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What should we do to make this month's SMCM better than the last one? It is always so discombobulating during the start resulting in both tickets & riders lost.
That month we went down the bike path was kickass, the ride stayed pretty big.
Also, does anyone know where RIDE-Arc is this month?
Seemed alright to me, no yelling or bike <-> car hate was thrown around directly, it was more fun & humorous than anything. So traffic was impeded for a minute or so- I wouldn't call it a serious protest.
All I'm saying is that recently SMCM has started off as a complete clusterf*ck of people getting split up over 3 blocks in several red lights and some getting tickets from cops.
I talked to a lot of people at RIDE-Arc afterward that have started skipping out on SMCM entirely because they feel like it is just a waste of time.
LACM was great this past weekend, and I'm sure VCM and all the other CM's were great as well. Hoping that SMCM is good too.
It's generally a good idea, but we should be doing it in Santa Monica proper, I think the sidewalk crossing was done closer to Venice. If we're going to do it this month, we've gotta pick a high profile block. Broadway and Ocean, 5th and Santa Monica, heck, maybe Colorado and Ocean.
We've got to hit Montana Ave this month, seems we never go up that far.
Jonnyboy and jericho1ne, you guys as well as the rest of us, need to get out in front of this ride, literally and figuratively. I think you folks should come up with a tentative route through Santa Monica. This ride never spends more than two miles into Santa Monica and ends up in Venice. We need to ride in Santa Monica. It’s called Santa Monica Critical Mass, not Venice critical mass 2. SMCM can be as large and exciting as LACM, but it will take some work. Yeah, we have to stop for red lights and stay to the right. We can do that. The residents of Santa Monica, when Critical Mass rode through their neighborhoods half a year ago, were pretty supportive of the group ride through their city. And businesses would love to capture some of that precious CM rest stop money.
skd- definitely feeling you on not going into Venice, too. Maybe the key is getting across the street from the cannon to head north (waiting on the other side until the whole group has crossed), riding north out of the über-mall-style promenade area, and then making our way into the heart of santa monica with the full group intact.
I think we would also ward off a lot of police resistance if we found a good SM residential area (out of the spotlight of the mall) quickly that would allow everyone to ride contiguously and become a coherent "mass" before we b-line it for main roads with stoplights. It's always so hard to keep everyone together initially, because it is so crowded with pedestrians / cars at the cannon already, and there are always always always cops there making sure traffic signals are perfectly obeyed.
I'm just trying to think of good ways to keep the group together initially, and work around some of the confusion that goes on at the very start of this ride.
It would be my hope that we could keep the route more "spur of the moment" with some good stop points planned throughout if everyone is able to stay together from the get-go.
SO HERE'S A PROPOSAL FOR DEPARTING:
0) meet at cannon
1) walk bikes across Ocean Ave
2) wait on sidewalk, ready to head north
3) wait for whole group to finish crossing
4) "get on your bikes and ride!!!" north
5) roll slowly in a SM residential area until everyone is together
6) SMCM!!
I don't know where the good residential areas are in SM so this may or may not work- anyone else have ideas?
Making a left on Ocean from the Pier is illegal = easy way to get tickets.
Santa Monica Critical Mass starts in Santa Monica, but it's not exclusive to Santa Monica. It has always left SM for a significant portion.
More importantly, it's a true Critical Mass. That doesn't mean no route. It means that we bow to the majority wish when it's expressed. Most often this means a tyranny of riders at the front. We have done routes before when the group voted before hand to do a preplanned route over turn by turn. The key was offering the choice, and when the group got sick of a route they quit. I don't believe in making the choice for the group.
I personally think the bike path move worked well and I would support trying it again.
I think the tyranny of the front riders has created the chaotic situation that the past couple of SMCM’s have experienced.
I like the voting on the route beforehand, though that was sometimes chaotic in itself.
Discussing possible routes on the forum and coming up with a general consensus might be an alternative to what has been tried in the past. I don’t think most people care too much about being involved in choosing the route; they just want the route to be adventurous and fun. Sometimes the burden falls upon the few (Super delegates?) who have the knowledge of the neighborhoods, streets and alleyways to come up with a suitable route. I myself do not have that knowledge of Santa Monica and prefer to defer to those who do.
I think the idea of walking the bikes across the Ocean Ave crosswalk is a great way to confound the authorities and it is legal.
To my knowledge all the crosswalks on Ocean Ave are signalized.
It doesn't matter what you or I feel is best - Critical Mass is for the cyclists by the cyclists. They get to make the decisions. If one point of view wins out within this or another forum, supporters are welcome to lobby for that POV at the ride, but the decisions are still made by riders at the ride. I've worked hard on a route before, or a concept, and proposed it to the group and lost. That's the nature of politics, and that's what CM is - participatory politics of "where the fuck are we going?"
Even prime numbers can be cyclists - just fill out this form:
I, the undersigned, give all of my cool stuff to Alex, and also think he is supercool, and, if I am female, give him my body as a gesture of good will towards all cyclists, except for the nerdy ones:
If the chosen route happens to be North, I was proposing obeying the crosswalk signals and waiting for everyone to walk their bikes across the street, then waiting across the street on the sidewalk for the rest of the group to legally cross- however many "walk" signals it takes to get everyone across. Once everyone has walked their bikes across (only during "walk" signals), we would hop onto the bike path and ride North as a group. Is that still illegal?
I get what you are saying though, Alex, and I understand that it is ultimately the people at the ride and during the ride that will decide what happens. I am with you on the bike path method too, I will be there right next you in full support of that! It worked like a charm and people actually stayed together, which is my whole initiative!
Ride North on what bike path? You mean the bike lane on Ocean right? That worked out poorly for us in November, because they ticketed people left and right for leaving the bike lane. Now, those tickets were wrong, but since no one put together a class action against the SMPD the point was moot.
Hence the rule - never go where there is a bike lane (except Main St, because we can't stay away.)
I'm down for trying Ocean, but I definitely prefer the beach path. Also, where do we stage everyone for the Ocean plan? We can't fit them all on the sidewalk.
I think the SMPD officers aren't that into this . . . at least most of them.
Seems like what you are saying is that the only tried & true method for avoiding cop city crazy town is by taking the bike bath and exiting somewhere south of the start point.
Whatever system you folks want to use to determine the route is fine with me, even if it is a meeting at an undisclosed location and using puffs of white smoke. I prefer to let you Westsiders be the guiding hands in SMCM anyway.
I just want to show up and ride.
from wiki: "The western and northwestern border of Santa Monica, California is the 3-mile limit in Santa Monica Bay and bordered by various districts of Los Angeles on its other sides: the eastern border is Brentwood north of Wilshire Boulevard and West Los Angeles south of Wilshire, the northeastern border is Sunset Boulevard, the southwestern border is Venice Beach and the southern border is with West Los Angeles and Mar Vista."
maybe we can ride some sort of perimeter route... although i agree with jericho1ne that we should try to hit up montana
Why not initially walk our bikes North to Broadway and ride East on that street? SMCM has done that before. And what is wrong with leaving Santa Monica?
Unless the cops unexpectedly decide that we are the superior human beings and leave us alone, I'm pretty sure that the harassment will continue until they lose a class action lawsuit against them.
By staying in Santa Monica for a large percentage of the route, we increase the mathematical probability that they will fuck up and cite us for bogus reasons while we capture everything on digital media devices.
Frankly, I think SMCM has lost a lot of its fun because tyranny, like anarchy, doesn't necessarily work. The only way we're going to get ANY respect from the police is if we play by the rules; and thus we must know the rules to play by them.
I think the group should split into two groups:
1) people who want to stay in Santa Monica and ride safely in order to avoid any tickets or harassment, and
2) people who want to leave Santa Monica as quickly as possible so they can feel better about being lawless hooligans :P
I think whoever said that SMCM should stay in SM was right, at least for an hour or so. Otherwise the pigs have won.
This is Midnight Ridazz. If you equate corking, drinking at rides, and riding as a group with lawless hooliganism, then everyone reading this forum is a lawless hooligan . . . except a very few naysayers. Do you think CM, or MR, are going to change their MO simply because you've reframed standard operating procedure as hooliganism? I'm comfortable remaining a lawless hooligan until my timely demise.
The point of SMCM was never to fight the pigs, or whatever it appears to have mutated to. It was always to have a good time. It was always known as a chill ride, one of slowest and most relaxed, by the ocean. Forming all of our plans by thinking about how to beat the cops is a losing strategy, because it loses what little personality SMCM still has.
What I want to know is, what are people going to do to make SMCM fun? If that means heading South to Venice, or North to Brentwood, or West into the waves, then I'm all for it.
What tends to make rides fun for me.... a few things that initially come to mind....
Riding while jamming out to good tunes!
Circles of death!!!!!!!! Riding through areas where pedestrians least expect it!!!
Tall bikes!!!!!
Screaming with/at pedestrians (on beer)!!
Sports at the stops (in parks & such) (on beer)
Playground equipment (on beer)
Gazebos!!
Eating 7-11 brownies! (on beer)
Shouting "DOOOOR!!!" !! (ON BEER) Drinking! (goes without saying)
Dancing!! (goes without saying)
Laughing with good people!
Alex, please edumacate me on these "blogger beers" at SMCM.
Actually, maybe a short seminar inside the first beer stop would be in order- especially if I am not the only one needing an education in proper "blogger beer" selecting technique.
Homework can only be assigned in liquid format. Once the majority of the class is outside with the proper learning materials, you (the instructor) can begin the seminar's testing session (or whatever you'd like to call it). Then you can hand out gold stars or FAIL stars as reward / punishment upon completion / failure of your course. Whether it is a challenge or a quiz, or both, you are free to determine how to test and grade your students/participants. People who are already educated are welcome to participate as well.
I will be the first to sign up for the "Alex Thompson Blogger Beer Seminar" if you are to accept the role as seminar instructor.
There is no pressure, I heard about this thing called the interwebs- I downloaded it on a CD to have with me in case I can't find the Tecate again.
I just got an email response back from alex (ride-arc).
He said he has been incredibly busy with things relating to the upcoming "River Ride". The ride this Friday will be a bit more "difficult" than others and will start near the downtown area. I don't know if the "River Ride" is the same ride as this Friday- will try to find that out.
We could hold a moment of silence for Carolyn Ackerson, the 49-yr old Venice rider at the spot of her recent accident. She "lost control of her bike" and was struck on 14th, b/w Michigan and Pico. (SMDP May 30th, pg 3).
Well I just got another response back from alex and it looks like it would be a crazy crazy trip from SM. He said it would be very very dark with a lot of climbing, too. He didn't want to disclose too many details until the mailing goes out, which is understandable. Needless to say, I don't think I'll be making it to RIDE-Arc this month :(
Maybe we should just try to make SMCM last really long, or we should start a new ride all together for west-siders wanting to keep having FUN after SMCM (starting around 10pm). Lane & I have been talking about some possible themed rides that could be thrown down and posted immediately.
I don't know about other people here, but I prefer being out until 2-4am riding around and having fun on Friday / Saturday nights with yous guys. Regardless of how cool SMCM is this month, it just won't be the same rolling back home at 10pm.
If anyone wants do a ride after the ride, let me know / start a new thread / or just post it! I can design some spoke cards. I am sure there would be interest from other people who are currently boycotting SMCM! F'N Ride ideas are loaded and I'm ready to pull the trigger!!
The first 10 miles avoid streets with bike lanes. Start out by walking bikes to Ocean/Colorado, East on Colorado, immediate left on 2nd, Right on Wilshire, left on 20th, left on Montana, back down on 4th to Main, etc.
Aaand then, We can cruise past SM college, then BikeRoWave, then take Broadway back West. By then, we'll be 10 miles into th ride, SMPD most likely off our back. Dip down and continue west on Pacific, that oughta give us a nice view of the sunset.
I still prefer taking the bike path South for a stealth entrance, but if you want to go North through downtown, everyone walking to Broadway worked pretty well.
it sounds like you have lost faith in Critical Mass being awesome by creating this other ride. Planned spontaneity is boring. CM can last as long as you want it to! You dont have to create something new, just let it happen.
I have no doubt that SMCM will be much much better this month. I also know that it will end pretty early and usually there is RIDE-Arc which keeps riding until at least 1:30am.
I 150% cherish the late night ride. This is just a west side placeholder for RIDE-Arc this month, without the awesome route and hopefully made better by the good people & good times carrying on from SMCM.
Also if some people did not / could not make it to SMCM show up at Mar Vista Park, it served to give them another option for hanging out on Friday night :)
Hey Shadylane, maybe you can bring some lights to donate before the start of the ride? Or maybe you can print out some CVC cards and pass them out to the riders and the cops. Or maybe you can bring a megaphone. Or a music trailer. Or chime in on where you'd like the route to take you. Or maybe you could perform some magic vodoo on the coppers so they actually escort us and cork lights instead of ticket.
Anything is better than non-constructive criticism.
I guess I am just getting confused. From what I understand CM isn't supposed to have a set a agenda. I am really thankful that people like yourselves are trying to figure it out and make it work and trying even harder in Santa Monica. It is all very awesome. I just feel like giving it a route and saying we will ride even more afterwards on a different ride is a cop out. Why can't CM continue all night long? It is hard to have a leaderless mass, but that is the beauty in CM. I enjoy that challenge. It only happens once a month so I feel like embracing that chaos is important. Imagine making it work with out a set route. Like if everyone were to stay in the group and go to the same places with out ever forcing it upon the group. Almost like an unspoken agreement with a many many people.
Unfortunately, I am not the brave soul who could make that happen. I dont actually think that one person alone could make that happen. But that is what I wish could happen and thus why I was upset with there being somewhat of a set ending and different planned ride to go to. sorry about the unconstructive criticism, I hate it myself. I dont think I gave any now either, but that is because I really have no clue how to make this work. But like I said, I like not knowing.
Well sorry and thanks Jonnyboy for putting so much damn effort into trying to figure it out.
No worries jericho1ne! I don't think Andrea intended it to sound that harsh.
Although it was kind of a low blow saying that I have lost faith in smcm (especially after I posted in this thread [probably too much] to try and help improve), I was already over it because I've met her outside of the interwebs and she's always extremely polite and super nice!
BOTTOM LINE, I am SERIOUSLY just all about having some fucking good times on fucking Friday night- whatever fucking ride it may be on, and I hope it's really fucking late when I drag myself back home to crash before Los Angelopes! I'm not riding out to Chinatown to do 30 miles climbing on a fucking fixed gear, and I sincerely have a shitload of hope that SMCM is going to make a big comeback and will bring all the people currently boycotting it back for every first Friday of the month.
if SMCM tucks its tail and runs from the police again this month it should lose it's right to be called critical mass. Sneaking out of SM on a bike path and sneaking back in falls into this category.
the good old days -> east on colorado, left on 4th, left on SM, right on 2nd, etc..
YAMYEOW WILL MAKE A SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE WITH LIMITED EDITION SPOKE CARDS!!
YAMYEOW WILL MAKE A SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE WITH LIMITED EDITION SPOKE CARDS!!
YAMYEOW WILL MAKE A SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE WITH LIMITED EDITION SPOKE CARDS!!
YAMYEOW WILL MAKE A SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE WITH LIMITED EDITION SPOKE CARDS!!
YAMYEOW WILL MAKE A SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE WITH LIMITED EDITION SPOKE CARDS!!
YAMYEOW WILL MAKE A SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE WITH LIMITED EDITION SPOKE CARDS!!
YAMYEOW WILL MAKE A SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE WITH LIMITED EDITION SPOKE CARDS!!
YAMYEOW WILL MAKE A SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE WITH LIMITED EDITION SPOKE CARDS!!
YAMYEOW WILL MAKE A SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE WITH LIMITED EDITION SPOKE CARDS!!
YAMYEOW WILL MAKE A SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE WITH LIMITED EDITION SPOKE CARDS!!
YAMYEOW WILL MAKE A SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE WITH LIMITED EDITION SPOKE CARDS!!
YAMYEOW WILL MAKE A SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE WITH LIMITED EDITION SPOKE CARDS!!
YAMYEOW WILL MAKE A SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE WITH LIMITED EDITION SPOKE CARDS!!
YAMYEOW WILL MAKE A SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE WITH LIMITED EDITION SPOKE CARDS!!
I am willing to donate a $1.00 to get a spoke card. One of my first spokecards was from SMCM. I know it isn't free to make these cards and I think those of us who can contribute a small donation should...just to cover costs.
Also whether we face SMPD head on in a "Tet Offensive", which we will surely lose. Or we use Sun Tzu methods and feign retreat only to re-enter Santa Monica and ride "guerrilla-style" until we encounter the enemy. The key is never to give up. We lose only if we no longer ride. Every month, people show up for this ride. As long as we ride, we can never lose.
I thought it was really ingenius a few rides back and alot of fun to ride to the promenade, walk through, wave to street musicians, dance with tha hari crishnas.
Yes. Bring your ipod with a party playlist, mine isn't charged and I'm too metal for the latter. I still haven't rigged up a parallel battery or velcro, but I should have a few hours of juice left for the west-side ride afterwards.
So my friend's friend is throwing a party on Abbot Kinney tonight. At a bike shop supposedly? I don't know.
Definately an option for tonight. I don't know if I'll make it to SMCM as I'm busy doing work, but the Mar Vista Ride seems to be a definate for me. When I show up, I'll talk with the usuals about possibly leading the ride there.
I mean, come on, a party....at a bike shop....on abbot kinney, when it's the out and about day there.
Anyways, yeah. Call me if I"m too lazy to show and I'll give directions and what not.
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