Back in January Critical Mass (CM) Wellington’s (re)founding father Tom Elliot personally charged me with the mission of keeping CM going in Wellington, after he left town on an exciting round-the-world cycling and sailing adventure.

Thus far I have failed miserably in my task.

If you are not familiar with Critical Mass, it is an international event in which cyclists gather to ride collectively with the aim of creating the required ”critical mass” of bicycles necessary to assert our rights to the use of roads on equal measure with motorised vehicles.  This mass ride phenomenon began in 1992 in San Francisco and now occurs in more than 300 cities worldwide, generally on the last Friday of the month.

The Wikipedia article provides more information regarding the background and history of critical mass.

I moved to Wellington in 2010 and was unaware of any local critical mass events, until I saw a flyer for the October 2011 Wellington ride.  I participated in the ride, enjoyed it thoroughly  and continued to do so regularly until November 2012, missing only 1 ride during that time! Sadly, since December 2012, CM has ceased happening in reliable numbers.

My understanding is that previous to the re-founding of CM in Wellington by Tom Elliot in 2011, there had been a CM tradition in Wellington that received the expected negative criticism from the motorist community, however surprisingly it also received some negative criticism from the cycling community.  Apparently (again this is just my understanding from what I have been told) the methods used by some more radical cyclists during the rides was viewed as reflecting poorly on the Wellington cycling community.  For this reason, and perhaps others of which I have not been made aware, CM in Wellington was halted for some time (a few years?), until it was rejuvenated mid-2011.

Of course, as cyclists, we all know how important it is to be responsible advocates for cycling, and how the individual cyclist’s behaviour reflects upon the cycling community as a whole.    We also know how important the wider perception of cycling and cyclists is when it comes to advocating for and implementing improvements cycling infrastructure, as this requires support from the public and the city council.

To oversimplify the scenario, if one person rides their bike around like an asshole, the motorists think we’re all assholes, and the city council will never give us bike lanes, because we all look like irresponsible menaces to safety and good conduct.

However, there is a distinction between riding safely and comfortably, and what motorists expect the ”rules” for cycling to be.

Irrespective of this tangent (which I hope may provoke an interesting discussion) CM does have a reputation for using some aggressive, anti-motorist tactics to promote cycling.  However, in my experiences participating in CM rides in 3 different countries, I can say that by far, the Wellington CM rides were the most polite, and least aggressive or intrusive to motorists or pedestrians.  This is perhaps because of that keen awareness of our sensitive situation as cyclists in Wellington.  I have also had discussions and experiences with cycling New Zealanders that made me aware of how my perceptions, as an American, differ to those of the locals.  But anyway, I digress, this was not meant to be a diatribe on the cultural factors affecting cyclists’ behaviours, but on the merits of advocating for the cycling community in a responsible and enjoyable manner.

I have conducted some informal surveys of my acquaintances regarding resuming monthly critical mass rides in Wellington.  The responses have varied.  Most of those who have previously participated are interested in participating again, however some had complaints about the format and function of CM.

In the past Civic Square has been our meeting point, and we have more or less stuck to one route through the CDB, along Victoria street, down Vivian, along Cambridge Tce, up Courtney Place, and ending with the traditional CM “bike lift” near the bucket fountain on Cuba Street.  We have not aggressively employed traditional CM techniques such as “corking“, but rather tried to remain as a group and be aware of lights and pedestrian crossings.  However, phrases such as “Ride your bike!” or “Burn fat not oil!” were shouted alongside choruses of bike bells to bring awareness to the activist nature of the ride.

(Better picture coming soon…)

While personally I found this a good balance, others did not.  For me personally, I enjoy the social and activist aspects of CM.  I don’t normally participate in group rides unless they have a specific goal or objective other than “just to ride” or for fitness; I ride my bike to get where I need to go.  CM isn’t about riding for fitness or endurance, we ride very slowly for about 45 minutes and only go about 3 kms, though of course you do get out and moving on a bicycle.  CM began as a way for commuters who gathered in the city centre to begin their rides home together.  I believe it’s about making people aware of cyclists and an opportunity for cyclists to socialise.   After our rides we would often go to the nearby Leftbank for some noodles or a beer.  Some of the participants in my informal survey found the rides to be too tame – they wanted CM to be a vehicle (excuse the pun) for aggressive cycling activism.

I always enjoyed participating in CM and I am overcome with guilt for not having actively tried to keep it going over the last 6 months.  However, with this aim, I would like to solicit the feedback and opinions of the wider cycling community with regards to the future of critical mass in Wellington.

Some questions to consider:

• Is it worthwhile to try to keep the last Friday of the month (5:30 pm meet, 6 pm ride) CM ride going?
• What is the message Wellington CM should be trying to communicate to the public?
• How do we best communicate this message?
• What is your motivation to participate (or not participate) in CM? Is it for the social/community aspect?  Activism?  Exercise? Some other reason?
• How should CM riders behave with regards to traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, etc.?
• What kind of routes should be taken?
• Any other feedback/comments…

Please post your comments below.

Another barrier to me taking a more active role in the organisation of CM (albeit self-imposed) is that fact that I am not a Facebook user and do not have access to the Wellington CM group or event pages.  In addition, I am trying to finish my PhD thesis within the next 6 weeks.  Is anybody keen to help out with organisational responsibilities and Facebook skillz?

Yours sincerely,

Nicole M. Gaston

It was none other than Cycling in Wellington’s (and CAN, CAW, etc.) own Patrick Morgan!

In the article, Patrick describes the Wellington City Council forum on Cycling that was held 2 weeks ago, and attended by more than 200 members of the public.  He also discusses how Wellington was recently rated “the worst city in New Zealand to ride a bike”, and how plans for improvements to cycling in the city, such as the Southern Bikepass, could make cycling easier and more attractive to Wellingtonians.

Check out the article and get the full scoop.  Hooray to Patrick for being the poster-boy for Cycling in Wellington!

You may also recognise another Cycling in Wellington author’s face in the issue…

Get Frocks on Bikes on their bike! Four days left to pledge – five bucks is enough (larger sums also gratefully accepted).

Her Worship the Mayor of Wellington Celia Wade-Brown invites you to the Wellington City Cycle Forum. The Forum is to discuss cycling and issues affecting cyclists in the city. Existing and prospective cyclists will have an opportunity to find out more about what the Council is doing and to join the discussion about what more needs to be done.

The forum will be in the Council Chambers, 101 Wakefield Street on Wednesday 1 May 2013. The forum will begin at 5.30pm, with light refreshments provided from 5.00pm.

Agenda:

1 – what Council has done

2 – what Council proposes to do – including updates from recently completed feasibility studies investigating the Great Harbour Way, Island Bay to the city and the South Coast

3 – key cycling routes – have we got our understanding of the network right ?

4 – new initiatives cyclists would like to see

Registration is essential for catering and venue purposes. Please RSVP to cycling@wcc.govt.nz by 24 April.

Frocks On Bikes has sparked an everyday revolution in NZ: year on year, more and more Kiwi women of all ages, sizes and styles are getting from A to B on bikes.

But how’s this possible? Everyone knows NZ’s a tough gig for everyday cycling.  Kiwis have long seen cycling as a sport, or for greenies, or for dedicated Cyclists only. Like most other NZ cycle advocacy groups, Frocks On Bikes is 100% volunteers, with zero budget, and everyone has day jobs.

Yet in five years we’ve started a movement rolling. Nationwide, steadily increasing numbers of Kiwi women are getting on bikes everyday – at their own pace, in their own style, in their everyday life. They’re not “turning into cyclists”, they’re just using bikes as another way to get from A to B, day to day. And they’re enjoying all the benefits that come with it!

So how are we pulling this off – in a tough environment like NZ?

People around the world are fascinated to hear the answer: Frocks On Bikes has been accepted to present at the prestigious VeloCity 2013 conference in Vienna!

It will take $5,000 to get Christina there and present Frocks’ NZ story to the world.  Frocks is a not-for-profit and everything we do for you is free or nominally charged. Please help us!

Pledge here: https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/810

Read more here: http://frocksonbikes.wordpress.com/velo-city-2013/

Or watch here:  http://youtu.be/xq8nVlLP8K4

The lookbook is full of sewing patterns featuring ladies with bikes!

Here are a few examples to inspire the crafty and stylish cyclists amongst us.

So what are you waiting for?  Grab your sewing machine and your bike and make yourself a beautiful new frock for the next Frocks on Bikes ride!

xx Nicole

The annual Love to Roll date ride is here again on the 2nd of March. Join Frocks On Bikes for a fresh, fun and summery cruise to the Fringe Festival in the city (either busking circus show, Campground Chaos outside St Johns, or Wheels of Justice at Bike Barn – must pre-book tickets).

Evening Films by Starlight ride – 20th February

Frocks on Bikes loves Wellington’s summer events – and what better way to get to them than on two wheels?! Join us for an evening ride (route TBC on the night) before spreading the picnic blankets and opening the drinks at Waitangi Park for a cool Film by Starlight.

The details:

20th Feb - Meet for a pre-movie ride at 7pm at the north side of the Wharewaka (near Taranaki St). We’ll cruise the waterfront to stretch our legs before settling in at Waitangi Park for Searching for Sugarman. (We know these movies are always packed out, so we’ve planned it to stake out a good spot)

If the movie is cancelled, then the ride will be too. Keep an eye on the WCC website or facebook.
Bring picnic blankets, food, wine, bike lights and something warm for after dark.