crime seen

The local daily's crime writer did a youtube search for hamilton police stories: in her story she mentions

[The...] self-righteous cyclists in a Critical Mass rally that began in Hess Village. The cyclists filmed themselves as they rode around city streets, disobeying traffic laws and wreaking havoc for motorists.

We see cops handing out tickets to the group*. Face reality, one officer tells the bunch. Cars are here to stay.

Yep. Cars are here to stay (actually, we never said they weren't): yes sir, cars are out there everyday wreaking havoc for (other) motorists (traffic jams, accidents resulting in thousands of annual fatalities, pollution, noise, drunk drivers, even drivers with dementia.

Disobeying traffic laws? you mean like the 70% of drivers who admit to speeding, or the vehicles who fail to stop at all-way stop signs (most drivers) or who run red lights? or who race other cars and end up crashing into houses?

[*In fact the police did NOT hand out any tickets at Critical Mass, just a card with traffic violation fine prices on it.]

You'd think Critical Mass in Hamilton must be a big concern for the cops: yet they didn't come to the next month's ride, nor the one after that, or the one after that, and so on. Yes, they actually may have more important things to do for that one hour a month...

So, yes, it's hard not to be a little self-righteous, after all.

critical scene

Critical Mass bike rides, since 1998 in Hamilton, through the camera lens of mobile videographers (on bikes) - get the street-side view of the monthly bike ride in this short video that made it into the Art Gallery of Hamilton's PHOTOPHOBIA annual juried exhibition of short video in 2003. (DIVA's second entry in photophobia, the other being War Games in the Park.)

How You See It, Critical Mass is a collection of footage taken over a period of several CM rides in town, including the Pedal for Peace, which strangely (or not) drew a police presence.

Critical Mass is still going on in town, the last Friday of the month at Hess and George Streets, at 5:30pm.

No more oil, no more wars, let's all take our bikes out more!