 
The following is the text of a Critical Mass brochure that was just 
finished around the end of February. It is meant to be 
inspirational, not instructional, since there really are many 
different ways to organize a bike demo/gathering. Actual 
brochures are available for 50 cents each, from the address listed 
at the end of this e-letter. Please order no less than two. Please 
keep sending Critical Mass info requests to
pwmag@well.sf.ca.us  or  crash@barn.com
Please send news announcements of Critical Mass events or 
other bike happenings to
pwmag@well.sf.ca.us  or  crash@barn.com  or  
earthisland@igc.apc.org
 
Critical Mass . . . 
The minimum amount or number required for something to 
happen, begin, etc.
 
The cop was standing in front of me as I turned around.
"Excuse me," he said with professional reserve, "are you one of 
the organizers here?" I had been passing out flyers of the route to 
the 500 or so bicyclistss gathered for the monthly Critical Mass 
(CM). I was also handing out my zine.
"I don't think there are organizers," I said hesitantly.
"Because last time you guys kept riding through intersections 
even after the light turned red and you caused gridlock. Is that 
one of the organizers over there?" The motorcycle cop pointed 
to another person handing out flyers. A Channel 7 reporter was 
trying to interview her.
"Not that I know of. Why does something like this need an 
organizer? It's pretty unorganized."
"OK sir, well we're not going to let that happen again because 
the mayor heard about it and he's very upset. When the light 
turns red we're going to clear the intersection by force if 
necessary."
I mumbled something non-confrontational and slunk away, 
unsure what this ride was going to be like, hoping against hope 
that the police would not instigate anything. The other rides had 
been so calm. I didn't want to get arrested.
About half an hour later the bike ride poured into the street. 
Police were escorting us on motorcycles on both sides, same as 
before. Even though we as a mass with our corkers [see CM 
Terms] could block traffic with no problem on our own, they 
thought we needed their "escort" for protection, or maybe they 
were just trying to make us think we needed them.
Riding towards the middle of the slow moving mass, I noticed 
the light at our first intersection turning red just as I was getting 
there. I cringed. Eight  motorcycle cops pulled into the crowd 
with menacing faces. I looked around to see what everyone else 
was going to do. Everyone looked very calm about the whole 
thing, which relaxed me. I saw one, then two bicycles slip 
between the motorcycles. Then I was weaving my way through. 
The blockade was leaking like a sieve. The cop on my right tried 
to back his motorbike into my way. But his bike was too heavy 
and he was too slow. I was through!
 Miles Poindexter
 
CARS, CARS, CARS.
The state of urban transportation is in critical condition. Cars, 
designed for high speed highway trips, are trapped in our cities. 
They are dangerous, injuring and killing pedestrians and cyclists, 
spewing noxious odors and creating sound pollution. Cars arenUt 
made for cities. Why are we designing cities for cars? Urban areas 
devote 40% of their land to parking space for cars alone!. There 
are cars in every city living better than people. 
Next time you go for a walk or ride your bike, take a few minutes 
to look around and picture your city free of cars. What would the 
streets be filled with? What would your city smell like, sound 
like, and feel like, without autos? If you can envision a street 
filled with hundreds of bicycles, casually pedaling down your 
street, breathing clean air, the serenity broken only by 
conversations between riders, and the occasional chime of a bell, 
then youUve just pictured Critical Mass.
Critical Mass is a glimpse of what could be in a bicycle-oriented 
society. If enough people glimpse this, they wonUt be satisfied 
with their present condition. Critical Mass is about people-
powered machines in a people-oriented society.
Miles
 
Every time I ride around I see other bikers. Sometimes I wave, 
but usually I just try to react to these huge metal boxes speeding 
back and forth, cutting me off. It's a familiar image. Wouldn't it 
be cool if we countered it by riding together once in a while?
Joseph D. Hofmann, Biker Pride zine - Milwaukee, WI
 
Why not start a Critical Mass in your city? There are as many 
ways to do a Critical Mass as there are bike riders in the city. 
Everyone will have their own reasons for wanting to participate.
Determine a monthly date for a group bike ride, and a place to 
gather. A starting time of around 5:30 PM allows people who 
finish work at 5:00 PM enough time to reach the gathering and 
RcommuteS home with you. This is when cars are caught in 
rush hour; commuter grid-lock. It is also the most dangerous 
time for city bicyclists to ride. Because Critical Mass is a glimpse 
of a better urban environment, it is important to be visible in 
heavily trafficked areas for the maximum exposure.
Miles
 
CRITICAL QUOTES:
Critical Mass is a density. It displaces automobiles by 
concentrating bicycles so thickly no car will fit, so if a gap as big as 
a car appears ahead of you, ride into the middle of it and call 
over a friend. CM is also a social space, a public act of self-
acknowledgment by bicyclists who are at the cutting edge of 
challenging the transit priorities of this society, and by extension, 
most of the priorities of this culture in general. Having no clear 
agenda, CM is a monthly organized coincidence. We are all 
simply riding home . . . together!
C.C.
 
I had never had such a calm, peaceful, slow ride through San 
Francisco's downtown/financial district. My time and mental 
space there is usually taken up by eternally glancing behind and 
around me for fear of a ferocious and/or ignorant car driver. On 
this day, I could devote my energies toward looking and 
listening to what was around me, and talking and smiling with 
my fellow bicyclists. I realized I would much rather be stuck in a 
bicycle traffic jam than an automobile traffic jam.
 John Labovitz
 
I was arrested last week. Can you believe it? Me, the yuppie from 
the Upper East Side. The person who lives on the same block as 
[former] Mayor Dave. My parents thought I was crazy when I 
moved to NYC, but you can guess what they think now.
As I arrived at the meeting place, the Washington Square Arch, I 
was shocked to notice police lined up along the north side of the 
park. Pulling up to a friend, I muttered, "What's going on? Why 
are all the cops here?" "For us," my friend replied. As we got on 
our way, the police announced that if we didn't follow their 
exact orders, we would be arrested. For what, I thought: Riding a 
bike down a street in Manhattan? Wasn't it within my civil 
rights to bike when and where I wanted to, as long as I followed 
traffic laws?
We pulled out into the street and the cops immediately boxed us 
in as we headed up 6th Avenue. It was becoming difficult to ride. 
The police controlled our speed, stops, and starts in a very 
militant fashion.
Along the way, we did "bike lifts" (getting off your bike and 
raising it over your head) which the cops didn't like. God forbid 
we should hamper a car from crossing an intersection! The 
second time we did one they went crazy, arresting everyone who 
dared stay in the intersection.
I took a deep breath, and thought about the two cyclists that had 
been killed earlier in the week. I want to be able to commute to 
work on my bike without being hit by a car. Is this too much to 
ask for? I've been working for these things for more than three 
years and have they listened? I stepped into the intersection as 
the answer screamed out in my head. "NO!"
Caren Cohen
All charges against the bicyclists were dropped.
 
A Note About Cops:
The cops are the domestic equivalent of the military. They are 
well-armed, well-trained and can ALWAYS bring more force to 
bear than any opposing group. Attempts to push mass political 
action (like Critical Mass) into violent confrontation with the 
law are attempts to militarize social opposition. Once 
militarized, the process of any social movement becomes 
narrowed: secrecy, cells, arms, unknown leaders calling the shots 
(often at the expense of innocent bystanders), and so on. This 
process guarantees defeat because they can always bring in bigger 
guns and more troops. Worse still, our own activity loses its 
basis in pleasure and conviviality and becomes an urgent, scary 
duty rife with danger. And even if the militant street fighters 
win a skirmish here and there, what's accomplished? The media 
will have a field day trashing us because few people identify with 
"militant" activities, and any vision of a different way of life is 
utterly lost in the predictability of this kind of ostensible 
opposition. Finally, militancy of this sort strongly reinforces the 
police state. The cops need rioters just as much as these rioters 
need cops. If there weren't individuals whose politics led them 
to fight police, the police would have to hire actors to fulfill this 
function. Police have often employed agent provocateurs to 
incite violence when masses of people had better ideas.
 The Central Committee for Decentralization
 
If anything, Critical Mass is too tame. Random vandalism makes 
no sense, because it doesn't focus attention on the real issues, but 
focused, physical protests such as blocking traffic (just as parades 
and funerals do (and aren't we a parade/funeral celebrating the 
death of the Age of the Automobile?) and riding on the freeway 
seem like a natural reaction to a real threat to our health and 
well being.
-Michael J. Vandeman, Ph.D.
mjvande@pbhye.pacbell.com
 
Alternative Bikestyles
The Critical Mass bike ride in the East Bay is considerably more 
wild than others. The last ride ranged all over Berkeley, veering 
wildly off its (semi) scheduled course, with decisions being made 
with amazing spontaneity. When the ride came to an 
intersection, someone yelled "To MacDonald's!" The cry was 
picked up, and the crowd was off, confronting not just motorists 
but fast food consumers as well, as the ride turned the drive-thru 
for Big Macs and fries into a bike lane.
Yet when I realized this particular ride was going towards the 
freeway, I was stunned. We had been riding for about 12 miles 
(according to the police), and I certainly never heard anyone yell 
"To the freeway!" We just seemed to end up near it, and then we 
seemed to be heading towards it, and we were all riding so 
quietly that it was almost surreal. When we got to the on-ramp 
the bicyclists were smiling and laughing ecstatically, until the 60 
mph grind of traffic on I-80 became a reality. It was scary at first. 
But you'd be surprised how easy it is to bring traffic to a grinding 
halt, or at least a slow crawl.
 Fork
 People who drive death machines are not monsters. They have
all been pedestrians, most have ridden bikes. Our tactics must 
show that the device and not the driver is opposed. They believe 
that automobiles are essential, but we represent life without 
them. Our refusal to remain unnoticed may cause them to 
examine their choice and our example will give them an 
alternative.
Kash
 
Critical Mass Austin
Slacker isn't just a movie here, its actually a way of life and 
something to "aspire" to. This is why Critical Mass Austin is 
particularly exciting.
On the day of the first ride the weather was quite dismal. It was 
cold and rainy, I didn't expect much of a turn out, but to many 
people's surprise 50-75 riders took part. Although most of the 
cyclists were University of Texas students, I sensed early on that 
for every rider there was a different motivation and expectation 
for the ride. I was there because I was tired of complaining about 
how crappy the streets are here, with nasty pot holes and no 
shoulders. I was not out to change drivers minds about the use 
of cars. I just wanted them to be painfully aware that bike riders 
exist and to get used to it, because we do have the power to make 
life miserable for them.
The first half of the ride there wasn't a cop in sight. When they 
did show up they didn't know what to make of us. For a while 
they acted as some sort of unwelcome escort, clearly frustrated in 
not knowing what to do with us. Finally they must have gotten 
orders from some higher up and began the violent arrest of 
seven riders. The charges ran from assault of an officer (a deaf 
rider in the midst of being arrested tried to use his hands to talk); 
to inciting a riot (I think some lip from a rider caused this one) 
to minor traffic violations.
Since the first ride there has been more media attention, 
community involvement (the last two rides had between 150 
and 200 participants), and greater cop hassles (fourteen arrests 
last time). The riders have been forced to obey all traffic rules or 
expect mass arrests. However, riding two abreast and no running 
of red lights can still have a great effect.
Dorothy Blank
 
So much of our lives we are forced to accept situations which we 
have not chosen for ourselves. As consumers, as voters, as 
employees, we allow crucial decisions about our lives to be made 
by other, more powerful people. How sad it is then - and yet how 
predictable - that our movements for social change are so often 
cursed with this same problem. When we join a political party, 
or sign a petition, or take part in a rally, more often then not we 
are simply accepting someone else's opinion, chanting slogans 
we did not create, and endorsing laws we do not understand.
Critical Mass is, or should be, something different . . . A space 
where people do not have ideas or actions imposed on them, 
where people can take an active, rather than passive role in 
building a livable future, in however small a way.
 reprinted from a handout at a CM
 
"I'm not in charge," said one man on foot in a navy blue baseball 
jacket at the pre-ride meeting as he passed out booklets with a 
route map and neatly printed "citations" which the protesters 
were to give motorists. "Use the buddy system," he advised. At 
5:30 PM sharp, a group of about 105 bicyclists and rollerbladers 
and skateboarders eased gently onto Southwest Park Avenue 
followed by a mod squad of 10 bicycle patrol officers.
If Critical Massers were out to pick a fight with the authorities, it 
didn't happen. Duets of bike cops rode in front and flanking the 
Critical Mass group as the caravan turned east toward 
Waterfront Park, holding traffic at bay and declining to issue 
citations when the tail end of the Critical Mass procession ran 
red lights to keep up with the rest of the group, which legally but 
slowly took up a traffic lane. The police, joined on Front Avenue 
by three patrol cars, a paddy wagon and four unmarked police 
cars, repeatedly expressed their support for the protest. "We ride 
bikes when we're not working too," said Sgt. Jim Ferraris of the 
bicycle patrol. "We know what it's like to ride in a gutter or get 
clipped by a car."
Jean Wenzel
Pedaling in Portland
 
It should be relatively easy to set up a Critical Mass ride. 
Bicyclists face the same general problems everywhere - 
dangerous cycling conditions due to a lack of bike lanes or car-
free corridors, inadequate facilities for bicycles (few, if any bike 
racks and locker or shower facilities at work places), the 
arrogance and recklessness of motorists, air unsuited for heavy 
exercise, etc. Add to this the number of people who are simply 
opposed to fossil-fuel dependency and the ecological havoc 
wreaked by automobiles, as well as those who instinctively reject 
the isolation and helplessness that inevitably go along with the 
car/cash economy, and you have the potential for a mass-based 
movement that could contribute to radically improved 
conditions in hundreds of cities.
In fact, once the idea of getting together every month in a show 
of mutual solidarity and support has been suggested, it seems so 
natural and obvious that people will wonder why the idea didn't 
take off years ago!
Hugh
 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -
About 75 bicyclists took over the streets of central Philadelphia 
for an hour and a half on Sept. 29, demanding better conditions 
for city cyclists. Participants gathered at City Hall and rode 
through the streets en masse, holding up midday traffic and 
handing out a list of their demands to pedestrians and motorists, 
including a network of bike lanes to be built in the city, bike 
access to mass transit, and an end to bike bans on a major 
downtown street and the University of Pennsylvania campus. 
Cyclists plan to hold monthly actions until their demands are 
met.
Auto-Free Press
 
I suppose it means something that the idea is spreading to other 
cities so quickly: now Montreal, Boston, NYC, Poznan, Poland, 
Berkeley, Santa Cruz and Portland, and it's still jumping along. 
Completely unrelated but just as impressive are the Tuesday 
night rides along the coastline in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by 
upwards of 7,000 bicyclists a week!
Where can it all go? Can a larger vision of social transformation 
get articulated through this kind of expanded public space/life? 
Are bikes really subversive, or will we soon see corporate 
sponsors like Diet Coke in Rio de Janeiro?
Chris Carlsson
 
7. CM TERMS:
a. Corking: As the group rides into an intersection, 1 or 2 
bicyclers stop in front of the waiting cars, effectively RcorkingS 
the intersection until everyone rides by. This keeps motorists 
from considering inching forward when their light turns green. 
Many corkers hold up signs saying RThanks for waitingS or 
RHonk if you love bicycles.S
b. Organized Coincidence:  This describes how CM rides simply 
RmaterializeS every month even though there are no leaders or 
organizational sponsorships. No one need take responsibility but 
everyone can take credit.
c. Xerocracy: Everyone can influence a CM by writing their ideas 
down and copying them so that a majority of riders see a copy. A 
route can be agreed upon in this way also. If enough people like 
your idea, it will happen; if not, remember there are no leaders 
in a xerocracy.
d. Going to Mass:  Showing up at the CM ride. Example: RAre 
you going to Mass Friday?"
e. Wheeze in: When a bunch of bicyclers suddenly fall to the 
ground in a mock display of gasping and wheezing in the middle 
of an intersection.  This usually gets the horns honking.
f. Diffusing: Jumping in and disengaging a bike rider from a 
motorist if it looks like they are getting hostile to each other.
g. Chain Reaction: The phenomenon of CM appearing in cities 
all over the map. Is yours next?
 
I haven't met one bicyclist I couldn't talk to on some level. The 
various influences that biking has on our brain and body 
provide ready conversation. I don't think I've ever been asked 
the stale get-to-know-each-other questions during a CM. When 
conversation starts there's so much more stuff to talk about on a 
more specific, intimate level. (It's just such a warm, sharing, 
giving experience. It just gives me the chills, you know?).
Beth
P.S. Special note to Steve Ancell:
To answer your questions:
a. Don't overtake traffic at a standstill, keep the group together at 
all times
b. Issue all the press releases you would like to. The presence of 
the press always deters the police from hassling bikers. On the 
other hand they might seek out the most confrontational 
sound/image bites and give your demonstration a bad name 
before it even gets going. I prefer not to alert the press at all and 
let people find out about it through word of mouth. It tends to 
make the event more social/fun and less political/controversial.
c. Our rides generally last 2 to 3 hours.
How are your rides going? You mentioned they would start 
around December 3.
 
quotes, notes and anecdotes compiled by Miles
c/o Crash % 519 Castro St. #7 % San Francisco, CA 94114 USA
email:  crash@barn.com
