December Critical Mass

With the city currently drafting "Get the Cyclists" legislation, this month's Critical Mass was the source of much speculation. Will mass arrests be made? Will bikes be confiscated? Will nightsticks be used? Even the Paper of Record had something to chime in about this month's ride. While they were mostly sympathetic to the cyclists, the Times really needs a fact checker. The editorial urged CM "leadership" to inform the NYPD about what route they plan to take to avoid problems. This suggestion is reasonable except for two things. Since it is not an organization, Critical Mass has no leaders, and does not plan where the rides go in advance.

Whether it was the cold weather or police intimidation that kept people away, the turnout was pretty thin, and it would be safe to say that cops on scooters outnumbered cyclists at a ratio of 3:1. One might even say that New York's Finest were having their own ride behind the people they were pursuing. I had two close calls. The police blockaded the intersection near 50th and Madison, but I was able to walk mine onto the sidewalk, where one cannot be given a ticket or arrested. Although I wasn't breaking any laws, it was a necessary precaution because false tickets are common on these rides.

The other close call was at Times Square, which we managed to squeeze through without incident. One rider complained that we never should have gone there. It's an easy target. He said, "Critical Mass riders act like it's their goddamn masterpiece -- their Mona Lisa!" I prefer to think of it as the mustache above her lip, our Marcel Duchamp, if you will.