Critical Mass Bicycle Movement

Critical Mass, a nonhierarchical bicycle movement, began in San Francisco in 1992 and spread to several hundred cities worldwide in the decade that followed. By hosting group bike rides on the last Friday of every month, Critical Mass has become part of the urban fabric in a number of American cities, including San Francisco, New York, Portland (Oregon), and Chicago. While group bike rides are not unique phenomena of urban life, Critical Mass is a departure from traditional group rides led by recreational bicycle clubs and formal bike advocacy organizations. Sharing many characteristics of new social movements, Critical Mass rides are intentionally nonhierarchical and pluralistic with no formal ride or movement leaders, no formal organizational sponsor, and no formal political agenda or specific demands for policy changes. Although the meanings associated with Critical Mass rides vary depending on the place and the experience of participants, they are foremost celebratory demonstrations of nonpolluting transportation—a simple yet powerful display of an alternative urban form. In this respect, Critical Mass resembles its urban street party cousin, the Reclaim the Streets movement.

Billed as a celebration of the bicycle rather than a protest or demonstration ride, Critical Mass is an example of a contemporary movement attempting to create new forms of politics outside the traditional government realm. The initial ride, dubbed the Commute Clot, took place in San Francisco in September 1992 as a communal ride home from work and drew about 40 cyclists with roots in the bike messenger community. Subsequently renamed Critical Mass (for a scene in the 1991 documentary Return of the Scorcher by San Francisco native and bicyclist Ted White in which bicyclists in China push through intersections once a critical mass is reached), it grew steadily in San Francisco, attracting hundreds of cyclists by the spring of 1993 and growing to over 5,000 in July of 1997. The San Francisco police cracked down on the July 1997 ride, arresting over 100 participants;a subsequent lawsuit was later decided in favor of the cyclists. As the ride grew in size in San Francisco, news of Critical Mass spread over the Internet and via the press with rides appearing throughout the United States and globally, including in Sydney, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, Philadelphia, London, Barcelona, Boston, Johannesburg, Zurich, Tokyo, and Taipei. At one time, Critical Mass was estimated to occur in over 300 cities worldwide, but today the number of cities with regular monthly rides is likely below that level.

In spite of Critical Mass's waning global reach, individual rides have nonetheless attracted significant law enforcement attention during periods of increased participation, including lawsuits aimed at shutting down the rides. New York City's ride, in particular the Manhattan Critical Mass (Brooklyn's Critical Mass ride continues to fly under the radar for the most part), has garnered significant attention from police and the city since the Republican National Convention came to New York in late August 2004, coinciding with the monthly ride. In fact, the August 2004 Critical Mass ride turned out to be the opening clash between police and the public at the convention. With an estimated 3,000 to 7,000 cyclists congregated at Union Square Park and local and federal law enforcement on high alert, 264 bicyclists were arrested that August evening;most were held for over 24 hours and had their bikes confiscated and held as evidence for over 3 weeks.

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