel off and not once was I able to catch the lead and that is a pretty unusual circumstance for me even on a large ride and a sure sign, to me, the front is traveling way to fast.

On the flip side to that I also noticed a lot of pockets of very slow riders holding back groups and contributing to the huge gaps with nobody urging them to try and speed up and close the gaps.

If you notice the mass spreading out it needs to be solved from both ends, it needs to be communicated to the front of mass up and slow down and it needs to be communicated to the rear to pick up the pace a little and try to keep it tight.

Reading all of this and thinking about it all I will agree that cars getting caught in the mass because the front was not massing up and was trying to beat traffic rather then stop it helped to contribute to a lot of the problems as well. People who get stopped mid-turn or who are overtaken by mass and get stuck are always a lot more pissed off then people who are stopped and delayed at a light or before entering an intersection.
H3N3 said:

Who is this directed at?
As far as all of the accounts go, none of the seasoned riders were either able to get to the front, or willing to get off their ass and make the effort.
I'm sticking to my theory that a lone cop made the ride head north on Clark waaaay to early, surrounded only by newbies, unless I hear someone say "no, I broke the mass away."



notoriousDUG said:

I'll make it very simple when it comes to my opinion of what went wrong on mass this last month.
It went to fast.
Period.

the lead was to fast and mass was strung out and that is what causes 99.9% of all the problems you see on mass because there are to many gaps.

SLOW IT DOWN!

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on June 27, 2010 at 9:25am

I agree with DUG's observations, and add these:

1. The spacing and pacing of this ride wasn't like a Critical Mass, it was like a group ride on a marked route with everyone traveling at their own pace.

2. While usually oblivious to matters of, (ahem) "energy," I had an overwhelming sense of "bad energy" by the time the ride was westbound on Roosevelt. Running the mass through bottlenecks for the first mile or so probably contributed to this.

3. I saw way more open liquor on this ride than on any other mass.

4. I got to "a front" at the corner of Cermak & Wentworth(?) where it was stopped at a red light, to tell the leaders that they had to mass up and the ride was strung out and had huge gaps. There was one bicycle police officer and half a dozen people I don't know (which isn't necessarily saying much). They told me "the front" was actually blocks ahead. I looked east on Cermak and it was far enough ahead that I couldn't see it. The light changed and this "front" continued east. I rode back south on Wentworth for awhile to try to get people to pick up the pace and mass up, and was greeted with 'happy friday's" and pleas to join the mass. Kind of made me want to smack someone.

5. Critical Mass doesn't belong on Lakeshore Drive, and the City will get even. May not be next month, or the month after, but you will see dozens of arrests.

6. When gaps like this open up, you are no longer "traffic," you are interfering with traffic. Drivers get irritated because they're being held up when there are large openings that they could easily pass through. Under these circumstance corking becomes contentious and in some cases pointless.

7. I'm somewhat ambivalent about Critical Mass. I've talked to people whose opinions I respect on both sides of the issue, and the best argument that I've heard FOR is that it's different things to different people. OK fine, but CCM isn't supposed to be this.

As I re-read this I realize most of this could have been solved, if, as other posters have stated, the pace was slower, and the group was kept more as a mass.


notoriousDUG said:

It's directed at anyone who reads this.
I tried to make the front of the mass several times before I had to peel off and not once was I able to catch the lead and that is a pretty unusual circumstance for me even on a large ride and a sure sign, to me, the front is traveling way to fast. On the flip side to that I also noticed a lot of pockets of very slow riders holding back groups and contributing to the huge gaps with nobody urging them to try and speed up and close the gaps.

If you notice the mass spreading out it needs to be solved from both ends, it needs to be communicated to the front of mass up and slow down and it needs to be communicated to the rear to pick up the pace a little and try to keep it tight.

Reading all of this and thinking about it all I will agree that cars getting caught in the mass because the front was not massing up and was trying to beat traffic rather then stop it helped to contribute to a lot of the problems as well. People who get stopped mid-turn or who are overtaken by mass and get stuck are always a lot more pissed off then people who are stopped and delayed at a light or before entering an intersection.
H3N3 said:

Who is this directed at?
As far as all of the accounts go, none of the seasoned riders were either able to get to the front, or willing to get off their ass and make the effort.
I'm sticking to my theory that a lone cop made the ride head north on Clark waaaay to early, surrounded only by newbies, unless I hear someone say "no, I broke the mass away."
notoriousDUG said:

I'll make it very simple when it comes to my opinion of what went wrong on mass this last month.
It went to fast.
Period. the lead was to fast and mass was strung out and that is what causes 99.9% of all the problems you see on mass because there are to many gaps.
SLOW IT DOWN!

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on June 27, 2010 at 11:07am

Sorry guys, encouraging anyone to speed up is the wrong approach.

If the front group gets away, you have to look around for someone you know, tell them "help me create a new front", and do so. Eventually the people who raced away will either stop and wait or go about their merry race.

Again, never, ever encourage anyone on the mass to speed up in order to be massed up-- it will result in the problem becoming worse and worse.

Kevin, was the cop you saw with the quasi-front you reached a compact african-american guy? If so, he's the reason for the "surprise start." I saw him with the very front group at break-away. Apparently a bunch of newbies, for lack of any direction from anyone, got away 'off the front' by the time you got up there.

Doug, thanks for acknowledging my point about bottlenecks being created by riders at the front threading through cars and trapping them.

The solution, unfortunately, is going to have to be a bit more than just telling random readers to speed up or slow down on a message board.

We're going to have to

a) Organize at least a small group of experienced riders with a cohesive strategy to be at the front (again I have no doubt I could have turned this around if I wasn't trapped on the 4-seater); and

b) flyer the mass, and/or make announcements pre-ride in order to help people understand the mass-up concept, and

c) agree on a protocol for starting the ride so those who want to help at the front can be at the front from the start.

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on June 27, 2010 at 12:41pm

If the front group gets away, you have to look around for someone you know, tell them "help me create a new front", and do so. Eventually the people who raced away will either stop and wait or go about their merry race.

That is a very sound, sensible piece of advice. I wish I had thought of it at the time.


Kevin, was the cop you saw with the quasi-front you reached a compact african-american guy? If so, he's the reason for the "surprise start." I saw him with the very front group at break-away.

Nope. Not African American. But yes, he was compact.

Permalink Reply by Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! on June 27, 2010 at 4:33pm

Rowbike Mike, there was a map- that wasn't really the issue.

Howard, I agree with you. Anyone of us who have lead a ride before could have fixed the problem. Though for various reasons it appears as though none of us stepped up to the plate. I actually had promised my girlfriend that this ride was going to be completely causal otherwise I would have tried to help out.

If you want to come up with a strategy to better organize the Mass I am 100% down with brainstorming. I don't think discussing it on the chainlink or the listserve is the best bet. Let's make an event where we have a meet up and invite any and all interested parties. I for one will advocate the use of better technology to help eliminate some of these problems. Though I admit it will not solve anything alone, I do think it could help in numerous ways like I have illustrated in the past.

So whose for next Saturday? And who is for meeting Downtown to make the location centralized easier for anyone to participate.

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