Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Traffic chaos warning as Critical Mass plans CBD bike protest today November 25, 2011 - 12:43PM

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell says protesters planning a mass bike ride through central Sydney during peak hour have rocks in their heads.

Traffic chaos is expected to engulf Sydney's CBD this afternoon when Critical Mass protesters ride through the CBD dead in peak hour at 5.30pm (AEDT).

The protest will traverse major streets including Market St, George St, Pitt St, Elizabeth St and Macquarie St, before crossing the Harbour Bridge.

Advertisement: Story continues below Mr O'Farrell says blocking city streets on a wet Friday is the last way to get support.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/traffic-chaos ... z1eg7YUQtS

JV911 wrote: Mr O'Farrell says blocking city streets on a wet Friday is the last way to get support.[/i]

My thoughts exactly.

ldrcycles wrote:JV911 wrote:
Mr O'Farrell says blocking city streets on a wet Friday is the last way to get support.[/i]



My thoughts exactly.

+1.

Yeah, they should leave the street-blocking to the regular car traffic.

absolute peanuts...

jet-ski wrote:Yeah, they should leave the street-blocking to the regular car traffic.

a valid point...peak-hour cbd traffic barely moves

but they are not doing themselves, or us, any favours in gaining support esp when the SMH jumps on the bandwagon and sensationalises it

pot kettle black. I wont be riding which sucks, i'd love to give a few happy waves to the people sitting in their cars

Addictr3 wrote:i'd love to give a few happy waves to the people sitting in their cars

Riding in the city you could do that every day couldn't you? .

Oxford wrote:what is worse is that some moron in a cage may get some vigilante justice idea in their thick skull and try to "punish" a cyclist.

You mean like the Critical Mass ride in Brazil a while ago? That was awful.

Maybe they applied for police approval? Or maybe the journo read a light-pole poster or something? Hopefully they aren't writing media releases

I agree with Ox - flash mob style is the way to go, and not too massive cos then you lose the group adhesion.... and people may do silly things to try and keep the group together.

How is this different to what they do every month and why is it news?

Cos it's a slow news day? Cos anti-cyclist stories always get hits to their website? Why do the press run any story?

We don't have CM-ers really in Perth, so the media run hate campaigns against charity rides instead.

Given people's right to protest and free speech, it's hard to argue against Critical Mass (as we've done here as well as other forums). But the key question I'd like to know at this point is, what changes has these regular Critical Mass rides made? For the few years I've been following cycling events, I have yet to hear any positive and constructive message out of that group. All I hear and read is their Fri protests, one that cause inconveniences to all road users around the CBD. If they spend their Fri time in cleaning up glass chips along the numerous cycle ways around Sydney, then I'd think there's value in their movement.

I like how that article clearly details the route of the ride, and how to get there lol made me laugh.

the irony of being published in the "motoring" section of the paper also gave me a good chuckle....

Sorry for being ignorant, what do they stand for?

Deliberately frustrating other legitimate road users - hard to see how that builds a positive reputation for cyclists. I want cyclists seen as legitimate users of public roads. This comes with rights AND responsibilities. And one of the responsibilities we rightly expect from motorists is that they are considerate of other road users..... I think all this will achieve with most people is they'll be increasingly inclined to think that cyclists should get out of the way.

I suppose its one way for the great unwashed to have a shower with the way Sydney weather has been lately. If you want to increase the hatred towards cyclists in Sydney, then this is one way of doing it,that is if they are indeed going to do it.Tim

Nate wrote:absolute peanuts...

the riders?

or the added traffic, as in a drop in the ocean?

The other annoying thing of this event is the involvement of BarryO, trying to score some political points. He has clearly taken side and ignored the group's right to protest, one that won't do any good to community harmony.

These people are absolute <REMOVED> idiots. They create consistent anger between cars and me on my way home to my 2 little kids. Everytime these clowns do this us real cyclists (the ones who dont think they own the road and obey rules) get a bad name. I feel like going down there and flogging some sense into these people. I am all for protesting but lets not do it on a friday night to all the traffic leaving the city trying to get home to their loved ones. 99.9% of motorists are pretty good to cyclist, so why cause this effect to everyone. Can their not be a less disruptive way to do this

Sydney is unfortunatly not cycling friendly, however great steps have been made in recent years. We are a car society, learn to deal with it, ride the back roads and save the agnst for the fixie riders.

I am happy to have a boxing charity match with the organiser of this debacle......

trek52 - maybe you should get out of your smokebox and enjoy your trip home - I love how you assume that CM cyclists don't have families to go home to and that having a family gives you some kind of moral high ground.

Ox, I love you

trek52 wrote:These people are absolute <REMOVED> idiots. They create consistent anger between cars and me on my way home to my 2 little kids. Everytime these clowns do this us real cyclists (the ones who dont think they own the road and obey rules) get a bad name. I feel like going down there and flogging some sense into these people. I am all for protesting but lets not do it on a friday night to all the traffic leaving the city trying to get home to their loved ones. 99.9% of motorists are pretty good to cyclist, so why cause this effect to everyone. Can their not be a less disruptive way to do this

Sydney is unfortunatly not cycling friendly, however great steps have been made in recent years. We are a car society, learn to deal with it, ride the back roads and save the agnst for the fixie riders.

I am happy to have a boxing charity match with the organiser of this debacle......

There's so much wrong with your words. Placing blame on CM for generating hate between cars and so called "real cyclists" is ridiculous - I honestly beleive majority of the hate I receive has nothing to do with CM. And what, a protest should be a convenient little thing? IMHO the entire point of a protest is that it is supposed to be noticeable, or impossible to not notice, so to call attention to a cause. And in my experience, this "99.9% of motorists are pretty good to cyclist" is so very far from the truth - as I understand it, part of the reason CM exists is because it is so far from the reality of things.

"We are a car society... ride the back roads"
It's this kind of mentality some of us want to see changed in this country. I'm not looking for a complete restructuring of our entire way of life, nor am I riding in CM. But I do want to see less of the mentality you've displayed in motorists on the road, and a much more well-informed, aware, and respectful community of road-users. Maybe I will ride in CM one day.

And finally, this mention of a boxing charity match? Machoism such as this is in my eyes the worst kind of motorist rage I've received: that of the male who thinks he is so very tough, and can solve any problem with such narrow thinking.
In my eyes, in saying that, you're only a few short steps from being the bloke in the holden who decides to physically threaten you with his car (as I'm sure some of you out there have experienced at least once).

Oxford wrote: so consideration should be given to other road users and motorists should not drive during peak hours of road use? this is the irony I alluded to earlier. why is it OK for highways to be jammed with motor vehicles on long weekends because everyone massed towards a popular area. why is it OK for roads around schools, shopping centres, businesses, commercial/industrial areas et al to be jammed with masses of motor vehicles during peak use times? the hypocrisy is disturbing.

Hi Oxford

My point was about the apparent intention of CM to be disruptive towards other road users. I am not aware of any organised motorist groups setting out to do this (except the occasional truckies blockade). Certainly people using their cars for the purposes you mention are generally unlikely to be doing so for the reasons that appear to motivate CM. There isn't enough room on the roads for everyone at peak hour - we all know this - so while I think it's fair enough for all of us to use them, it's pretty inconsiderate to organise with others to do that en masse with the objective of adding to the problem. As to deliberately breaking the law that we also want to protect us (referred to on the CM website) ........

Bring on the day when cyclists all feel safe and welcome on the roads. Unfortunately, I don't think CM is bringing it any closer. The bigger this gets, the more people will want cyclists to stick to bike paths and suburban back streets.

Regards, Marcus

Hey Barry,

If you read this forum, which i doubt, but just in case you do;

Why is it not mentioned anywhere that people like me sat on the M5 for two hours tonight, and to stick the knife in further, the toll increased to $4.40 today!

This is why I can see Drive 2 Work days being so effective. Potentially as disruptive without the obvious Us v Them
issues. As many cyclists as possible sacrificing one or two days a year to jam up our roads, while advertising the fact while they drive. Either window signage which can be easily removed or stuck in the boot when your car is unattended, or carrying the bike you'd normally ride to get the message across on the day.
And even if it wasn't a work trip, drive to the shos for the milk and bread and be a lazy bum for 10 minutes.