Critical Mass: A High Tension Ride

dublin | anti-capitalism | feature

Wednesday September 03, 2003 13:18

by Indymedia Kevin - IMC Éire

This Critical Mass was definitely one of the biggest and best of the summer - and also a high tension ride.

Old people and kids were looking out from their windows and waving and smiling at us . . .

Apologies this report & photos is a few days old but havent been next nor near a computer in days.

This Critical Mass was definitely one of the biggest and best of the summer - and also a high tension ride.

We ambled down Parnell Square from the usual starting point of the Garden of Remembrance, but instead of going straight on down O'Connell Street or eastbound on Parnell Street, we took the left turn down towards Gardiner Street.

As a regular Critical Masser I thought this was great - because it was a change from the normal route, but also because we were going into a residential area around Cumberland Street, Cathal Brugha Street, and Middle/Lower Gardiner Street.
Old people and kids were looking out from their windows and waving and smiling at us. Critical Mass is about showing that there's a better way for cities to work - and for people who live there who are normally used to noise and traffic pollution, to see a group of smiling, happy, clean & safe cyclists is a really positive thing.
I think it is more important to travel around Summerhill, Pearse Street, Dominick Street etc than our usual high visibility spots of O'Connell/Dame Street (which we've done 20 times before!).

Anyway enough editorialising. The ride went down to the end of Gardiner Street, down in front of the IFSC and crossed over the Matt Talbot bridge. We then took a right turn down Burgh Quay, passing by Tara Street DART station.

This was where things heated up because there's always a huge volume of traffic going down the quays - a nightmare for cyclists. We slow cycled all the way down to Parliament Street, and even stopped for a minute or two at O'Connell Bridge - where a motorbiker forced his way through us aggressively, shouting "get a proper fucking bike!"

(Speaking of O'Connell Bridge, it completely escaped my memory thats its roughly the second anniversary of the cyclist who was killed by a truck just at the corner there where Centra is. Does anyone have any details on this - I remember there being a two minute silence for her death on a previous Critical Mass - perhaps we could remember this in the future.)

By the time we had reached the Parliament Street turn, some of the motorists had reached boiling point and were screaming the usual obscenities at us. One truck driver from the Rebel County got down from his cab, soaked in ming sweat and spit with a soft porn mag jammed in his arse trouser pocket for the long ride home, screaming and threatening people.

Just as we were turning the corner, a guy in an Opel Corsa bumped into a cyclist, unbalancing her. So, instead of waiting an extra minute and he would have been clear, we stalled him for another 5 minutes, remonstrating him for his recklessness and general aggro attitude.

As we drifted away he sped off into the sunset, the only car visible on the quays for as far as the eye could see. Check out the photo - the southbound quays devoid of traffic at 6.30pm on a Friday.

Beautiful.

Then in Parliament Street, a taxi driver tried to push his way through us, getting out of his car at one point and getting aggro with someone next to him. By this time four or five Garda had come along and told him to get back in his car.
His license plate is below in case anyone bumps into him again:

Down Dame Street more Garda joined in - including the guy on the bike, who it must be said seemed to be enjoying himself quite a lot. The Garda on the push bikes seem to be a bit more chilled out than their colleagues on foot or in the patrol cars - more evidence that cycling is a stress reducer!

In Westmoreland Street we were fortunate to the joined by a fluorescent, middle-aged, unicycling, juggling, Australian hippy guy, who entertained us, the cops, and all onlookers for the rest of the trip to the top of O'Connell Street.

Next Critical Mass will be assembling on European Car Free Day, which is Monday September 22nd, at 5pm at the Spike in O'Connell Street. It will be part of the Repaint the Streets action on that day. The Critical Massers are always saying they need more cycle lanes - so they're going to continue their DIY/direct action buzz and make the cycle lanes themselves. BYO bike & paint on the day.