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submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by destructdisc@lemmy.world to c/fuckcars@lemmy.world

This was a Critical Mass event, which is why the bicyclists are taking up all of the street as a way to reclaim the streets and protest the lack of safety for riders under usual conditions. It's not legal, but protests are never useful if they're fully legal now, are they.

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[-] NutWrench@lemmy.ml 16 points 1 month ago

How about they take this up with the officials who can actually make a difference in bike safety and quit making life worse for people who just want to get home?

Go bike around City Hall if you want to "raise awareness." All you're doing here is pissing people off.

[-] Gorilladrums@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago

People who are downvoting literally never leave their house. You are entirely correct. This is an issue of local policy, and that is something that can actually be changed by individuals choosing to be more active in their local politics. It just requires some organization and a coordinated political effort.

Cycling down the street will not only not achieve anything, but it's also putting both drivers and cyclists in danger. If an accident does happen, it's not going to be pinned on the driver because they didn't do anything wrong. Instead, whatever these cyclists were trying to achieve is going to be scrutinized due to their recklessness.

[-] WoodScientist@sh.itjust.works 17 points 1 month ago

How brain dead does a person have to be to see an entire parade in front of them and think, "this can't be some organized event, I must just be able to drive right through here!" Main character syndrome. Or more likely, a sociopath just looking to murder someone.

Here's an idea. Find another fucking route. They plan these events, publish the routes in advance, have a police presence there, and place them in areas where they won't cut off people's only means of getting somewhere.

Do you ever find yourself in this situation? Here's how to handle it without being a fucking moron:

  1. Pull off the road.

  2. Pull out your phone.

  3. Google "" critical mass route <today's date.>"

Is that really that hard? Or are you someone who is so concrete sequential that you have one and only one route you can drive, and any other route home will break your mind? What if a sink hole opened up on the road you normally take home. Would you just blindly drive right into it because you this is the route you take home, and damn it if you're going to let anything stop you?

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[-] DancingBear@midwest.social 9 points 1 month ago

Nah… the asshole driver could literally have waited 30 seconds…

You don’t know what you’re talking about… sorry mate

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[-] 7eter@feddit.org 16 points 1 month ago

This is a CM?

I have never been to a CM with oncoming lane blocked (or in this case - not really blocked).

Also where are the corkers?

[-] scala@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 month ago

This looks like Miami. If it is.. critical mass usually has a police force in the loop they do usually to stop people driving right through the crowd. The loop is posted online about a week before and there is always police presence

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[-] Geldaran@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago

As a Bicycle commuter... there's plenty of "Am I the Asshole?" that needs to go around here.

I understand the cyclists are treating this as a protest, but unless the road is closed, get the hell out of the oncoming lane. You're not doing anything here other than confirming the drivers bias that you're the problem.

As for the driver, just fucking STOP until they pass. Is the risk of you hitting someone worth the few minutes that pulling over out of the way costs you? The driver's pissing and moaning on the video is some self-entitled bull shit.

[-] ragas@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 month ago

Where I live, critical mass is legal. Bikes can go on the street and we have a law that allows multiple vehicles that move as one to be treated like one vehicle.

[-] OpenPassageways@lemmy.zip 8 points 1 month ago

Where is it legal to drive in the oncoming lane?

[-] chaitae3@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago

The organizers will inform the city that a critical mass protest is taking place, the city will inform the police and they will cordon off the route. If there are enough people talking part in the protest, the public order authorities will have no other choice - thus the name critical mass. The right to protest takes precedence over the right to drive this specific route.

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[-] dil@lemmy.zip 10 points 1 month ago

Dows it work tho, im a simple man, anything inconveninces me directly and im against them, have had multiple hotels in the last two years where they protested with bullhorns and sirens loudly from 2am to 8am every night, they ruined my sleep and expect me to support them? Im not able to get a refund or swap hotels, in the future im still not planning ahead and getting the first available decent hotel near the location close to the time of the event. It happened multiple times at different locations/cities, not recording them or helping their cause when they actively ruined the 3 vacations I have a year by not letting me sleep.

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[-] HexesofVexes@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago

A critical mass to be massively critical of the critical masses. I'm certain folks who see or hear of such protests are going to become very sympathetic to the cyclist cause. Am I doing the mass criticism thing right?

It's a nice way to blow off steam and feel important, but I suspect it polarises against rather than towards the desired cause. Shame really since it looks fun!

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[-] Affidavit@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago

I don't like cars, but this is fucking bonkers. Trapping people in place isn't 'protesting', it's being a twat.

All the people claiming that this is a legitimate protest surely understand that the car driver was only 'counterprotesting', right?

[-] eluvinar@szmer.info 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Trapping people in place isn’t ‘protesting’,

Have you ever seen any protests? How do you think they work lol

FFS we close our streets for less important things like construction, marathons, parades.

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this post was submitted on 07 Jun 2025
601 points (100.0% liked)

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