Bicycling Mag on Critical Mass

Bicycling Magazine is finally shifting their focus a smidgen towards urban cycling issues with article on the founders and followers of Critical Mass.

From the article (we've got a ways to go to match Budapest!):

In Budapest earlier this year, 50,000 Critical Massers pedaled through the city on the last Friday of the month, paralyzing auto traffic. In Warsaw's Plac Zamkowy, where Masa Krytyczna is approaching its 10th anniversary, the multithousand weekly gathering is described as the living, breathing (and occasionally wheezing) heartbeat of the Central Europe underground. "You've got to go to Budapest," a swarthy London bike messenger named Pedro tells me. "It is wild." He is wearing a T-shirt that couples Einstein's image with his maxim that "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving."

Meanwhile, Toronto Critical Mass was a fun experience as bike cops escorted cyclists around the city, blocking intersections until all the mass riders made it through. The cops behaviour was admirable, in my opinion, as they took their cues from the cyclists up front. They may have been trying to be a bit too orderly but that's just what they do and it did help to keep the mass together.

It was amusing that the 30+ cops promised to ride with us as long as we liked, but that when we we reached University we could no longer find them. I suppose a two hour ride was just too much for them. Amazingly enough the ride was still fun, still orderly, and still effective.

Photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinreis/.