[Originally published in Synapse on November 3, 2011.]
The Embarcadero was full of bicycles and bikers on Friday night as nearly a thousand people gathered for the monthly Critical Mass bike parade. The air was lively with Halloween spirit and everyone from children to older adults were done up in festive costumes.
This month the ride, which at times has been controversial, was more playful and celebratory than provocative. Of the many Halloween activities in a city known for flamboyance, this one is certainly the most mobile. It feels like a Bay to Breakers on wheels, a party energized by its own motion, traveling miles through town.
“The Halloween Critical Mass is always the most fun,” said one young lady with a huge ‘fro in a polka-dotted clown suit, “Sometimes people even make costumes for their bikes.”
She added that “the December Critical Mass is great too, lots of Santas and reindeer and elves come out!”
As the riders took to the streets hoots and hollers echoed between the buildings of downtown. Some bikes towed speakers and were blasting thumping dance music. The route, which is improvised each month by the leaders of the ride, went north along the water then circled back around Union Square before heading down Market and south into the Mission.
The mass of riders stretched for five or six blocks so that as they passed for five lovely minutes the sound and smells of automobiles stopped and all you could here were joyful human noises. Naturally conflicts arise when motorists feel unjustly delayed, and indeed buses and cars were all halted briefly by the rebellious parade.
I didn’t witness any real aggressive behavior on the part of angry drivers or self-righteous bikers, however. Cops helped to keep some intersections clear of cars while the bikers passed, in effect condoning the event, which is technically un-permitted.
Pedestrians mostly enjoyed the spectacle, many taking photos, reaching out to high five the passing revelers and smiling at the fantastic outfits.
I asked one hot dog vendor what she thought: “I’m not selling any more hot dogs than usual,” she said, “but I’m having a lot more fun!”
While October’s Critical Mass is a celebratory affair, the regular tone of the event is more of a renegade political act. As the number of bikers using the streets increases, many feel that the roads should be made more bike friendly and safe for all to use.
The event is way to assert the bicycle as a legitimate and broadly used form of transport that should be given its place. Indeed while all citizens have a right to use our largest public spaces — our streets — those who own and drive cars make a disproportionate claim on those spaces.
Many pedestrians and bikers feel that every day cars offend the other users of the streets with their noise, exhaust, excessive size and dangerous speed. It doesn’t seem unreasonable that for one evening a month motorists should feel what bikers and pedestrians feel everyday: what it’s like to not be given priority on the roads, to feel marginalized.
Other organizations that work for bicycle rights don’t support the approach taken by Critical Mass. The SF Bicycle Coalition operates more within a conventional framework, encouraging bikes to strictly follow all the rules of the road and politely lobbying the city government for more bike lanes.
It was just announced last week that on JFK Drive through Golden Gate Park, separated bike lanes will be added starting at Stanyan Street. This is part of the SF Bicycle Coalition’s vision to create a safe bike route from the bay to the beach. The plan would include separated bike lanes on Fell and Oak Streets and improvements to the existing lanes on Market Street.
Regardless of which tactic one supports, it is clear the there is a growing need for bike-friendly streets in this city. As more people start choosing to bike as a fun, healthy and environmental form of transport, drivers will need to start making room.
Everyone from the youngest to the oldest members of society should feel safe to use our streets, whether on foot or on two wheels. The fewer roaring cars we use the more pleasant our public spaces will become and the more inviting it will be forever more walkers and bikers. This trend of course affects UCSF as well.
The popularity of bike commuting can be seen in the bike parking cage off Irving Street. Everyday every bike parking spot is taken and many people have to find overflow parking on the streets.
To do its part to reduce congestion around the campus and promote the health of employees and students, UCSF should make simple changes like providing more bike parking in the parking garage. Thirty bicycles can easily fit in three car spaces, again demonstrating the disproportionate burden automobiles and their drivers place on our precious public spaces.
Critical Mass, whether it is an arrogant annoyance or a playful parade, will continue monthly, as it has in San Francisco since the early ‘90s.
Having had a taste of Critical Mass culture, I’m sure costumes are welcome all year round. At the very least, bring with you a big smile and enjoy with thousands of others a brief vision of a cityscape that prioritizes people over machines.
