top
San Francisco
San Francisco
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

The Joyful Alternative: 15 Years of Critical Mass

by Robert B. Livingston (gruaudemais [at] yahoo.com)
For just a couple of hours on the last Friday of each month, hundreds of cyclists informally ride together to claim the streets which are normally ruled by automobiles. The gathering is part celebration and part peaceful protest. The main message: we still have a choice to live our lives in a way that is more thoughtful of the world's resources, to live in a way that is more socially nurturing of life and health, and to live our lives with more joy.
critical_mass.jpg
San Francisco
September 28, 2007

Today's ride marked the spontaneous demonstration's 15th year.

Here are a few photos from the beginning of the ride.

Hope some other riders have some more!

§1
by Robert B. Livingston
1.jpg
bicycle cowboy
§2
by Robert B. Livingston
2.png
leather detail
§3
by Robert B. Livingston
3.png
green party initiative
§4
by Robert B. Livingston
4.png
waiting to start
§5
by Robert B. Livingston
5.png
bumping into friends-- is that his real hair?
§6
by Robert B. Livingston
6.png
orange is street friendly
§7
by Robert B. Livingston
7.png
cool companion
§8
by Robert B. Livingston
8.png
fun on the embarcadero
§9
by Robert B. Livingston
9.png
friendly smile
§10
by Robert B. Livingston
10.png
bicycling by
§11
by Robert B. Livingston
11.png
unicycling by
§12
by Robert B. Livingston
12.png
recumbenting by (?)
§13
by Robert B. Livingston
13.png
happy way to begin a weekend
§14
by Robert B. Livingston
14.png
Peace!
§15
by Robert B. Livingston
15_1.png
preaching to the converted
§16
by Robert B. Livingston
16.png
fearless fashion statement
§Animated Gif
by Robert B. Livingston
sept_2007_critical_mass.gif
Some who haven't tried it say that the cyclists' main purpose is to infuriate the automobile drivers.

More likely, I think, is that they wish to demonstrate a joyful alternative to a culture that has become more and more destructive.
Add Your Comments
Listed below are the latest comments about this post.
These comments are submitted anonymously by website visitors.
TITLE
AUTHOR
DATE
Robert B. Livingston
Sun, Sep 30, 2007 3:58AM
Liberman
Sat, Sep 29, 2007 4:40PM
Canuck
Sat, Sep 29, 2007 1:37PM
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$75.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network