why do vancouver riders feel they have to 'lord it over' the humble pedestrians - it makes us hate you - from a pedestrian standpoint, car drivers here are great, but cyclists are arrogant and dangerous - especially the 30-somethings 

Some people will never grow up. 

three bikes in one direction, none in the other... and pedestrians must cross to go on their side... it spells: fiasco despite all the cyclobby efforts. 

To Anatoly.>>>>I know you are but what am I, Infinity.... 

I cycle everywhere and I've been nearly wiped out by pedestrians just as much as by cars, people walking out in front of me, headphones on not paying attention, wandering out into the street. There are people not paying attention everywhere, driving, walking, and cycling. Instead of pointing fingers all over the place, what if people just started recognizing that we all have an equal right to get around and be nice to each other, instead of treating other people as if they're simply obstacles slowing you down? We're all gonna get there, it's okay. Relax. 

The only long term solution to critical mass is for the city to provide dedicated cycling routes on which only bikes are permitted to travel. Like in the Netherlands, Denmark, and other highly regarded European cities.

The critical mass ride is a response to the frustration that cyclists feel each day when they must mix with a dangerous and often unpredictable critical mass of cars and trucks.

Imagine as a driver if the road was clogged with bikes all month long, except for a couple of hours on the last Friday... Now you're getting a sense of the frustration cyclists feel. 

So, they ARE going to use ONLY the bike lane when they cross the Burrard Bridge, right? I mean, they wanted it, they got it and it would seem to me to be a BIG failure if they don't ALL use it. 

I think it's time the police and the mayor start enforcing the laws these cycling criminals are breaking with this protest. What may have started as a means to gather support and awareness has now exploded into an extremely dangerous out of control abuse of a major tax payers resource..........our pubic roads.

Driving a car or a cycle on our public streets and highways is a privlege, not a right. This privlege comes with rules. If you break the rules you risk losing your privlege to drive or ride. Unfortunalely the only people following these rules or being punished are the motorists who pay a high premium for issurance and licencing. Cyclists on the other hand pay nothing!

If the cylclists really want people to pay attention to their cause they should start by obeying the rules of the road and respecting the motorists and pedestrians.

The city just invested $1.4 million on the Burrard Bridge to accomodate the demands of a minority percentage of cycling Vancouverites only for the same to throw it in the faces of the majority of tax paying motorists by staging this illegal traffic crippling event.

Enough is enough. The city and police need to start ticketing each and every one of the cyclists that run red lights, run stop signs, ride down the wrong lanes...........etc.... on Friday. Protests are allowed under our charter of rights as long as you don't break the law.

These arrogant 2 wheeled tree huggers need to wake up!!! If they want respect they need to earn it!!!! Do they honestly think that they are contributing to a greener Vancouver by having thousands of cars idling for hours at rush hour in 30 degree heat!!!!

Morons!!!!!!



 

Critical massholes 

Critical Mass might be disruptive to cars but, man, is it ever fun! All those naysayers who have never taken part are missing out on one of the most fun community experiences ever. 

Jane M. - CM is disruptive to way more pedestrians and transit riders than vehicle drivers - give us a break, we may not be as hip as you think you are but we need to get home to kids etc. - just for a minute, think about what you're doing to all of us and less about your 'fun' 

anyone that participates in critical mass is contributing to how much everyone hates vancouver cyclists. go to hell. 

Thank you to the media once again! What has the Burrard Bridge cycling lanes to do with the Critical Mass bike ride? Absolutely nothing. The Burrard Bridge lane changes were done to ensure the safety of cyclists, pedestrians and cars. Safety isn't always convenient but it is necessary.

As for the Critical Mass ride - sure it's disruptive but so are any street closures, we learn when they are taking place and we avoid if we're in a rush. It's at 6pm, the last Friday of every month, accept it, work around it. This isn't meant to be a protest, it's just a celebration of cycling. It's fun and it's an international event in hundreds of city around the world so Vancouver, stop whining, grab a bike and come join us for the party.

We're not in some three-way war here - this isn't car vs bike vs pedestrian like the media wants us to believe - we need to all learn how to share this space. I cycle, drive, take public transit and walk - I believe we all have a right to feel safe regardless of how we choose to get around the city. 

There are 3 bridges that you can drive across. Maybe since fairness seems to be the issue with the above crybabies and anal-retentive authoritarians ("Waaa! I wanna drive my car!", "It's against the law!"), Vancouver could while permitting pedestrians on all - make one bridge for cyclists and transit vehicles (ban cars from it, making it safe for bicyclists), and make the other two car- & transit-only (getting those pesky cyclists out of driver's way). Still 2:1. Wait... no, fair(er) sucks, doesn't it? Waa, wanna drive my car!
The hatred that pours out of car drivers (at least in comments, and in the local media) over this Burrard Bridge issue (and by extension, Critical Mass) far overwhelms reasonable, thought out comments from them, which implies that they deserve no respect. And they hate their children too, as they don't care about the ramifications of global warming caused, in part, by their driving habits.
As for transit riders upset by CM: get over yourselves - it's once a month, be intelligent, show some initiative, and plan an alternate route.
I won't be in CM tomorrow, but I hope they have fun. 

Thanks in advance for making me late!!! 

I hope you never get in the way of my car. If you do, dont plan on walking again. You bikers are just as arrogant if not more arrogant then drivers. Think you dont have to obey the rules of the road? Fine then dont expect me to yield to your sorry ass 

To "Re: Sally Bernard" (i.e., nameless poster):

First of all, you've never met me, so just as I cannot tell whether or not you sexually abuse children, you cannot tell whether I bike according to the rules. I am in fact a very safe bicyclist (due to a friend having a terrible accident years ago) who knows the rules of the road, and follows them in order to protect everyone's safety. I said I wasn't going to be at CM, so I won't be breaking your law (you know, the same body of law that allows you to intentionally hit bicyclists).

So, the next time you cut me off, I can squirt paint from a bottle at your car, right?. Hey, that's not equal (compared with your idea of trying to kill me) - so, a molotov cocktail through your window? Fair, by your logic. Stupid, by anyone else's.

The level of aggression in posts such as yours indicates that you need to stop focusing on things like a bridge being blocked for a portion of a Friday once a month, and sort out your anger issues. The chances that your anger is limited to this one issue are incredibly small, so doing so would improve the quality of your life...

The fact that you couldn't even respond to my criticism of the style of postings such as yours (or any other point I made, for that matter) indicates that you aren't very intelligent (not that the content of your post gave that away or anything...)

So, really, are the car drivers who are upset (perhaps for a legitimate reason that I haven't considered) really going to let idiots like the above represent them? Because if you do, it's going to be hard for you to be taken seriously. Honestly, that was the most pathetic post of the lot. Actually, that hiding-behind-anonymity weak person sound like a troll, so I can't even tell whether they're for real.... 

Too bad the "mass" have made a mess of bike protest - many stories of their hostility, arrogance and physical violence toward any driver who may need to get somewhere they don't want them to go. My conclusion - asshole drivers are also asshole pedestrians and asshole cyclists - try some courtesy, which is what I do whether driving, walking, or biking. It actually works. 

Pedestrians are sick of being pushed around by goon riders. After work on Friday us lowly downtown office working peds are having a pedestrian protest and are going to cross the fuckin street to get home. If we get knocked over by the bike nazis we can sue the city and police. Since the police claim that CM is a protest they have to assist CM, surely they will also assist our ped protest to move freely at the walk lights 

Cycling is a great form of transportation and excellent exercise. Everyone should follow all the rules of the road. Unfortunately, this rarely happens. As a professional driver I see incredibly stupid act performed by motorist and cyclists alike. There seems to be some sort of anonymity for drivers, locked securely inside their cars which allows them to behave in antisocial ways. Then there is the group mentality, which allows people to again act in ways that they would not do if they were alone and visible as with this Critical Mass event.
You just have to think about it. Do you want to be a minute late? Or DEAD on time? Obey the RULES! EVERYONE!!!  

In case you haven't heard, there is an alternative to Critical Mass now ... it's called Critical Manners - it appears to be cyclists uniting to be polite instead of disruptive. Visit their website at http://criticalmanners.wordpress.com/ or find them on twitter @criticalmanners. Their first ride is August 14th at 6PM.

And to the commentors who suggest that people plan alternative routes neither pedestrians, transit users nor motorists can plan alternative routes because Critical Mass (having no organizers or leaders) does not and can not announce its route ahead of time in order to allow people to avoid it.  

All the bike responses say they obey the rules of the road BUT cyclists do not use the road they use the sidewalks and dive into marked pedestrian crossings to get the turn they want. They the cyclists demand full use of the sidewalk and walkers, wheelchair users, mothers with strollers have to get out of their way or else possible get hit.
I have been told by many cyclist to get off the sidewalk and travel on the road because I should not be using an electric wheelchair on their sidewalk. I also am afraid that when they pass me with obscenities filling my ears that one of them might just hit me either with the handlebars or their hand.

I do my best to get of the sidewalk when I see them coming butt sometimes their is no place to go.

I do not yell or swear at them, as a 63 year old I just want to get around in peace, but cyclists want the roadway the sidewalk and want no one to be in a vehicle be it a car, truck or electric wheelchair.

 

I don't hear anyone complaining about jay-walking pedestrians!! Or pedestrians that will walk through a red light when there is no more traffic. Sounds to me like we have some jealous drivers out their that wish they were small enough to get to the front of a line cars and be first off the gate when the light turns green!! You have to understand, bikers just have small dog syndrome, they have to get all "arrogant" as you say and cause a stink cause they are smaller than all you cars and they need to stick up for themselves.  

Are all the folks opposed to Critical Mass, because it's disruptive to some, also against other disruptive events like The Celebration of Light or the 2010 Olympics? 

Perhaps it's time for the critical mass of vehicle drivers to stop Bicycles 

Nope, Mike Cantelon, I don't oppose other disruptive events like The Celebration of Light or the 2010 Olympics because I know exactly when and where those are happening and so can avoid them if I choose.

Critical Mass does not have a pre-determined route and so anyone who has to be pretty much anywhere in the downtown core at the time of the ride is subjected to the traffic problems caused by the ride no matter which route the ride decides to take. There is no way for us to just avoid the disruption as we can for any other event of that size or larger planned for the downtown core.  

To: Sally Bernard

Troll! 

To Critical Mass / City of Vancouver / and the VPD

CM (and all cyclists) -
- obey the laws
- travel like traffic (since that is what you claim to be), this means, obey the traffic signals, stop at stop signs, signal to turn, yield to vehicles who have the right of way, yield to pedestrians
- stay off the sidewalk (unless you're under 6) - I'm as tired of having to dodge out of the way to avoid you (and, the urge to push you off the curb is getting harder to resist), in exchange, I won't stroll along in the bike lanes
- WEAR YOUR FUCKING HELMETS! This includes doing them up when they are on your head... And, yes, as long as my tax dollars are going to be used to pay for your head injury, it IS my business.

Physics lesson - when you start to fall, the first thing that will happen is your helmet will fall off...

As my father used to like to say "Helmets are only for people with brains, if you don't have one, you have nothing to lose." Guess that explains it...

COV & VPD
- think money spent on additional enforcement and levying fines during Critical Mass (heck, just hang out along the seawall, and at the ends of the Burrard Bridge) could probably raise all the required funds to build a dedicated crossing...

As long as there are people who insist on flouting the rules, then we need others to enforce them. Bicycle helmets, to my knowledge, have been LAW in CoV for years! Why do I see a few dozen people a day without them?? I think bicycles should be licenced - register them, insure them, know who can be fined for their indiscretions...

I own a bike, I ride a bike, I am pro-bike. I am anti-idiot - be they cars who don't signal, or try to play chicken with the bikes, bikes who disregard the rules, pedestrians on the bike path or crossing against the lights (when the hand starts to flash, STAY ON THE CURB).