[CMI-CM] Bloomington-Normal Critical Mass

[Arun Bhalla]

Hey Joe,

Since Critical Mass is an unorganized coincidence, there are no
leaders, and contacting authorities doesn't make any sense.  As I
recall, Champaign-Urbana's Critical Mass started with essentially one
person telling all her friends about CM, as well as emailing and flyering
around town with a start time and location.  They say that Critical
Mass is a Xerocracy in that whoever creates the flyers gets to determine
the start time/place and route.  Consistency with start time/place is 
helpful.  Posting some sort of free announcement in newspapers and weeklies
may be helpful, too.

I don't think it's true that cyclists in Illinois have almost no rights.
Bicyclists have many rights and protections in Illinois, and I'd say their
status falls between drivers and pedestrians.  Cyclists have the right to 
be on virtually any road except for limited-access highways, etc.  Generally
the law aims for a reasonable amount of safety and a reasonable amount of
traffic flow.

It's interesting that the Mayor of Normal owns a bicycle shop, but anyhow,
the trend I've encountered is that bikeshop owners don't seem to be so
supportive of Critical Mass, following the "more harm than good" mentality.
I suppose they think that it may reinforce the notion that bikes are a 
nuisance to car drivers and don't belong on the road and may somehow end
up discouraging people from biking.  Further, they may worry that some
aggressive drivers will retaliate during or shortly after the ride.

Good luck!
Arun


"Joe Wheeler" writes:
> 
> Hello friends, I am attempting to start a critical mass within 
> Bloomington-Normal.  I was wondering if someone could fill me in on how this 
> was done in Champaign-Urbana? I was recently informed that cyclists in 
> Illinois have almost no rights on the road so I was wondering if you had to 
> contact police etc.  You should not have to do that but I know that the 
> police may not always be cooperative.  In fact the Mayor of Normal owns a 
> bicycle shop but would not support a critical mass. He thinks it would do 
> more harm than good.  So let me know the details.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Joe.
> 
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--
Arun Bhalla