I don't think the movement to the crash site was a 'hijack'. The guy went to the front and was dead set on it, so that's what we did. He may have planned it, but it wasn't the general plan.

The irony was that it meant we virtually replicated the route from last month.

I think people had a good time, but the LCC zombie horde I did not appreciate. If they were going to do a hijack they could have given some warning so that we could have printed out leaflets on what Critical Mass is and what we were doing.

I heard comments like "who's the leader?" and "what route are we going?"

The lack of corking was criminal. Like down Bethnal Green road where the whole things was a total mess.

I felt like they were exploitative free riders off of the body politic (which figures because they were mostly bankers). On several major intersections I was corking alone, having to deal with gangsters and police.

These LCC sheep were insane. When I shouted "cork it" and pointed to the junction, they all followed my finger and went right instead.

For all of that though, it was a truly massive mass. It seemed to fill Farringdon Road all the way from Blackfriars Bridge to Smithfields.

Having said that, it was a laugh. Once I stopped caring if the rearguard had caught up, or about corking or slowing the front or trying to get people to express an opinion (noones judging you, it isn't the freakin' Xfactor, please, speak up, please).

Apart from the mass of newbies, the other interesting thing was the lack of sound systems. I think people talked more maybe.

So, in brief, we went east - via Old St. Roundabout to Hackney Road, backnthrough Bethnal Green. We did some crazy looping of the traffic circle at Edward St/ Angel St. Then more or less along the A40, then straight down Oxford St to the Circus, down Regent, Picadilly and to Trafalgar square.

The last bit, coming west, after Holborn was a little bit free form with people finding their own way to Trafalgar square for a bit of a party. Which slowly diminished until the peelers turned up, called by the little fascist security of the square who seem to think that only tourists should be able to enjoy the amenities of our fair city.

There was a fair bit of aggro from the "I ahm too busy" crew, who were desperate to get home in time for the evening film on the tv. But, whatever. I'm always stunned by the intolerance of people for our occasional parade. Like, as if we don't have the right to enjoy the roads of the city we live in. As if it were merely a machine to be suffered in.

Whoop de whoop.

Opinions? Ride reports? Did the ride carry on from Trafalgar Square, I didn't notice if lots of folk rode on or just drifted off.

Hasta la Proxima

Hicks.

***********************************************************

The Mass must have split up then? I am not entirely sure where I went but I think it was the same way as you up until Bethnal Green. By then I had worked my way almost to the front and ahead of me were a dozen or more longboarders, a few BMXers etc. When we reached Liverpool St Station I stopped and waited for everyone to go past because I was trying to meet up with some friends I knew were on the Mass. I am prettysure they did not pass me and the Mass seemed quite small by then. I hung around a bit to see if any other groups came by and then decided to head home. I bombed round the ring road to KX and got on the next train North; as it reached Finsbury Park one of my friends phoned to say they were in Trafalgar square. Either the back half of the Mass took a different route or I didn't wait long enough for it to catch up.

I had actually arrived in London earlier and gone to the South side of Blackfriars Bridge for the 6pm flash ride/go-slow. By 6pm there were several hundred people assembled. One of the organisers explained the plan and asked people not to run any red lights, which was understandable given the presence of TV crews. Also, by stopping at lights the go-slow was more effective. On the way back South across the bridge the ride stopped in the middle for a while (for a photo-op I think) and only started moving when a police motorcycle barged through to the front and the officer presumably told the leaders to stop obstructing the highway. I didn't recognise anyone on the ride so presumably many of them had never been on the Mass, but most of them headed off to Waterloo Bridge to join it. It is always good to get new people on the Mass but, as others have pointed out, many of them did not understand the concept. In particular some of them were stubbornly stopping at every red light, causing the Mass to get split up. Some seemed reluctant to pass a red light even when a police officer was directing them to do so!!!

Ian

***********************************************************

I hadn't realised this was a similar route to last month: Sorry if that made it boring for some people. I was 'the guy at the front', who was dead set, as you say, on us going to Hackney where a good mate and comrade was killed.

http://www.londonmetunison.org.uk/2011/07/remembering-pete-mcgreal/

Whenever I suggested to people 'Hackney Road,' and they asked 'why', instantly their response was along the lines of "fair enough, let's go." And there was even one case of "what's a ghost bike?"

The only people who argued strongly against this was someone who was adamant we return to Blackfriars immediately to block the TFL road works. I resisted this as I didn't think this was the spirit of the mass really.

Anyway thanks to those who spoke to me supportively about this as we were on route and afterwards. It was a moving moment for us friends of Pete to go there and see so many cyclists.

I had put up a ghost bike that morning, donated for free from the lovely people at Bike works in Hackney. Thanks to them too.

And also the local community - many folks came and spoke to me as I was putting the bike up and talked about the needless deaths on the road. Someone else even told me he had talked about doing a ghost bike with his mate too, so he was glad I'd done it. More than once I was asked 'which organisation are you from', as if there is a Ghost Bike (c) inc. that goes round putting them up, rather than just a very good idea for others to take up and act on it themselves.

I know CM is not a protest or a pre-planned organised event, I just felt it was the right thing to do not just for Pete, but for all of us who cycle. To shout (just for a moment): 'No more'. Then let people continue whichever way they wish and that's what happened.

I went to the pub afterwards to have a drink to Pete with a couple of friends who'd also steered from the front for once. It is a bitter irony that Pete, a health and Safety rep in my union branch, who devoted much of his time making our working lives safer, was killed needlessly on such unsafe roads.

It was very hard to keep the front from rushing off too quickly. Those boarders are really fast and no matter how many times you tell them to slow down they just zoom off ( these kids are new to me, I used to come years back all the time)!

As I was keen on getting to Hackney, I only did a very little bit of corking (and directing the ambulance on to the other side of the road near the Old St Roundabout so they could go through the mass to avoid the now- jammed traffic. If this hadn't have happened, they would have been stuck for a while).

I enjoyed being back on the Mass, after a long break, though I'd never been at the front in that way before. And I'd never been out to Hackney, it always ended up in Oxford Road or something and I'd get bored and slope off to get a falafel with some mates.

I also remember the months and months of police hassling us, so it was good to see this has apparently come to an end.

So anyway, thanks for being accommodating, and for not considering this a 'high-jack'. Until next time... best wishes all.

Long live Critical Mass! x

Cheers,

Max

***********************************************************