Critical Mass + Labor Day Traffic = Driving Chaos, Mayhem, Pain
Uh-oh.
It’s the last Friday of the month.
That means it’s the monthly Critical Mass Chicago bike ride.
It’s also the start of the three day Labor Day holiday weekend.
That means tons of drivers will be on the road trying to flee the city for Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and beyond.
We predict traffic mayhem wherever the hundreds, if not thousands of participants in the monthly parade of bikes called Critical Mass.
Even under normal circumstances, Critical Mass bikers will shutdown intersections for 10-20 minutes at a time until they all pass through.
No one knows the route of Critical Mass until just before the 5:30 start from Daley Center.
So be prepared for the worst if you’re driving around the city this evening.
This is a Regular Event….Does Critical Mass apply and pay for the City’s Event Permit? Do they pay for Traffic Closures like Taste of Chicago and Printers Row Fest?
Cause if they don’t….The CPD should be ticketing every single fucking one of them for screwing up traffic and violations of Stop Lights and Stop Signs.
I’ve wondered… if critical mass is running the red light in one direction and a bicyclist goes through on the green in the other, what happens?
Damn it B…..that’s like asking what happens if you divide by Zero while on the TARDIS in the middle of the Bajorian Wormhole.
B-
I injured myself when I fell off my freakin’ chair reading your comment.
Damn that’s funny stuff.
Perhaps the next question would be, who would Active Trans support?
Keep up the great stuff B.
For some reason, laws of society that apply to everyone else don’t apply to Critical Massholes. If you want to commit a crime, just do it as part of Critical Mass and the cops can’t touch you, apparently.
So much for all that bullcrap about cyclists being model citizens when it comes to obeying traffic laws and not recklessly putting others in danger.
Jeff says:
So much for all that bullcrap about cyclists being model citizens when it comes to obeying traffic laws and not recklessly putting others in danger.
My comment:
Not all bicyclists support critical mass or participate. That’s a little like condemning all drivers because some drivers drive drunk. And, as pointed out over and over again, most car drivers in Chicago violate multiple traffic laws multiple times (normally the law on speeding) EVERY SINGLE DAY. I dare you to try to drive above the minimum and below the speed limit on any uncongested expressway. You will rapidly be run off the road.
But hey, you and your SUV have the right to use more of the road since you pay for more of it.
F—– O— and D—–
David says:
Not all bicyclists support critical mass or participate. That’s a little like condemning all drivers because some drivers drive drunk. And, as pointed out over and over again, most car drivers in Chicago violate multiple traffic laws multiple times (normally the law on speeding) EVERY SINGLE DAY. I dare you to try to drive above the minimum and below the speed limit on any uncongested expressway. You will rapidly be run off the road.
But hey, you and your SUV have the right to use more of the road since you pay for more of it.
F—– O— and D—–
My comment:
I have never said that all motorsits are law abiding angels. But to hear the cyclist lobby tell it, bikers are all just peace loving commuters, who never do anything illegal or unsafe while pedaling their little hearts out and unselfishly saving the planet from global warming. My point is that neither cyclists nor motorists can claim a monopoly on virtue.
And by the way, I drive a Toyota Yaris, not an SUV. This is how stereotypes about motorists can lead you to make wrong assumptions.
Finally, concluding your submission by telling a fellow poster to “f**k off and die” is hardly the kind of civil conduct one should expect on this board. I would ask the webmaster to address that issue with you.