The tamming of the cruise?

last Friday's
critical mass
around the country

Oxford
(England)

A few years ago, a CM restarted in Oxford, doing the traditional Friday evening trawl of city centre streets. I went on one and was immediately turned off by some aggressive participants. I vowed never to return.

So why did I? Because, new to Oxford, on the last Friday of every month, starting at 6.30pm in Broad Street, we have Carnival Mass. Carnival Mass is all about enjoyment. It celebrates cycling in Oxford by taking traffic-free or low-volume routes around the city centre and Jericho.

Chicago

San Fransisco

The ride began slowly, as a phalanx of motorcycle officers basically got the ball rolling by helping the cyclists run the first batch of lights. Under the circumstances it was clearly the safest thing to do, but I'm still trying to sort it out, as were many pedestrians to judge from their expressions.

Seattle

The mood was more merry prankster than bicycle hooligan as the monthly Critical Mass demonstration rolled through Seattle Friday at rush hour.

About 300 cyclists and a strong police presence marked the first ride since violence erupted last month on Capitol Hill. That encounter resulted in two bicyclists being arrested and a motorist injured. No charges have been filed, and police are still investigating.

Morristown
(New Jersey)

Friday's Critical Mass ride honored Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello, who inspired these monthly treks when he pooh-poohed bicycle commuting one year ago.

Denver

...with the Democratic National Convention in town, bicyclists decided to hit the road Wednesday to draw attention to the relationship between bicyclists and motorists.

"Bikes are part of traffic," said participant Pau Tay. "Motorists try to intimidate bicylists off the road."

It was Kellen Sorauf's first Critical Mass ride. As he prepared for the ride, he hoped to avoid any trouble, given that many of the riders have been part of the demonstrations at Civic Center this week.

"Hopefully this is a peaceful event," Sorauf said.

There were no issues as the bikers left the park. Police followed alongside and behind the bikers a they made their way through the streets of downtown.