Hamilton Critical Mass, since May 1998
APRIL 2003 CRITICAL MASS
ANGRY WHITE MEN, MARIO and CRITICAL MASS
Afternoon spring sunshine settled on Hess Street Friday to greet 20 cyclists as they gathered for the monthly Critical Mass bike ride.
A much smaller turnout than the previous month’s Pedal for Peace -- which had Hamilton Police attempting to control the free-flowing ride of 50-60 -- nevertheless, April’s ride was a free-wheeling success. (Police vehicles were seen checking out the area at 5:00 and 5:10pm but were not apparent when the ride finally departed at 5:45pm.)
Cyclists use April’s mass to fully explore the two-way conversions on James and John Streets, a rare positive development in a city which caters to car speed with multi-laned one-way streets.
Without police interference the ride joyously makes its way through the city to the delight of pedestrians and many auto drivers who appreciated the lively sign of street reclaiming. Riders take responsibility for safely holding (or "corking") intersections allowing the group to stay together en masse.
Critical Massers heading North on James recognize that people driving cars are potential cyclist allies and share a smile or a wave with the stream of cars crawling south on James.
The city looks alive this afternoon, with James and John North inhabited by families and individuals out enjoying the spring weather.
As the group turns east on Barton and then south on John Street, the riders call out and invite folks to join in.
Eight-year-old Mario takes the mass up on the offer and merges his bike with the group as they make their way through the city. It is remarkable that in a car-centric world, where young children are hemmed in by relentless and dangerous traffic, little Mario has the hutzpa to answer the call. (At ride’s end he is accompanied back to his house by a member of the ride.)
Minutes after joining the ride, little Mario and the rest are treated to an example of road-rage by one irrate middle-aged white-male driver in a red van who responds to the mass by screaming and shouting, revving his engine and lunging his vehicle at the back of the ride on John Street, swerving into oncoming traffic just as the ride is turning right on Rebecca, and then, rather than taking his desperately fought for road space and continuing unhindered by pesky cyclists, he turns to follow the mass along Rebecca! (Note: he wasn't behind us at John and Wilson, Rebecca is one block past Wilson: how many seconds did it take for him to blow a gasket?)
Shouts from the back of the ride ring out to let the hothead through, and as the driver passes by a cyclist video-taping the scene he glares out of his open window and growls "yeah, whatever" echoing arrogant SUV advertisements that encourage aggressive driving: "Yield? Whatever..." goes one such ad) - perhaps the van driver resents not having an oversized, climate-changing weapon of mass destruction SUV to carry his skeleton about the city: maybe then (or so the thinking goes) he would gain the respect that comes with being feared.
The cyclists respond to his angry departing epithet "assholes!" by rising above the taunt with smiles and waves, as the mass flows back to regain its original density.
He obviously won’t be wanting one of the hand-made leaflets* that many massers are carrying. On one side a ride announcement with an image of the 1888 Hamilton Bicycle Club posed in front of the library (now the Family Court at Main and MacNab), on the other side a hand-written comment giving a different explanation of what the ride represents:
"It’s about clean air."
"It’s about bikes."
"It’s about too many cars."
"It’s about me."
"It’s about love."
"It’s about community."
"It’s about my Libido."
DRIVE THROUGH ANGER
Why are people so angry at being slowed down briefly by beautiful human bodies on bikes, so angry that they use their vehicles as weapons?
Almost a month earlier to the minute, a 49-year-old male assaulted three 14-year-old high school girls, bumping one with his car because she was walking "too slow" as he left a drive-through Tim Hortons in Hamilton. He also pulled their hair and slapped their faces. Interestingly, the driver was charged with, among other things, "assault with a weapon" - his car. (Hamilton Spectator, Friday, February 28, 2003)
A scene reminiscent of such aggression is played-out in front of the mass at John and Wilson, as some teenage boys cross the street too slowly for another van driver's limited patience (another middle-aged white male, this one driving a white van with "Windshield King" and a phone number 905-544-5511 painted on the side) who made a point of directly aiming his vehicle threateningly at the boys before accelerating off in a huff.
The rest of the ride is uneventful, except of course for those experiencing the sense of community that comes from riding together, a vibrant reminder to all we encounter that cyclists exist and will continue to ride, lobby and agitate for improved sustainable transportation in the city.
The early evening’s fading light casts a warm glow on the red brick houses as the cyclists coast back into Hess Village and the sanctuary of an all-too rare car-free zone.
As they come to a stop, someone calls out for a cheer for Mario, and the 20 riders raise their voices to communally celebrate their car-free liberation.
rk.
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hamilton critical mass - the last friday of the month, meet at hess and george streets, hess village