More than 100 Baton Rouge bicyclist pedaled a seven-mile route near the University shouting, “Yeah, Bikes,” and “Come bike with us,” Friday afternoon. The cyclists rode for the 15th anniversary of Critical Mass, a monthly bicycling event that aims to raise awareness of the presence of cyclists in Baton Rouge and assert their rights to the road. “Critical Mass is a celebration of bicycling,” said Moshe Cohen, mathematics graduate student. “It’s done the last Friday of every month in cities all over the world. There are no leaders or fixed agendas. It builds a bicycling community in a city that has no actual home for the bicycling citizens.” Cohen said the Baton Rouge group meets the final Friday of every month at 5:30 a.m. at the University’s Memorial Tower. He said the rides are open to anyone with a bicycle. Cohen said Critical Mass was started in San Francisco in 1992 and consisted of several dozen riders. He said the name Critical Mass came from a documentary depicting cyclists in Beijing waiting to cross an intersection with no traffic lights. With only a few cyclists, the group was unable to stop traffic to cross. But as more cyclists waited to cross the road, a “critical mass” developed, allowing the large group of cyclists to push their way into the street, forcing traffic to let them cross as a whole. “Critical Mass — the name — was adopted so that other people could join in,” Cohen said. “And as soon as that number – the critical mass – is achieved, there will be enough bikes on the road to have everyone – pedestrians, bicyclist and motor vehicles – riding safely.” Cohen said the Baton Rouge group ended the anniversary celebration at the Backyard Gallery, a local art gallery north of campus on Violet Street. He said riders usually dissipate on their own and spread to bars or restaurants within riding distance. The anniversary ride also featured a post-ride party where some cyclists screened their own T-shirts, boasting “one less car” on the back, to commemorate the 15th year of Critical Mass. “This is something that started to get more awareness about bikes on the road,” said Quintin Good, who has ridden with Critical Mass for two years. Good hosted the post-ride party, and his backyard based T-shirt screening company created the 15th anniversary shirts. “The fact that people have been doing this for 15 years steady is … very important because it shows there is still a need for change in the streets, city design, bikes lanes, everything,” Good said. Jake Blanton, mathematics graduate student, said Critical Mass is a fun event in which he has participated in for about two years. “It’s a good social event to ride with other cyclists,” Blanton said. “Cyclists can come out and state their presence with the ride. You learn new routes, and you learn how to ride on the road. You have more confidence so when you do have to ride by yourself, you have have a little more handle on the road.” Cohen said since Critical Mass has no real leaders or organization, the primary means of getting people to participate is word of mouth. He said the group usually rides five to 10 miles at a leisurely pace. Cohen said although the group aims to raise awareness of cyclists and their presence on the road, they are not concerned with the politics of change. “This is just sort of collecting the people,” Cohen said. “And once you have the people, then the people can decide what their goals are. This is just people hanging out. And if the people come to it wanting more bike racks, then now we have a voice.” Good said no notable changes have resulted from Critical Mass in the Baton Rouge area as a whole, but the group is still effective in changing people’s minds about bicyclist. “I think it affects change by changing one person’s mind at a time about it,” Good said. “And on that scale, I think it’s very effective.” Mark Martin, a local bicyclist who has been riding with Critical Mass for one year, said the group uses a riding tactic called “corking” to block motor vehicles from interrupting their continuous flow. “Corking is when the ride is going through a green light, and it turns red. People go out on either side of the mass and keep cars from trying to break through,” Martin said. “Strictly according to the law, it is illegal. But if you get a gap in the mass, cars try to get in. And if you get cars in the middle of the mass, it’s more dangerous for everybody.” Martin said he has only seen one motorist be rude toward the group. “Most of the time we get people honking their horns and waving,” Martin said. “Most of the time it’s a sense of awe and wonder [to see 100 cyclists at a time] on their part.”
—-Contact Nicholas Persac at [email protected]