BostonTweet captured a little corking or something this evening at Harvard and Brighton in Allston.
Via Allston Rat City, who wonders:
Was anyone there at the corner of Comm and Harvard when some dude in a Honda got pissed off at the people on bikes blocking traffic and literally drove through them?
UPDATE: JC tweets:
Yep, gray Civic plowed right through them. Don't think anyone was seriously hurt.
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Comments
+1
By anon
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 12:48am
+1
Pretty douchey behavior.
By anon
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 12:25am
Pretty douchey behavior.
Bicycles are required to obey the rules of the road. People defending this juvenalia should ask themselves what they would expect to happen if someone in their car was doing a donut in the intersection?
I'm sorry.. Are you
By anon
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 1:22am
I'm sorry.. Are you suggesting motorists aren't douchey? You're talking about Boston, right?
mob mentality = no one uses their brains
By anon2
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 7:31am
Mayor should have instructed the bike renters on how to ride in the city. This current crop of cyclists clearly have no idea what they're doing. Maybe riding responsibly won't be such a joke to them once someone gets hurt. Pretty sad for all of the cyclists who actually take urban biking seriously.
Tax payers?
By anon
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 3:15am
Those who ride bicycles don't pay road taxes (tolls, gas taxes, license fees...) if you want the road shared by those who spend money making sure its there for you, and pedestrians, respect the motorists who pay for it to be there, and stop making law abiding and respectful bicyclists targets. You are scum, if you are involved in corking you are complete scum.
"road taxes"?
By issacg
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 8:41am
I have already written my comment condemning this foolishness, but I saw yours and I must ask:
You don't really think that things called "road taxes" are what funds construction and maintenance of roads in this Commonwealth (other than, to a limited degree, our one tolled highway and few tolled harbor crossings), right?
I support user fees more than the next guy, but there are these things called public goods from which positive externalities arise, and roads are a great example.
Pedestrian countercorking
By Jay Levitt
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 3:50am
I have an idea. For next month's Critical Mass ride, I'd like to rent some long extension ladders, and have people walk across the corked intersection against the bikes.
Who's with me?
Excellent. And some future Friday
By Kathode
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 7:52am
A whole bunch of cars should converge on some major intersection, park, and block the intersection. Oh wait, we do that everywhere, esp near the BU Bridge.
win
By chicken
Sun, 07/31/2011 - 8:16pm
thank you and good night
Pedestrian flash mob needed
By Eighthman
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 9:59am
Just what I was thinking needs to happen.
I'll bring my slicecycle and
By anon²
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 10:17am
I'll bring my slicecycle and ride in the opposite direction. Pedestrians can stay back, I'll take care of them.
[img]http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/265/7/b/sli...
I don't know, I see pictures
By Mara
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 7:28am
I don't know, I see pictures like this and I see the chances of my dad getting a donor kidney go up.
I ride a bicycle and drive a
By Eoin
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 9:35am
I ride a bicycle and drive a Honda. None of this is making me look good.
I was hit and have the license plate number
By Jonathan
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 11:12am
I am actually visible in this video NOT corking the intersection, but rather standing on the far corner (I pop in and out of the frame around the 19s mark, wearing white pants, black shirt, black helmet, basket on the front of my bike with a blue jacket in it). After the circling started to dissipate I proceeded through the intersection on Harvard Ave. It was after I was about 100 feet down the road that I heard the roaring of the engine and turned around to see this homicidal maniac zig-zag at the group of people that were still behind me riding. When I saw that he was coming straight at me, I quickly hopped off my bike into oncoming traffic to avoid being hit. My bike went in the opposite direction and within a second he drove over it. Luckily I am fine, my bicycle not so much.
From the sound of some of the comments here, I am astonished to see that there are people in this world that believe that I deserved to get hit. I was almost killed. I have a family.
The car was indeed a grey Honda Civic. In fact the license plate (as given to me by an onlooker who saw the whole thing) is MA 53we31. The cops didn't seem to really give a shit. I had to propose that they take down my contact info after one of them just got in his car. Unreal. I called the Allston branch of the BPD later in the evening to follow up and they told me to call back in 48 hours. Nice. There is a person who attempted to kill dozens of citizens out there driving the roads of Boston. Whether you are in a car, on your bike, or walking, this should horrify you.
Fortunately I have in-house counsel (read: wife) and will most certainly be pursuing all avenues of the law that are available to me.
To those that encourage violence against anyone, bikers or not: Fuck you.
Driver/Cyclist Rights
By tea
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 11:38am
Correct me if I am wrong.
Cyclists have the SAME rights as cars. They are equal, not less than or greater than. Cyclists should stay in their designated lanes (where applicable) and cars should stay in theirs.
As far as I can see, from this video, and from the comment from the rider that was almost injured, if not killed, you were BOTH wrong.
The police should have been at that intersection to ticket the cyclists. No question.
The police should have been there to arrest the driver of the Honda for attempted homicide (IF, that is indeed what has happened. I was not there, so I'm basing my statement on the assumption that the cyclist is being honest.) No question.
Cycling is indeed a greener way to get around the city, but keep in mind, driving is a necessity in some cases. Cyclists need to remember this. Because you believe you are being greener and more caring for the earth does not make you any better than anyone else.
I can understand that the driver of the Honda was upset, I can appreciate and empathize, however, that is not justification to drive into a crowd of people. The police should have been called.
Do these bike riders not own cars at all? ...maybe not. But I'd be willing to wager a good handful of them do.
Keep in mind, in July, there are a lot of tourists in the area. I guarantee you a lot of them are driving around our already unsafe streets. Blocking traffic like the cyclists have done proves absolutely nothing other than they are all able to cycle in a circular motion in unison. Way to go.
I'm not excusing the driver's behavior and I'm glad someone got the plate number.
I'm also not excusing the cyclists behavior in cycling around a major intersection.
Please note, when I say "you" pertaining to the cyclists, it is a generalization and not a direct point to the cyclist that was almost hurt.
I love this city more than anything. It's unfortunate you both made poor decisions that evening.
Quote:It's unfortunate you
By anon²
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 12:48pm
[quote]It's unfortunate you both made poor decisions that evening.[/quote]
THIS
It's called a learning experience. Everyone should take note.
Same Rights?
By North Beginner
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 1:48pm
Im going to Ride my bike over to East Boston through the Callahan. Wonder how Far I get.
Im going to Ride my bike on the Mass Pike or 93 on the breakdown lane north or south and see how far I get.
Have you ever seen the signs saying no bikes/horses/people allowed? (Funny that the bike and horse have no one riding them)
Same Rights? It’s not true. Cars rule the landscape. People and bikes are second in line. It’s funny because we all know someone who has been injured or killed by cars.
Damn cars killed another 150 people in the US today. Injured thousands and caused hundreds of thousands in property damage. Leaked gallons of oil and fuil on the ground and burned up millions of gallons of non renewable fuil. Don’t we just love them so much though? Talk some sick violently domestic abusive relationship.
Did you know that only 1% of the horse power in your engine actualy pushes your body along in your car. How stupid is that?
Different classes of vehicles have different restrictions
By scottso
Sun, 07/31/2011 - 11:39am
Trucks can't drive on the street where I live. Bikes can drive on 55 mph highways. Horses... well, that's another story. But they all are required to follow the same rules of the road, regardless of all the other issues surrounding us. That's the price we pay for living in a society with lots of viewpoints. A solution: Elect new people to legislative office. In the meantime, we've got what we've got.
wow guy
By anon
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 11:39am
so you have a family... what in the world are you trying to teach your kids? to be Hell Raisers?
Why did you take part in this event and what is it trying to prove?
I don't agree with the car plowing through but hey if its a green light sorry guy he waited one light cycle as seen in the video so on the second go thats too bad.
He had the right of way and you should have steered clear when the light turned. Had you died well i doubt the person would get much jail-time if any as it wasnt his fault. you came in front near an intersection.
its my first comment after reading universalhub for a long time but i felt it necessary after this comment of yours that you say you were part of it.
again what is the damn reason of riding around in a circle like a headless chicken?
would love to be enlightened as an allston/brighton resident.
I ride a bike, car, mbta whichever is the most convenient and i abide by the rules like dozens of cyclists i drive next to or behind which give hand signals and obey stop signs etc.
did you even READ the guy's
By anon
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 12:42pm
did you even READ the guy's account? He said he wasn't part of it and was just going through the light after it ended.
Brains
By fenwayguy
Mon, 08/01/2011 - 4:54pm
Not a lot of those folks are wearing head protection. It's certainly more pleasant to ride without a helmet, but I'd hope for a group culture of always wearing them, to represent themselves as responsible riders. So it's clearly not about that.
Glad you're ok. Mourning your bike.
By BlackKat
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 11:45am
Very sorry to hear you got hit. Something many people forget about is not just the risk of injury but the potential loss of up to thousands of dollars of bicycle (and typically the offending car's damage can be repaired with a bottle of nail polish).
Having had two very nice $1000 bikes totaled by hit and run drivers (and lucky to escape injury myself) I too have seen the police not take any action unless forced to. Glad you got their license and have some legal support.
Good luck!
By Lecil
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 11:46am
Glad you're okay. Please let us know how it goes. There is just no call for that type of behavior.
Idiot
By anon
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 11:56am
Maybe you just should have proceeded to your destination rather than joined in on a public disturbance. Fucking idiot.
Oh, come on
By Kate
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 12:56pm
The driver of the car was clearly wrong to do what he did.
But the cyclists were out to cause a disruption, and were breaking the law and I don't really understand the message.
Are you teaching your children to put themselves in harm's way to when they want to get attention?
Maybe you're teaching them that it's OK to just go out into traffic and break laws because you want people to respect cyclists?
Pedestrians need respect too. Will you teach your children to run into traffic to get respect?
Along with the whole anti-car
By WTF
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 12:02pm
Along with the whole anti-car thing... since I live in a rural area and come into the city to dump big bucks on a bunch of bs I don't really need... well if cars aren't welcome I can take my money elsewhere. Not everyone driving a car is being lazy. Some of us live pretty far away and in areas without any sort of public transportation options whatsoever.
I used to do these rides a
By julie
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 12:26pm
I used to do these rides a few years ago. I stopped because I didn't see how they were making drivers aware that they were sharing the road.
We didn't obey any traffic signals. We didn't let pedestrians cross the street. There were a couple of occasions (one was by Fenway Park) where a police officer would tell us to stop so pedestrians could cross. I would hit my brakes. No one else would stop.
Bikes would block intersections so 200 cyclists could zoom by. During rush hour, I saw many drivers get extremely frustrated, especially after the light would change several times and they were still being blocked.
I am a lesser-abled person
By anon
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 1:07pm
I am a lesser-abled person and was nearly hit as they blew through a light in cambridge one night as I was crossing. This does nothing for their cause. it's more like evangelism than civil disobedience to me. Polarizing behavior. We already know bikes exist on our roads.
Makes us aware that some cyclists -- just like SOME car drivers, SOME pedestrians, SOME people -- are so self-absorbed they can't walk around in another's shoes or wheel around in another's wheelchair. Why can't we all get along, why is not civility on the roads and in the streets...?hmmm...
Wish we had more money to put into traffic enforcement - sadly enforced civility seems the only way to make Civility happen and I say this being rather anti-authority. Only if people in Boston are made to be held accountable for their actions will things change.
Debating with folks like the
By anon
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 2:26pm
Debating with folks like the Critical Mass riders is like debating with Tea Polks. Community, facts or logic mean nothing.
Really, what Critical Mass is, is not an organization promoting cycling, but it instead pisses off folks trying to get home after work. We already know that there are bike riders. We have invested in bike lanes, at cosiderable expense, I imagine.
Get over yourselves and work to be a part of the solution.
these idiots make me both
By anon
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 2:40pm
these idiots make me both embarrassed and more nervous to be riding a bike around boston.
(No subject)
By anon
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 5:35pm
[img]http://www.yehudamoon.com/images/strips/2009-02-20...
I haven't went to this since
By RhoninFire
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 6:28pm
I haven't went to this since May, but I ride in Critical Mass. I don't really ride for the "activism" aspect, I just ride because it's pretty fun to ride with 500 other bikers and see Boston. I almost decided to go to yesterday's ride, but decided not for laziness and hang out with some friends at home.
That said, a few things I have seen.
1. Most of the riders ride for the sake of riding with such a large crowd. I guess it is the sense of a parade type of thing.
2. I have noticed the face of the various drivers and pedestrians reacting. Most seems indifferent, some are amused, a few cheered, and the rest are pissed. A very few are pissed enough to try step on the gas a little. This is the first I heard of stepping on the gas and not stopping.
3. Some of the bikers had act in ways I disagree. I find it reasonable to block the street while the fellow riders ride past. I disagree when riders would ride ahead or run a car that is stopped at a stop light and one of us would go and block that singular car. I find it more reasonable to give the car a chance to drive out ahead rather than force it to get behind us. I find this is when we find cars least amused.
4. A few of us, especially at the start of the ride have tried to reform this. I seen a few riders have tried to pass flyers about such etiquette and plenty of times where we would yell at the rider with "let them pass!" Unfortunately, it only takes a few riders to ignore such calls to make a good number of cars quite unhappy.
Now read as many of the comments, I want to write a few things in response to a few arguments I seen.
1. I think we should drop the "Fight the Power" argument here. The previous times I rode, I wasn't there for activism and I believe many are not there for it either.
2. Bikes and Cars are both Massholes. Pretty much no one is an angel. Let's not try and justify by saying "but, but _______ the ride/drive like this!"
3. The counter argument to it "only delays traffic by 2 minutes!" with it can "keep a guy in a medical emergency from the hospital!" as reaching and unlikely. The bikers had always immediately hit the sidelines whenever we hear an ambulance or police siren. If you talking about the possibility of a guy carrying a friend to the hospital, while possible, but very unlikely and looks like a disingenuous attempt with reaching for any reason to counter the argument of a short delay. I mean that line of reasoning could easily be used for any type of delay.
4. Personally, I think a 3-4 minutes of delay in traffic once a month on a Friday isn't that unreasonable. Isn't the extra wait time really that bad (obviously excluding the counter-argument of point 3). That video shows that the bikes circled and left after 34 seconds. It was probably 3 minutes at the longest assuming the time for all the bikers to gather up.
Stupid
By anon
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 8:23pm
This whole debate is ridiculous. It's kinda like what is going on in Congress. Basically cyclists doing critical masses are dicks and people who drive (ie civic) through them are assholes. But really if everybody stopped being dicks and assholes I think the whole world would stop having sore behinds.
embarrassing
By Owen
Sun, 07/31/2011 - 9:01am
As a cycling commuter, this behavior is really embarrassing. Sure, cars take up a lot of space and clog intersections, but that's because they are big, unwieldy, and inefficient. The analogy of doing donuts in an intersection seems apt.
Don't the Critical Mass people realize that the reason cyclists aren't respected on the road is because they behave like law-breaking assholes? I use hand signals, I stop at red lights, and I yield to pedestrians; funny, no one honks or yells at me.
Critical Mass needs to grow up. If they really want more respect and deference from drivers, they need to show they are worthy of it. This stunt is the most effective anti-cycling propaganda I can imagine.
(none of this excuses the behavior of the honda driver, obviously. Honking and yelling seem like perfectly understandable responses)
Bike on bike crime? What?
By Em
Mon, 08/01/2011 - 9:04am
Ugh, another cyclist to good for Critical Mass. Have you ever done it? No? Then stop being all high and mighty about it, like you're a better biker.
I've been to Critical Mass, and not every single time, but a handful of times. It's fun. Yes, there are those who act like assholes on bikes, but most people don't. Most people are friendly and it's supposed to be fun. It's nothing new. It's always the last Friday of the month. The cops know about it. Even if it does pass you in traffic, it's only 5 minutes or so... the point isn't to stop traffic and be jerks, it's to promote awareness. Most reactions seem to be neutral or friendly from motorists and pedestrians. And please... please stop with the lame "oh what if I have a medical emergency" BS... ambulances and people who have had emergencies have passed through.
Bikes are supposed to be treated like cars. This means that they should run red lights, not use their blinkers, cut off pedestrians (and each other)... right? Oh.. and bikes are supposed to be treated like cars EXCEPT when they're not treated like cars (there are many exceptions and confusing signs posted by the City of Boston that instruct otherwise). BTW... bikes aren't cars. So enough with this stupid line of reasoning which doesn't make any sense.
Unfortunately not all bikers follow the rules, neither do all the pedestrians or motorist (should I even mention bus drivers or taxis...? no). Everyone's an asshole. That doesn't mean bikers should be run over and it doesn't mean everyone should point at Critical Mass and make a judgement without even understanding it.
Regardless of how you feel
So why do donuts in an intersection?
By Ron Newman
Mon, 08/01/2011 - 10:16am
I've also ridden in Critical Mass rides, though not recently. Corking an intersection to get the whole group through together is reasonable, but riding in a circle formation around and around the intersection is a stupid thing to do. Had I been on this ride, I would have left it at that point.
Exactly, Ron
By Nonymouse
Mon, 08/01/2011 - 12:09pm
Having to wait five minutes at an intersection to allow a large procession of bikes to go through together engenders a lot less road rage than sitting there for the same five minutes while people ride around in a circle for the express purpose of blocking traffic. For one thing, when the bikes are just passing through the intersection, you figure there's an end to it. When they're just riding around, who knows how long you're going to have to sit there and put up with their childishness?
Think about sitting at a railroad crossing. If a train is going by, people may get annoyed by the wait but at least you know it's going to be over soon. It's when there's no train in sight or the train is stopped that people start to do stupid things - even knowing that in the battle of car vs. train, car loses every time.
Agree, but the fundamental question is . . .
By thetrainmon
Mon, 08/01/2011 - 1:06pm
Ron, I couldn't agree more. I, too, am not in favor of the circle formations. I think they're the least cohesive part of the ride since they have no clear start and end and leave the group the most vulnerable, as what happened. You want to have a parade, fine, but leave the stop-in-the-middle-of-the-parade-and-perform to actual, um, parades. But the fundamental question is, no matter how upset you are, does that justify driving through a crowd of cyclists? No. Period.
Sore ass for sure
By geronimusriggins
Mon, 08/01/2011 - 10:05am
The best mode of urban travel is biking either solo or with a small group of focused and skilled riders. You go with the flow of traffic and keep your momentum while riding in control, assertively but not aggressively or obnoxiously. I love doing this, I've been doing it for over 20 years, and never been in an accident.
I make an effort to build mutual respect on the road with drivers. Most of them dont want to hurt you, and if they inadvertenly or lazily cut me off, I find that saying "hey brother, whats goin on?!" works alot better than screaming curse words and throwing the bird.
The bike always loses in a mano a mano confrontation that is fueled by anger and bad intention.
It can be done. you can ride fast and go with the flow of traffic, and you don't need to make pretentious entitled demonstrations like the critical mass people. They really are a blot on the escutcheon of the cycling world. Just stop. Think about things from the perspective of rider and driver, and be a responsible ambassador for the wave of the future.
First sighting of someone using a Hubway bike
By anon
Mon, 08/01/2011 - 8:52am
Over near North Station, he got on the bike without a helmet and rode off on the sidewalk, swerving around pedestrians as he went. No further comment...
There should be a further
By Em
Mon, 08/01/2011 - 3:18pm
There should be a further comment... this person is obviously not a regular bike rider and has nothing to do with people who own their own bikes and ride every day.
Until the driving community
By Eoin
Mon, 08/01/2011 - 12:47pm
Until the driving community agrees to take violence off the table, I don't want to hear anything about bicyclists running red lights. Shame on anyone who draws a moral equivalence between inconveniencing people and injuring them.
Quid pro quo
By Kaz
Mon, 08/01/2011 - 2:28pm
Until you stop characterizing the "driving community" by the actions of its most depraved members, you'll never receive an adequate response to your concern.
Why can't I lump all drivers
By Eoin
Mon, 08/01/2011 - 2:39pm
Why can't I lump all drivers together? Nobody seems to mind when bicyclists are treated as though they were all part of the same club (see the title of this post, for example).
Come to think of it, a whole lot of drivers are, in fact, part of the same club, one that lobbies against bike infrastructure and opposes what it regards as excessive enforcement of existing traffic laws. It's called the American Automobile Association.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/0
By Em
Mon, 08/01/2011 - 3:20pm
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/opinion/sunday/t...
I didn't say you couldn't
By Kaz
Mon, 08/01/2011 - 3:22pm
I just said you'll find your case to be as useless as a stationary bike. Good for the exercise...but unable to get you anywhere.
The simple solution to the Critical Mass problem...
By Milwaukee Mike
Mon, 08/01/2011 - 1:26pm
The next time Critical Mass decides to brighten everybody's day, I say we remind them exactly who has the right of way on our streets. Since traffic is required to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, I say we form a long, tight single file line and exercise our rights by crossing the streets over and over again in a giant circle. You want eco-friendly? How about walking?
Given that I've seen cyclists barrel into pedestrians and glare at them as if it's the pedestrians' fault, maybe this would go a long way toward sending cyclists a message. Hey, if it works for Critical Mass...
Critical Mass vs. pedestrians
By Allstonian
Mon, 08/01/2011 - 2:55pm
Funny you should mention that. I encountered the Critical Mass crowd in another neighborhood on Friday, while they were riding through a full red-lights-in-all-directions pedestrian crossing light. When my husband and I persevered in crossing the street, cyclists did their best NOT to yield. (To their credit, nobody actually hit us, although those who had to swerve or stop short yelled at us, in spite of the fact that we totally had the light and they totally did not.)
So, to those of you who have written upthread about how Critical Mass rides are an act of civil disobedience against the hegemony of motor vehicles on the roads, and about the sense of safety and exhilaration conferred by riding with so many other cyclists - please explain how harassment of pedestrians who are obeying the law fits into this.
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