Cycling alliances (Comments: 11)

11 comments to “Cycling alliances”

Adam Durand, September 3rd, 2007 at 7:07 pm:

• Events like Critical Mass are a great tool for making participants confident about being out on the road on bikes. It’s less about the advocacy and more about creating advocates. Some people who witness it get frustrated, others celebrate it – but those who are in the mass feel empowered to see bikes as more than just toys. For me personally, mass convinced me to become a bike commuter.

  As someone whose has seen so much positive change in my own life because of Critical Mass, it does hurt to hear about Full Moon Vista Bike & Sport’s disagreement with the event. As I tried to say in the comments of your review (perhaps lost to the spam catcher), the manager may simply have misconceptions about the ride.

  What is good bike advocacy? I think being out on the road on bike as much as possible helps. Fixing up friends’ bikes, helping them get lights and fenders, taking them out on rides is nice. Talking to municipalities about the problems one has as a cyclist. Always waving at people, striking up friendly conversations, making sure people understand what a wonderful time you’re having.

  And RocBike.com Bike Commuter T-shirts. Totally crucial for local bike advocacy.

Jason, September 3rd, 2007 at 7:21 pm:

• Well, Adam, you know who needs to design the shirts! I await your brilliance, sir…

  Adam, I’d say that this statement: “Events like Critical Mass are a great tool for making participants confident about being out on the road on bikes” … is true if you if you replace “are” with “can be.” Not everyone’s perception of a CM ride is the same, and not everyone leaves one feeling empowered or more confident or more aware. (This, again, from someone who loved my CM experience.)

  Ted, I guess my main response is an organizing response. Is never going back to Full Moon Vista the way to build an alliance? I don’t think so. For me, the idea is to find common ground and work from there.

  In my day job, I’m constantly helping folks build power for themselves despite some huge disagreements on social and political issues. The thing is, I’m not trying to get them to join a political party or support gay marriage. I’m trying to help them form a union. After that, other changes may come. Or they may not. The point is that we’ll have more people in this world who believe in collective action on the job, whatever else they believe. That’s good. Period.

  In the cycling world, the choice is similar. Every bike shop is a potential ally if we’re smart about the topics for which we seek their endorsement and the way we approach that communication. Ideological purity is fun sometimes, but getting things done is even nicer. And like any solid relationship, it will take time to build alliances with these folks. But not that much time.

  Why not ask Full Moon or other bike shops how CM could help? Ask what they need, rather than solely focusing on what we need. I say again, throwing out a 95% ally because of a 5% disagreement is not how we win.

Julie, September 4th, 2007 at 2:25 pm:

• Well, I definitely think Critical Mass has a place in bike advocacy. And, I think bike shops like Full Moon are critical. One of the problems I perceive is a division among bicyclists themselves. There are all these subcultures of cyclists and we don’t necessarily build bridges amongst them.

  Like Jason, I’d also like to see more education community-wide about cycling as a form of alternative transportation. The truth is, we bike commuters are doing something good for the whole community, by reducing pollution, traffic congestion, etc. Unfortunately, some drivers treat us as though we’re in their way and we’re somehow doing something detrimental to them.

  There are 2 of us who regularly commute to work at my workplace, and I believe we’ve sensitized the whole staff to the benefits. So, even though no one else chooses to commute, I know that they are much more aware of and courteous to cyclists on the road. Plus, my boss makes sure I have a safe place to keep my bike and a comfortable place to change.

  I think it starts with increasing the visibility of cycling as not just recreation, but transportation. We have to talk to each other as cyclists and make room at the table for everyone, from the racer to the alternative-transportation cyclist to the person who bikes because she can’t afford a car and doesn’t want to wait for the bus.

  And, absolutely, we need to find a way to impact policy-makers so that there is support for cycling infrastructure. All these efforts can be synergistic…

  And Rocbike.com bike commuter bumper stickers, too! For bikes and cars!

Jack, September 4th, 2007 at 9:57 pm:

• I’ve found that bike shops, dealers and mechanics range across the political spectrum (to the extent you can discern their politics) but are tilted toward the right-libertarian. Probably not much different from what you find in the typical small business environment, and much unlike the left-libertarian or anarchist orientation of Critical Mass. So finding CM sympathies in the average bike shop is no slam dunk – er, easy coasting, to use a more appropriate sports metaphor. I do agree that we have to find allies wherever we can, though, and looking for them in bike shops makes sense. What the hell, we have nothing to lose but our chains!

Jason, September 4th, 2007 at 10:37 pm:

• “What the hell, we have nothing to lose but our chains!”

  Jack, I should impose some sort of fine for this joke, but I’ll let you off with a warning.

  Huzzah!

Jason, September 4th, 2007 at 10:38 pm:

• On further thought: “Nothing To Lose But Our Chains” might be even better than “Traveling At The Speed Of Sight” as a tagline.

Ted Forsyth, September 6th, 2007 at 11:44 am:

• Jason, I’d like to know where you get your “95% ally and 5% disagreement” statement from. I know nothing about the person I spoke other than the fact that they seemed rather capitalistic, rather ignorant, and rather cold to anything that didn’t in some way promote the economic success of Full Moon. (Speaking of economic success, look at all the free advertising their getting right now on RocBike! Zoiks! and Jinkeys!)

  For all I know, and Jack is certainly right about the political spectrum, that guy could be a right-wing wanker who happens to ride. (As a person working in a food “coop” that uses capitalistic/tyrannical authority over its workers, I can recognize the idea that not everyone in the “coop” is a die hard collectivist–but rather, are closer to small business conservatives, regardless of the “progressive” rhetoric.) Unless of course you know the guy and can vouch for his politics, the whole experience just gave me a bad taste in my mouth. Hence, I’m not inclined to go there anymore. I’ll support bicycle shops that I either have a personal connection with or who aren’t going to try and make me feel like a fool for flyering for critical mass because in their minds–in their “ideological purity” (to quote you Jason)–CM is more a detriment than a benefit for our city.

  As far as bike riders talking to each other, I think it’s a great idea. As is the idea of petitioning for bicycle lanes in the city as well as policy to make bicycles more normalized within Rochester.

Jason, September 6th, 2007 at 12:57 pm:

• I appreciate your arguments, Ted. We can agree to disagree.

Eric, September 6th, 2007 at 8:31 pm:

• Like any other issue, cycling has a range of advocates. Not everyone person who rides a bike can or should publicly align themselves with Critical Mass any more than every person who is concerned about the environment can or should support Earth First.

  Scott Page, owner of Full Moon Vista knows a thing or two about the issues. His brother, a talented triathlete, was killed by a car while training on his bike. For years Scott has organized the Tuesday Night Urban Assault rides that leave from the Adams Street Recreation Center. On a bad night these rides draw 30+ riders, and they often get twice that. These rides go at the pace of the slowest rider and are specifically aimed at helping new riders explore Rochester as they gain confidence riding on the road in a group. Scott is also the promoter behind the Rochester Saturn Twilight Criterium, which drew an estimated 30,000 spectators this past year to watch cyclists race around a few downtown blocks.

  There are all kinds of advocates. Just because one is not explicitly with you does not mean they are against you.

Jack, September 6th, 2007 at 10:00 pm:

• This dialogue points to what we all should be focusing on: taking back the commons from inappropriate technology and reconstructing social space. I thought hard about this while I was listening to Bob Smith and Heidi Zimmer-Meyer blather on about serious plans for Downtown Rochester – i.e. how the business class will leverage public funds to turn what used to be a true gathering place (not perfect, but way superior to what the Wilmorites of the world have concocted) into an archipelago of lofts and parking garages. We bikers need to unite against this crap.

Adam Durand, September 7th, 2007 at 1:00 am:

• Eric, I can see how some cyclists would disagree with the idea of Critical Mass and refuse to post information about it for the right reasons. But Earth First! is a radical environmental organization. Critical Mass is a leaderless ride through the city. I think they’re on entirely different levels.

  Whether or not Scott likes Mass, I think we can agree that the Tuesday Night Urban Assault rides sound really interesting. I’d like to know more about them! They deserve some more promotion!