10th Anniversary
of
Critical Mass

Gifts

Talk Fast Ride Slow is a website of the Committee for Full Enjoyment, an affinity group that is active with Critical Mass. They promoted a potlatch and potluck gift exchange at the ride. Their artists have also created four beautiful posters.

Book

Critical Mass: Bicycling's Defiant Celebration is a book of articles, essays, fliers, and photos from dozens of contributors from Critical Masses around the world. The book's release coincides with the 10th annivesary, and is available from the publisher or your local independent bookstore. Editor Chris Carlsson and various contributors will be reading and signing copies of the book somewhere near you (maybe).

Car-Free Days

The anniversary is fortunately during the last half of September, which the excellent folks at Car Busters have declared as World Car-Free Days. The city of San Francisco has sort of announced its first Car-Free Day on September 27th (the same day as the anniversary ride). Announcements were sent out to inform people that Montgomery Street will be closed between Market and California Streets from 10:00AM to 2:00PM, but public service placards in the city buses give different hours. No contact information can be found on the placards, and there's no information on the city's website. Everyone is probably better off not driving a car at all that day.

Car-Free Days are celebrated around the world this time of year. For example, the European Union has them on September 22nd. Usually they do far more than San Francisco, closing entire city centers, or at least holding an all-day street fair. (San Francisco has two major street fairs during the Car-Free Days, but doesn't call them Car-Free!) There are also Critical Mass and Reclaim the Street celebrations of car-free streets all over the world.

Bike Protest Against Oil-igarchy

Also on September 27th, there's a big protest against big oil and the World Bank going on in Washington, D.C. In San Francisco, the folks at Art and Revolution made a bike protest out of this. There's no information about it on their website, but details were sent to a San Francisco Critical Mass email list: 4:30PM at Chevron-Texaco, 575 Market between 1st and 2nd Streets. This is near the Montgomery BART station, and right between the sites of "Car-Free Day" and Critical Mass.

Photos of the Anniversary Rides

In San Francisco:

• Damon Rao's Photos - Folks arrive on BART, ride, and party.
• David Erickson's Photos - On the Embarcadero with a cake.
• METROdigital Photos - Decorating bikes and going to Pee Wee Plaza.
• Moe Cain's Photos - At Pee Wee Plaza, downtown, and in the Broadway tunnel.
• Pamela Palma's Photos - Starts at Digipop and goes through the Broadway tunnel.
• Plip! Pix - Choppers and hair at Pee Wee Plaza, the tunnel, and Dolores Park.
• Radioactive Man's Photos - A smattering.
• SF Indymedia Photos - On downtown streets.
• Tian Harter's Photos - Some of the ride's posters and stickers.

Around the world:

• Portland - Celebration, mixed with protest of police behavior in August.
• St. Louis - Celebration with birthday party hats.
• Vancouver - Celebration with colorful costumes.

Media

Marvel at what the media's saying:

• SF Bay Guardian - We are traffic: Reflections on 10 years of Critical Mass. {September 18, 2002}
• SF Examiner - Bicycle bash comes of age {September 25, 2002}
• SF Examiner - Mongtomery to go car-free {September 25, 2002}
• SF Chronicle - Critical Mass turns 10: A decade of defiance  [Extra Photo] {September 26, 2002}
• SF Chronicle - TWO CENTS On Critical Mass {September 26, 2002}
• SF Chronicle - Cars hit with double whammy {September 26, 2002}
• SJ Mercury News - Car-Free Day may pose traffic problems in S.F. {September 26, 2002}
• LA Times - Collision of Wills in San Francisco {September 26, 2002}
• Associated Press - Rolling bike protests have become global phenomenon  [Photo] {September 26, 2002, 07:05pm}
  
  • An interviewee's remarks about the AP article.
• KRON TV-4 - Critical Mass Marks Ten Year Anniversary (Video) {September 27, 2002}
• Associated Press - Cyclists Celebrate S.F. Protest {September 27, 2002, 07:08pm}
• SF Indymedia - Critical Mass 10th Anniversary {September 27, 2002, 11:13pm}
• Associated Press - Cyclists Ride in Anniversary Protest  [Photo] {September 28, 2002, 12:09am}
• SF Chronicle - Cycle of conflict  [Extra Photo] {September 28, 2002}
• Contra Costa Times - Critical Mass anniversary ride floods streets of San Francisco {September 28, 2002}
  • Also in SJ Mercury News - Bicyclists fill streets, peddle safety message
• Reuters - San Fran cyclists hail decade of rolling protests {September 30, 2002}

Credits

"X" detail from anniversary poster by Jim Swanson.
Anniversary posters by Mona Caron, Hugh D'Andrade, Jim Swanson, and Beth Verdekal.
Book cover illustration by Mona Caron.
World Car-Free Days image by the Car Busters editorial collective.