THOUGHTS ON CRITICAL MASS

Who's  in  charge  of  this?

We all are! That means it's up to all of us to make the
ride fun and safe. If you see someone doing something
unsafe/inappropriate, please take it upon yourself to
tell them so.

Where  are  we  going? 

I dunno. I doubt we have a map this time. If you
want to have a say in this, make your voice heard
and get up to the front and make it happen. I'd prefer
it if we keep everyone together, don't go too fast
for the slowest riders, stay in busy public areas for
maximum impact, and stay safe; e.g. don't go the
wrong way on one-way streets or ride the wrong way
on two-ways.

Why  are  we  here?

Why are YOU here? I'm here to ride my bike, have a
blast, and show the world that cycling is fun!
Celebrate cycling! Oh yeah, and to help make the
point: we're not blocking traffic, we ARE traffic!

What  about  the  cops?

Some of us have spoken with them. They will be riding
with us, but they said they'd try just bike cops,
warnings before citations, and allow corking. They
will issue citations for egregious behavior. They
asked that the mass not surround them if they issue
a citation (1-2 friends is ok), and leave a lane free
where possible.

Be  Cool.

If we smile and are pleasant on our ride (i.e. don't
try to piss off the poor sheep in their stinkmobiles)
then when they harass us WE look like the victims.
If we are rude, yell at drivers, go the wrong way
on streets, etc. then WE look like the a**holes.
See point 1.

This is all what I think.
You got something to say, make yer own!
It's XEROCRACY! -Ben

[Side Two]

THE UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO CORKING

Corking is the act of protecting the mass from cars,
by preventing them from passing through or into the
mass, thus protecting and maintaining the structural
integrity of the mass. Some riders place their bikes in
front of cars to do this physically, others pull up
alongside cars and engage the driver hence corking
the car verbally.

The aim of corking is to ensure the smooth safe flow
of the mass. Therefore it may be wise in some
instances to let cars move on rather than holding
them until the mass has passed.

Corking is one of the few quasi legal activities
associated with Critical Mass. The others are, riding
more than 2 abreast, and disobeying certain traffic
signals.

Some things to keep in mind when corking:

o Don't cork too early, wait for the mass, otherwise
  drivers won't see why they are being stopped. On
  some occasions it may be better to let a car through,
  use your own judgement.
o Always make an effort to let drivers know what is
  going on and try to give them a corking leaflet.
  This is much better than drivers encountering
  Critical Mass and not knowing what it is about.
o Most importantly, be nice! This will leave a much
  better impression on drivers. 
o And lastly make sure you don't get left behind! If
  you have any questions, ask someone who looks like
  they know what they're doing.

Remember, drivers, like us, are also the victims of
50+ years of car oriented urban development and
planning. Don't take your agression out on them! The
key to getting more recognition for cyclists, is to
get bums on bikes and more drivers to respect the
rightsof cyclists as equal road users. Agression will
not help this to happen.

The aim of Critical Mass is NOT to block traffic,
rather it IS the traffic flowing swiftly and smoothly
through the streets of Portland and over three hundred
cities worldwide! So get out there, get some corking
leaflets, and have a great time!

This info is from:
http://www.vmore.org.au/~damon/cm/cork.html