TRAFFIC ALERT: March Critical Mass Friday Night
Watch out Friday evening.
Critical Mass takes place this Friday evening.
Critical Mass is the massive bike ride that takes place the last Friday evening of every month, and takes hundreds if not thousands of bike riders through a leisurely ride on the streets of Chicago.
Rides can be 15-20 miles and take three to four hours and due to the huge number of bikes, will create major traffic impacts wherever it snakes through the city.
If you’re in a hurry to get somewhere Friday evening, you don’t want to get caught at a traffic light with the Critical Mass express coming through. It’s like being at a railroad crossing with a very long and slow freight train crossing.
Critical Mass starts from Daley Center at 5:30 PM Friday evening.
Unfortunately, the route is a secret until just moments before Critical Mass starts so we can’t give drivers any advanced warning of where the route will take them.
The best advice for dealing with getting stuck in Critical Mass induced traffic is to just sit back, take a deep breath, and wave to the bike riders yelling “Happy Friday.”
Have a nice weekend everyone.
Photo courtesy and copyright of TheeErin. Check out her great Flickr photostream when you get a chance.
I am not a fan of this. You want to get respect for cyclists, try not flaunting the law.
Let me be very clear, I respect cyclists and have no problem with them doing minorly illegal things that don’t mess with traffic, like slowing but not stopping for stop signs (or timing them to match a car going their way), or running lights when they’ve checked for no cross traffic. I’d say that most cyclists I see fall into this group.
I do have a problem with cyclists who completely disregard traffic control and act as though the road belongs 100% to them. The worst one for me was a guy at a stop sign by Depaul one day. 4-way stop, my turn, I was moving through the intersection when a cyclist blows through the intersection at full speed, having come from behind an SUV. Had I not happened to be looking right where he came from (ie, I just happened to be scanning that way), I would have creamed him. Slammed on the brakes, shaken. Honked. For my troubles of not killing this cyclist, I got flipped the bird and shouted “ASSHOLE!” (was a nice day, I had my windows down).
This was a few years ago, and I still remember it vividly. I can only imagine how I’d feel had I actually hit and killed the guy. I really feel for the woman who hit and killed the guy running an illegal street race at Irving/Damen/Lincoln a couple years ago. She’s got to live with that, even though it wasn’t her fault.
It’s guys like the latter that ruin it for the rest, and I feel that the Critical Massholes are encouraging that kind of behavior. Yes, you’re a cyclist and you have a right to the road as well. No, that doesn’t mean you own the road and can do whatever you want. Ugh! I just remembered seeing a news interview with some bike shop owner after the aforementioned accident during a race. Shop owner blamed the driver, despite her having a green light and the cyclist completely blowing the light.
GLG-
I think your comments reflect how a lot of drivers feel about bike riders.
Or, at the very least, you’ve certainly summed up MY thoughts on the subject.
Pedestrians, bike riders, motorcycle/scooter riders and passenger vehicles all have a right to the road and should feel safe on the road.
But when any of the above parties ignore or flaunt the rules of the road, the chances for an accident, injury or even death increases.
One of my nightmare scenarios would be to hit a pedestrian or bicyclist.
VERY well stated GLG.
BTW: I’m not necessarily endorsing Critical Mass here, but just warning drivers to expect traffic delays if they encounter this event tonight.
No one, or an organized group has the right to place motorists in danger by purposely BREAKING TRAFFIC LAWS. Where are the police in this total disregard for the public’s right to be free from Traffic Terrorists. That’s “terrorists”, an organized group which uses terror for their own ends. We hear nothing from the police be it in the form of public statement or action. By doing nothing the Chicago Police Department and the City of Chicago provide tacit approval of the event and endorse of these dangerous activities. Why do the police appear impotent without an action plan to protect the public. The police can’t claim they don’t know when these events are going to happen, all they have to is read this site. Daley may love bicycling, but that’s no justification for allowing Bicycle Bullies from running roughshod over law abiding motorists. This has got to stop now before people are plowed down by predatory pedal pushers.
I’ve seen this mess before since I live in Lincoln Park.
What astounds me is that the Cops in 018 and 019 don’t do anything to prevent this crap.
I ride a bike. I stop at stop signs and I wait for traffic lights. I expect the same from other bike riders and when I drive my Car I make sure that I don’t crowd bike lanes.
I’ve been Hit by a biker going the wrong way on Briar Place (west bound 1 way, jagoff was going east bound.)
I filed a complaint and made sure the putz was Cited.
I recommend complaints to the Ald of the areas these putz’s have their routes through.
Let me echo the comments of GLG. I commute by Bicycle during the summer and I hate the Critical Massholes with a passion. They simply make riding more dangerous for all of us on the road. Do I stop for all stop signs? No. I stop at all two ways and slow for each four way to see if someone is coming the other way. If I do, I then stop and follow the rules. And I stop at all lights. And I ride the right way down the street. I give respect and expect it. But each time CM strikes it makes it much harder for the rest of us.