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800 Maynard Ave S, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98134
800 Maynard Ave S, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98134
Would be beautiful.
A sunday in August perhaps.
Or do we only close freeways for blue angels and other carbon-emitter worshipping?
You guys are a bunch of Critical Assholes. Period.
I sincerely hope the WSP catches 50-75 of you trying that again sometime, arrests you on the spot, seizes your vehicles, and resells them for being used in the commission of a crime of disrupting interstate commerce. Hopefully they will think of something creative like that to put the smack down on your civil disobedience.
Better yet, I hope that some enraged driver decides on his own to make an example of all of you, and plows over a whole bunch of you, killing at least a few of you to make an example.
Yes it has come to that.
You Critical Assholes are anarchists now, and deserve to be treated as such. The general public may have been sympathetic to your cause in the past, but you have shown a continual pattern of trying to be assholes often enough that you no longer deserve any support or empathy for the "stated goals" you think you deserve.
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
The whole thing seems really unnecessary and gives bicyclists a bad name.
That should have been clue enough that what you were doing was a really bad idea.
CM causes at least as much grief for (the sane majority of) Seattle bicyclists as it does for drivers. Does Reality Check's revenge fantasy @13 have to come true before this ass-hattery finally dies?
This looks like fun, but no less so than a legal bicycle parade, or road race.
I doubt the passive-aggressive pussy Slog trolls are actually that emotionally disturbed to run into cyclists as a result of seeing these pictures, but when it comes time to give more money to cyclists in Olympia, if anybody in the legislature was stuck in this clusterfuck, well . . . I'm just glad you enjoyed yourselves.
We interrupt this thread for a much needed joke.
Question. Why don't Polish women use vibrators?
Answer. It chips their teeth.
I hate, Hate, HATE bicycwists!
If you want to have a social get-together, ride bikes, engage in some fun crimes & misdemeanors, fine. If you want to advocate for bikers rights and bike-friendly policies, fine. But any time anyone says hey, maybe you could do those things without fucking over a lot of other people, it's like you've just clubbed a baby seal or something.
Eh, but my experience is mostly from Chicago's CM, which I thought was sort of pointless (in terms of bike policies, anyways) because we had one of the most bike-friendly mayors around.
One only needs to look at this past Memorial Day weekend's story about the commuter who shoved the suicidal person off the bridge for slowing up traffic as a sign that the general public is completely thru with putting up with Asshats impeding the orderly flow of traffic for their own selfish reasons. It is not much of a stretch to think that some angry driver who has had the "pleasure of experiencing" the ASSHOLE behaviour of Critical Assholes before, will simply say "enough" and take matters into their own hands.
And for you Critical Assholes who participated in such assholery, when it DOES happen, please do NOT come back here or anywhere else and whine how you were victimized and didn't deserve such an overreaction.
WHEN that day comes... and it definitely will... the general public will hold YOU responsible for your actions that incited the behaviour.
Citation? Check out the WSDOT bicycle map in the Seattle area.
Freeways are tied up infinitely more by the selfish assholes who absolutely have to get to work and back by car every single day than by critical massers riding by for an hour each month.
Your point of view is predicated on the backwards notion that bikes are toys and are never used by people who 'have to get somewhere.' I have to get to work six days a week and unless I'm sick, it's by bike.
Everyone's to blame, it's just easier for the vast majority of commuters (single-occupancy vehicles) to bitch about bikers than realize that they contribute to the problem as well.
I HATE CRITICAL MASS.
Seriously, y'all fucking hurt bike advocacy. You're assholes who do shit the inconveniences other people and makes you feel powerful and does nothing to promote the cause.
b-lard @21, I read RC @13 as envisioning something more lethal than the incident last year.
I really don't want to see anyone end up a pavement smear, not even a CM rider. It'd be nice if CMers gave a rat's ass about the people they disagree with, too.
But an every day car accident would cause a much worse delay than a whole gang of CM'ers. Are we going to get really angry at people who cause driving accidents too? GRRRR PEOPLE WHO GOT CRUSHED IN ACCIDENT, YOU DELAYED MY WEEKEND DRIVE. lol.
Maybe I'm more sympathetic to CM right this second because the pictures in this post are GORGEOUS. I was outside in Fremont near the Canal today, and remembered why I live here and love it here.
Perhaps the Stranger has already done this story, but it would be interesting to interview biker groups who support CA and those who don't. My guess is CA actions do next to nothing for political change, and don't have much support outside those who participate.
Work instead for opening streets & areas of the city that are non-motor-vehicle on set days each month - as NYC is experimenting with. Work to get a real voice on the city council who bikes and knows about bike solutions that are being tried in other cities (Eugene, NYC, Amsterdam). Organize with employers who recognize the value of bikes - Adobe, Amazon, etc - and bike retailers to raise money to make political donations for politicians that support bike issues.
Epic? Seriously? I don't think that word means what you think it means. It was bikes on the freeway.
It sounds like it was a fun, beautiful ride. But could you have maybe confined yourselves to one lane, rather than blocking all northbound traffic for miles? No. The only point I can see to blocking all three lanes is to make monumental assholes of yourselves.
Critical Assholes are completely wrecking any empathy from the majority of public who drive with their actions.
The problem with the logic of the Critical Assholes, is that it is one thing to "cork" a city street where speeds are designed to be safe in populated areas... it is a completely different scenario when Critical Assholes try bringing higher speed freeways/interstates down to their speeds. Highways are designed solely for vehicles designed to go a certain safe minimum speed limit. Washington RCW law mandates that vehicles have to be travelling 45? MPH at a MINIMUM to be allowed on those roads. Hell they ban mopeds that cannot do that minimum speed.
Tell me Critical Assholes reading this thread... what would your pathetic excuse have been, if that vehicle that screeched to a stop in surprise hadn't been able to stop soon enough? What if? Would you be all smug in your anarchy? Who would you hold to blame?
All it would have taken is one inattentive driver looking out across the water, or one driver who didn't see any vehicles ahead of them, and was partially blinded by the bright sun, and not LOOKING FOR BICYCLES on a HIGHWAY for a terrible tragedy to have occurred.
But then again.. you have never been known for being responsible in any fashion...
Tell me... was ECB a part of this ride?
is that also a problem for you critical mass haters, people walking on the street?
Critical Mass brings attention to the fact that we build roads to favor cars and no one else, not moms with their baby strollers, not people in wheel chairs, not kids trying to get to and from school.
Someday there will be far fewer cars in cities because there will be too many people..
Look at New York City 23% car ownership in Manhattan.
http://www.livablestreets.com/streetswik…
hopefully you people who hate critical mass will support cycling and public transit in other ways
Point is, live up to the goal, and get real masses, say 20,000 riders.
This would be on TV nationally. Set it up for some charity like bikes for kids who can't afford them or some disease. Maybe add in car free lake bridges?
This would let the masses participate, including folks who aren't into breaking the law, or can just do 5 miles and need to bring little kiddies and grandmas. Even our mayor could manage to go a few miles, I'm sure.
Something that's actually for the masses, not the tiny group of critical assholes.
This makes it inviting for the general public.
Then, the public supports them, instead of hating them.
Can you understand the difference?
Same thing in NYC, they shut down roads in the park for bikes LEGALLY and now they even shut down times square LEGALLY so peds make it a ped mall.
Can you understand the diff b/ legal and illegal??
When it comes to asshattery, CM'ers got no monopoly over automobilists...
Does it really? Seems to me to only prompt discussions about Critical Mass itself.
We wholeheartedly do, and that's a lot of why we get so angry about how CM damages those causes.
@11 nailed it. Freeways are designed to separate fast moving vehicles from the rest of traffic--and for what? Safety. That's right, CM motherfuckers, so cars can go faster, and can do it without some potential disaster moving at 15 mph.
You want bike rights? Great, you can get them, but this type of self-righteous "protest" does nothing. All the commuters see is a bunch of kids having fun at everybody else's expense.
...and who cares if some idiots drive "for one exit to pick up a gallon of milk from the grocery store." You're willing to screw up everyone else for a couple of losers? Fine, let's ban alcohol because some people are drunken asshats. Let's stop selling bicycles because some people bike off trails in state parks and cause erosion.
And we all know which one happens more every day in downtown Seattle now don't we?
;)
Right.
This attitude of "I want to do what I want to do, and other people are insignificant insects." makes you a jerk whether you are in an SUV or on a bicycle.
I get around entirely by walking and public transit if it makes any difference.
Maybe on the last Friday evening of next month, we should organize some 4X4 clubs to come to downtown Capital Hill and have an impromptu parade down to the Burke Gilman? Maybe they can travel side by side 3 or 4 wide, and bully everyone off the trail for a few miles! We'll all have some laughs, take photos and pass out fliers for more off roading opportunities within Seattle City limits!
Sounds great!!
Hmmm I'm sure something along those lines can be arranged....
Might be the start of a new trend!
My asshole has more brains than that.
My dog's asshole has more brains than that.
The old PC-XT in my garage has more brains than that.
Coming soon to a critical mass ride near you. Not a threat, just an inevitability.
I've never driven a car in my life. Bet you have.
that's commendable and yes, i have driven one. i just don't understand how emotional folks get when their freedom to drive is threatened.
you ever been to seattle?
as for the ride: it was epic and fun and I felt sort of queasy the whole time. my experience riding bikes every day has led me to believe that nothing any bicyclist does has any effect on how anyone is treated. crazy traffic blocking once a month or not.
interestingly, when you're on the rides you get more support than anything else. even from people stopped in their cars. people getting mad is actually the minority reaction. unlike the internet echo chambers.
bicycling on a freeway is not the smartest idea, but it is perfectly legal to ride a bicycle on the road two abreast in most places. Overtaking vehicles need to be respectful of other vehicles in the roadway.
the difference between legal and illegal?
There are plenty of examples that demonstrate blatant disregard for the law. Let's start with GWBush's signing statements but move right into traffic law.
1) It is illegal to drive above the speed limit. Do you drive at or below the speed limit?
2) the law saws you are to prepare to stop when you see a yellow traffic signal light. Do you slow down when you see a yellow traffic signal?
People don't get anything from the government without asking/demanding it. Critical Mass is a demand on the government to do something about roads that suck for people not driving. Gandhi, MLK, and Susan B Anthony all demanded action from the government in a non-violent way. Those who write that they want to run over bicyclists should try to find inner peace and empathy instead of expressing their anger and frustration through violent speech.
ok, think. I know how handle this.
* Ignore points I can't answer. Pretend they weren't made.
* Pick a straw man position and pretend it characterizes all who are opposed.
* Tie the straw man to a bias against outsiders to invoke guilt by association.
* Use mockery. Provoke an emotional defensive response that will be easier to argue against.
ok, I've got it.
keith @59
let's face it, naked, it could be more pointed
what an excuse for getting rid of excess hormones. well, getting naked might be better viewing
Signed: Seat jammed into naked ass is cool
FTW and the lucky number on a totally wonder Sat. night
And, three cheers for mass naked ass. Bikers, who gives a shit
Also, i don't know anyone who has to get on the freeway to buy milk.
sorry if my comment was bad form.
my intention was to address comments like 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, etc, that see cars as owning the road. i think that is a major problem and like that CM draws attention to those of us who choose to bike and walk. so maybe going on 99 was excessive and maybe chas @63 is right in saying that it doesn't have to be so in-your-face, but still, the underlying problem seems to be this lust for and dependence on cars.
Children should all emulate them and grow up to be bike messengers.
Do not hate them, pity them.
I have no idea which happens more often, and I seriously doubt you do either. But regardless, there's a very good reason drivers are expected to adhere to a higher level of deferral when it comes to vehicle/pedestrian interactions - they're the ones driving the potentially death-dealing machines. A pedestrian walking against the light will delay the driver for a few seconds, perhaps a couple of minutes at-most; a motorist running a red light has the ability to kill someone outright.
Drivers who don't anticipate idiot moves by pedestrians simply aren't paying attention to their surroundings with the proper level of defensive awareness. Anyone with half a brain should expect some iPod wearin', cell-phone talkin', cracked out or whatever pedestrian to step out into the street when they shouldn't; that's what the whole concept of "defensive driving" means, but drivers tend to be just as distracted, just as unaware or their immediate surroundings as the hapless pedestrians that annoy them.
And that's how people die.
Why not a CM on the runway at SeaTac? Those airplanes think they own the airport.
The CM also held up buses, hate them too?
How about a CM at some swimming pools , on tennis courts, downtown sidewalks, on the light rail tracks...
It used to be that CM would *start* at roughly 5:30pm. This allows the riders to be on the road when there is still a fair amount of rush hour traffic around. Over time though, the starting time has slipped farther and farther back. People would rather chat and socialize than ride. Last night's ride didn't push off until after 6:15pm. Yeah, call me a grumpy person, but that's just annoying.
Anyhow, those complaining about CM blocking traffic should go outside and see how empty some of these streets are after 6:30pm on a Friday night. Often there's not a ton of traffic that's getting blocked. You should be happy they don't start the ride on time.
No. There is no reason that drivers should be required to anticipate anything other than legal moves by pedestrians or cyclists. Note to idiots on the Hill: cars will kill you if you jaywalk, and they will not go to jail, but you will go to the morgue.
To return to the actual topic, rather than your pet issue, the last time I saw CM on the viaduct, I blasted right by, as they were illegally blocking traffic. Not recklessly, but nor did I wait while they acted like teenagers failing in the adult world.
Too bad to all the car fans, quit you cryin'. And what are you doing sitting at the computer on a beautiful day? Not out DRIVING AROUND?
After years of CM in San Francisco, the freeways were an elusive dream. Thanks for the visceral thrills Christopher.
MLK Ghandi and S. Anthony were expanding the vote; you've got it; go persuade people. Oh wait, you're failing at that, because you piss people off.
Critical Mass is a failure because you revel in pissing off people which reduces support for bikes (and transit and peds) so you can get a thrill. You get a small number of people to join your rides. There is no mass -- your name is a fraud. A true mass bike ride would be 20,000 riders, with kids and grandmas included, instead of the small clueless band that you are, the core of which is so deluded they dont' even see they are not welcome, and they create opposition, just like religious fundamentalist Christians at a NARAL rally. That's what you are like. Oh wait, we're supposed to pity you, I guess because you ride bikes. OK you are pitiable.
Capisce?
So, yeah, all of the "oh the poor drivers who were inconvenienced!" crap fails to acknowledge that everyone is inconvenienced, not just drivers.
And that's how people die."
So to follow your logic, we should be worried about distracted drivers right?
Hmmm.... sounds like a catastrophe waiting to happen by Critical Assholes driving onto the viaduct on a sunny bright day full of glare and distractions. I'm sure those vehicle drivers would never be distracted given the conditions that existed on Friday afternoon would they?
funny but the difference between those and roads is that all your examples were built for specific purposes. roads are different: they've been around for a much longer time and, until the car came along, were used by pedestrians, carriages, horses, bicycles, an as a place to socialize, promenade and play. cars took them over and i commend CM for challenging this notion. (obviously the viaduct is an exception in that it was built solely for vehicular traffic, but i'm talking about the downtown streets).
People rode their bikes on the viaduct. The world didn't end, and life goes on. Calm yourselves, darlings.
Mr. Poe is right, as usual. It would be a big laugh if some of them got killed doing this stupid crap. Doesn't bike activist Allah give them 32 (or 36?) virgins in bike activist heaven if they are martyred for the cause?
And, yes, if you retards want to have a flamewar over how many spokes a bike should have, please do.
most bicyclists are very friendly. at least to other bicyclists. i wish cars were as nice to me as bicyclists are.
cute girls on bikes will say hello to me. cute girls in cars never say hello. where's the love?
What have these guys done? Going on an illegal joyride on a highway is just stupid. It would be tragic if someone had to be hurt to keep this from happening again.
CM is one thing in city streets (though even then it's stupid). But on a highway? You block tons of traffic on a high-bandwidth road with infrequent ramps. People a mile back have no option but to putter along at 5 mph (because that's the top speed of most of these poseur hippies) until the next off-ramp, which will certainly be swamped.
Net result? Miles of cars sitting there burning up fuel and spewing out emissions, cars whichâunhinderedâwould have gotten where they were going more efficiently (both temporarily and ecologically) without these morons.
The comment about inadvertently blocking a legislator is spot-on. You never know what unintended consequences such rash actions will have.
Can someone tell me what this was supposed to accomplish?
Catalina that just shows you how pissed off and angry people are about the Critical Assholes and their monthly assholery.
It is time they move on. How long have they been trying to push their agenda now? How many more months of assholery does the majority of the population have to put up with this childish behavior? Is there an endgame to their anarchy?
I for one think it is time for wiser heads to prevail and call for an end to this ineffective and increasingly backfiring tactic. Cascade bicycle club and other similar orgs need to take back their cause from this group of misfits.
The damage to the average bicyclist's image has already been done and will take years to repair with the majority of the public.
The problem is the bicycling community who are not organized and are not are part of this are the ones who are going to suffer the repercussions of voter rejection until this is solved and Critical Assholes' events are put to an end.
Plus the egos of those organizing the Critical Asshole events won't allow their little bit of infamy each month to die peacefully. Rather they would like to continue raising hell irrespective whether or not it is the best path to achieve their goals.
Critical Mass has a total duration of about 3-4 hours one day per month. It slows car traffic down for maybe 20 minutes in any given area.
I love the irony of people who drive cars complaining about cyclists' sense of entitlement. It really doesn't get any better than that.
You folks in Critical Mass...why do you even bother wearing a helmet? I mean...you get a serious head injury and it's not like it's going to really impact the quality of your life or anything...
Does that mean I'm free to judge all car owners by that fuckstick who pushed the jumper off the bridge?
It's disrespectful. It's stupid. And it's fucking stuck up and spoiled. You kids on Capitol Hill are spoiled bitches and it pisses this kid from a conservative state off. We fight every day for what you already have. Stop being so fucking stupid.