A sampling of what the public has to say:

These quote are taken from various blogs and websites, compiled here

for ease of review. If the content is long, we just added the source link.

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This has enough to keep one reading for a long time.

San Diego does not like its Critical Mass. Sure there are some fans, but for the most part, it’s pretty bad:

Critical Mass - Balboa Park - San Diego, CA

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Here is a cyclists blog from Vancouver. Good stuff. Stay safe man:

http://vincentramblings.blogspot.com/2008/06/i-hate-critical-mass.html

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Another blog a little to long to just copy/paste:

Critical Mass You’re Dead To Me : The Veloblog

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The title of this blog sums it up perfectly. Wish we had thought of it:

Critical Mass Sucks: If You Ride With Them, So Do You

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Selected quotes from all over the web:

I live near Balboa Park and was witness to the August Critical Mass ride. While I'm a cyclist myself and think it's a great idea to get groups together to encourage cycling, this group was a critical mess. After failing to yield to the rules of the road, the cyclists caused enough confusion within the motorists that two cars had a fender bender. As one lone police car tried to manage the ensuing gridlock, a few cyclists were arrogant enough to yell curse words and insults to motorists and the cop. They finally dispersed and/or disappeared farther up Fifth Avenue, leaving in their wake empty beer cans and trash all along their route. Yeah, so much for making a statement. Seriously lame. Hopefully, the group will be reclaimed by those who are responsible and serious about making a positive impact with regard to cycling - and the hipster poseurs will find some other activity to latch onto that makes them feel unique.

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I’m all for bikes, I think bikes are sweet, I have a bunch myself. I’m all for going green, that’s awesome too. But blocking off Stanley Park and the bridge is the dumbest, stupidest thing ever. It just makes motorists hate cyclists more, not to mention half the city is trapped in traffic. People can’t get home to pick up their children from school, make dinner for their families, or just get to whever they were going without having to sit in traffic for 2 hours. And what’s worse, you don’t represent the real roadies: the ones who wear helmets, abide by the law, and yet still get treated like crap because all you people have lost all respect for cyclists in Vancouver. So do everyone a favour, and display your movement in such a way that yields positive results and does not make the whole city angry.

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Why is the San Diego Critical Mass filled with drunk belligerent riders (beer in hand) threatening members of the community as they ride down a two lane/two way road in BOTH LANES while shouting at cars to "Get the f*ck out of my way"? You are riding a bike, not starting a revolt/anarchy.

You rode through my neighborhood (Mission Hills) on 8/29/08 and gave your group a really bad reputation. A few really bad apples (assholes) managed to ruin a potentially great political statement about alternative transportation because they wanted to ride drunk, with a pack mentality, acting belligerent.

Great way to inflict positive change guys!

The organizers should be ashamed of what went on last night. Unfortunately this isn't the first time it's happened.

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If Critical Mass does not stop doing the Lions Gate Bridge I will never attend again.
Shutting down the bridge for over an hour is the most stupid obnoxious and cruel thing it could ever do.
Making hard working people suffer in traffic for that amount of time so that douche with a bullhorn can yell about no blood for oil is an insult to the human race. I hate cars and carbon emissions and the fact that we as a species are about to go extinct, but there is no reason to make people suffer in the mean time.
Consider the effects of your actions! Since that is exactly what the mass is supposed to be all about.

And for full disclosure, I ride a bike too. And when I do so, I obey the traffic laws, just like all the car traffic around me.

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Critical Mass is a prime example of good intentions gone bad. It's time for those punks to grow up and behave -- they're only making life more difficult for other cyclists.

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“It was arrogant, more like anarchy, to take over the streets like that,” said a 71-year-old visitor from Tucson who was frightened when cyclists surrounded his car July 25. He asked that his name not be published for fear of retribution.

The man said his 68-year-old wife was driving south on Kettner Boulevard about 10 p.m. when about 1,000 cyclists came north in their lane. He told his wife to pull over, fast.

“Lots of them had no headlights on their bikes,” he said. “There was no advance warning this event was to take place. Someone is going to get hurt. The city is looking the other way while this mob is on the road.”

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Glad to see a real biker also hates Critical Mass. I saw the news story out of Seattle where the bikers there put a driver in the hospital and destroyed his car so badly it had to be towed. They also terrorized a pregnant passenger in the car. When I lived in town I use to ride my bicycle all over. For safety sake, when trying to cross a busy intersection I would get off the bike and use the lighted cross walk. I can jump out of the way of a car running a red light but not if I'm on the bike. I obeyed all traffic laws, stayed to the right to make it easier for vehicles to pass me, used hand signals (for those drivers that still remembered what they meant), and had both head and tail lights for if I was riding at night. The Critical Mass group in my city is pretty small so they haven't yet built up the mob mentality like in San Franciso or Seattle. Then again they probably realize that there are people around here who carry firearms in their vehicle and some of them don't care about life or the police.

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used to politely tolerate Critical Mass, but now I hate it.

It was Halloween night that did it for me.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/theeerin/3000959758/

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There are a number of other cyclist advocate organizations that don't randomly fuck with people, and I do support them. I ride a bike myself, and as far as I'm concerned these assholes actually make things more dangerous for me by pissing off drivers. I don't know why the cops just stand around and watch them play games in the road. These pukes should be arrested just like anyone else that blocks traffic and assaults people just for fun.

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A friend and I just came from San Diego, we were returning from downtown tonight when we were suddenly surrounded by hundreds of bikers. At first I thought it was pretty cool, but it appeared that they were all angry and very aggressive. None of them had helmets on, it was very dark, and difficult to see them. As we watched one of them, while running a red light, went down to the ground and slid in the middle of an intersection to avoid hitting a car. He then jumped up, refused to leave, and prevented traffic while the drivers in several cars around him threw items at him. While we were watching this, a cyclist slammed into the front side of my friend's car, turned and screamed obscenties at us while flipping us off. We hadn't even seen him coming... Not sure what the point is? I have a bike and love to ride (do so regularly), however I find this act somewhat appalling. I only hope that San Diegans don't witness this act as representative of all cyclists. And anyway I can think of more important causes to stand up for (human rights, AIDS, orphans, animal rights), and certainly better things for which to risk my life and better ways to do it.

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I am in the process of having a bright orange shirt made that reads in large letters upon its back: "Critical Mass Sucks: I am not one of them." So I can wear it on my daily ride to work, so that drivers do not mistake me with the misguided fools who participate in this travesty towards cycling.

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CM have a legitimate beef: cyclists are put in danger by bigger, badder vehicles on the road. It's a shame they pollute their message by behaving badly themselves. I've had the misfortune to be in a car during a Seattle CM rally. They swarm. They break laws. They instigate. They goad.

CM does more harm than good. They're bad PR for cyclists

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I've seen you guys. More like 'critical dumbass'. I love my bike and wish you guys would do everyone a favor, cyclists and motorists alike, and just stay at home and text each other all night or twitter your little poseur asses off. You don't have a clue as to how to initiate change and make a positive statement for a cause.

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Yeah I second the aggro-white-guy sense of entitlement run amok. The first time I ever saw a Critical Mass in action? 10 years ago or so on A BUS trying to get home from work but no, it took us about 2 hours to make what is normally a 30 minute ride... apparently riding the bus isn't good enough... and, being a PEDESTRIAN-- no car-- in this town, I can attest to almost being knocked down or cut off or almost hit by a cyclist (because they really enjoy riding all over the sidewalks) as many times as by cars... that's just it, with CM, they don't want to get along with others, they just want everyone the hell out of their way. I thought then what I think now... way to act like arrogant, self-righteous, self-absorbed Massholes (love the handle!) to really get the whole city to warm up to your cause.... a little humility, common courtesy, and OBEYING THE RULES OF THE ROAD AND THE SIDEWALK might further your cause a little more. But then again, you know what? I think it's more fun for these machos to keep on poking their little sticks into the hornets hive...

it's just that a lot of us are tired of hearing them cry to mommy when

hey get stung.

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Critical mass is just a bunch of fools breaking the law and getting away with it.

If the goal is to somehow show that we need more bikelanes or something then it utterly fails.

All it does is make people like me despise you.
I ride a bike myself, but I still drive a car too because - guess what? - sometimes it is necessary!

Give me a break. I wish the police would sack-up and start arresting these fools before someone gets killed.

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When I first heard about critical mass, I really liked the idea, but they've soured me. It's not an act of protest. It's chance to get rowdy, and pretending that it's got a bigger purpose puts you in league with thugs. (I have friends who ride, friends whom I like, but the whole ethos of the thing has become thugish.)

The lunch counter, etc protests worked because they were CIVIL. It put the onus on the oppressor to be the bad bahaver if the oppression was going to happen, and forced people to see the injustice.

People drink (a lot) for critical mass. They pound on cars and are really verbally aggressive. To pretend it's a civil protest is absurd. It's a primitive assertion of power.

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Anarchy does not work. Its that simple.

Trying to force your agenda on others by utilizing "mob rule" is the quickest way to gain enemies and lose the support of the very people you are trying to sway.

I am biker myself, and like countless other bikers I reject Critical Mass whole-heartedly.

Many of the riders in our San Diego Critical Mass appear to have no other intent than to have a joy ride while breaking the law and behaving like unruly children at the expense of society in general.

Heres some points for the dull-witted Critical Massers:

1) When cars idle they create more pollution. You are forcing cars into gridlock while they create MORE pollution than if you would have stayed home.

2) Pissing off the public only makes them dislike you the OTHER 29 days out of the month as well.

3) "Mob Rule" is the act of the coward and the simpleton. I know its REAL HARD to actually meet with community leaders and authorities. I know you are SOO COOOL by being all "anti-establishment", but lets face it. - your just a poseur if you are too lazy to take the steps required to affect real quantifiable change.

Hell, it would be great for me to form up with some other cars and have a day where we block off the road so I can ride without stopping at lights too. However, since I am not a douche-bag, I will not do that.

Motorcyclists have had similar issues in the past, but they actually work WITH authorities, WITH the community, WITH decision makers ( just do a google search for ABATE if you are a Critical Masser and too stupid to figure out how to affect real change).

Yeah, we know that bikes exist. Yeah we know that cars are bad. We also happen to live in the real world and try to work with what we have, and change what we can - through LEGAL channels that dont disrupt the lives of others.

Critcial Mass has turned into a bunch of misguided hipsters who think THEIR way is the only way, and the result is:

EPIC FAIL.

Critical Mass Sucks.

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I would really like to see my city become more bicycle friendly, and I would happily pay taxes to make the city more bicycle friendly.

That said, I despise critical mass. I think they are deeply immoral people who purposely put people's lives in jeopardy through their antics.

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Ok so I already thought that critical mass is stupid and the cause and idea of it hit its pinnacle awhile back and now its like a rovering band of idiots. Well my thoughts were true as last week I was in a cab heading home on a friday and got stuck with the critical idiots.

We had them on all sides of the cab lightly kicking and making fun of us stuck in the cab. These morons started to chat at us (my head was out the windows yelling back) all kinds of stupid shit regarding gasoline prices and the such. Do I give a fuck? No you know why? Cause I take a Taxi that runs off NATURAL GAS. I try to make a point of taking these cabs. It even says it on the fucking cab but can critical morons read? I guess not when they are in mass! I had to tell them that we were in a NGV and still they did not give a fuck. Their mission is soooo diluted with idiots its no wonder everyone hates them.

One day a leader will emerge and direct these poor souls anger and frustration into something great but that day is far away from what I saw.

Which brings me to my next rant!

When will people riding bicycles learn to obey the laws? They seem to obey them sometimes when it comes to getting run over and there are some people that actually obey the law but what about the masses? How can you demand fair treatment when everyone else is getting screwed by your actions?

Now I am not saying that drivers are not assholes but in terms of aggression bikers seem to rise above and beyond all others. I see them yell at cars when it is cleary the bicyclists fault.

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Fuck Critical Mass. A bunch of them staged an "incident" last year that ended with one of them throwing his bike at my husband's car and doing about $1,500 worth of damage. I, too, wish my town was more biker-friendly, but now anytime I see someone on a bicycle, I kinda want to run them over.

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I'm also a cyclist, and I've never understood them either. We have a Courteous Mass here, that actually obeys all the road rules, which I think does a much better job of accomplishing their goal.

The Critical Mass people are intentionally putting themselves in danger and trying to make it look like the motorists fault. Once I was driving and a huge group of them ran a red light on a very busy road. I waited until I thought they were all gone before going, but two stragglers zoomed by at the last minute. I was so close to hitting them, it just about made me sick. I notice that a lot of them don't wear helmets, either. So if their antics do get one of them hit by someone, the damage could be that much worse.

I don't understand why the police here don't do something about them blatantly breaking road laws.

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Lookit, folks, I too own a bicycle, I think bikes are a valid form of transportation, I think everyone should share the road appropriately.

But you're lucky I have decent reflexes. Because I'm in a Volvo and you're on a bike, so suddenly pulling out of your lane and deciding to play chicken with me on a rain-slick street is a dumbass thing to do.

I'd have a helluva lot more respect for you if you obeyed the damn traffic laws and had some common sense.

>>I think you miss that the point of Critical Mass is to piss off everyone not participating. It's quite effective.

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First things first.

Charge all bicyclists the same license tax that cars are charged.

Require a license to ride a bike and charge for that as well, just like cars.

Require all bicyclists to have insurance just like car owners.

If a bicyclist is caught without one...their bike is confiscated plus heavy fines...just like car owners.

Then we can discuss their 'rights' to be on the road.

Heck, if enough of them actually do this, there would be money for a vast expansion of bike lanes/trails.

Editorial Comment: We at CriticalMassSucks.com are not sure if we agree 100% with this guy or not. As bikers ourselves, we know that cyclists pay other taxes through regular life which help create roads so it is not JUST car drivers taxes and fees that create and maintain the pavement. However, the idea does have some validity because, let’s face it, gasoline taxes, registration and license fees go towards the roads. What fees do bikers pay to help out with the roads?

(not that we want to pay any more to ride our bikes ourselves, mind you)

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Many of us in this thread have professed to be cyclists. I'm a bike person that also has a car that happens to live in a bike-enthusiast town. There are pros everywhere this time of year training on the roads, so I'm on both sides. I know it can really frustrating and often infuriating to be a bike on a street, even on streets with bike lanes. Those things that you posted are not too much to ask.

But it is never necessary to blatantly flaunt road laws to make a point. I think it is dangerous to a stupid degree. 50 bikes against a car, and the car is still going to win. If you run red lights, breeze through stop signs, don't yield, or attack and yell at cars in hordes in order to teach people a lesson about bicycles on roads, you are a moron who is hurting the cause and putting yourself in needless danger. (You in the general sense here, not you personally not_alice).

It is not going to make the cars think, "Hey! I should start using my signals to not hit bikes!" or suddenly give them an epiphany of safer driving. As I posted earlier, many cities have a Courteous Mass to counter the Critical Mass. These bikers follow all the road rules, and they manage to attempt to coexist with motorists. To me, this is a much better idea, because it presents a more realistic situation to motorists by a positive example. There are also many bike-oriented groups that try to spread auto-biker awareness, and I encourage people to join them. Purposely being a dick to drivers is not going to help anything.

Riding a bike on streets is dangerous enough without being needlessly inflammatory to people driving metal machines that can smash you in an instant.

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The comments posted by "K" (July 31, 2009 - 9:49pm) are bang on. As a cycle commuter, recreational road cyclist, mt. biker, and recreational road racer, I believe the Critical Mass is an absolute farce and does nothing but have motorists, pedestrians and the public in general question the overall common sense of all cylists. (after seeing the congestion of C.M. last month, some must wonder if all cyclists are just plain nuts) If C.M. participants feel that their monthly outing is a "celebration" they should follow common municipal laws for such parties. If your party consists of squatting on the Lions Gate bridge seems like it is more of a protest. If C.M. participants are serious about increasing awareness for cycling and cycling related issues, they should take their cause seriously, register their event, have all participants register, sign a waiver, wear helmets, ride in an order fashion (instead of jumping curbs, and doing donuts in the middle of the intersection), keep their clothes on, and most certainly follow the rules of the road, that apply to all of us. Vancouver is a world-class city and we should all step it up. Can we not be smart enough to learn from the C.M. rides in Seattle, San Fran, Portland, etc. "Ride Civil" is a new more responsible cycle advocacy movement in Seattle which seems to be gaining popularity. My fear is that some motorist, pedestrian or other cyclist, frustrated by C.M. will act out against a cyclist, whether part of C.M. or not... it could be any day of the week. These monthly rides are doing nothing to increase support for cycling... and I question if they are doing anything positive at all. C'mon people...

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Im recommeding to everyone who gets stuck in their cars while these bikers disobey red lights, to get out of their cars and block the bikers path. I was stuck downtown for 2 hours last month trying to get to North Vancouver and I wish I would have done that. If they aren't going to stop for red lights and the police aren't going to do anything, then its time to fight fire with fire.

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You cyclists participating in CM are very inconsiderate. It is 30 degrees C on a LONG WEEKEND. You have no right to inconvenience others. You are selfish and will not earn the support of others this way. Do you seriously think that people are going to support you??? I am pregnant and don't have a car with air conditioning. I have to leave work early (without pay) to avoid the mess you plan to cause. My body cannot physically handle sitting in traffic in this kind of heat. You will NEVER have my support.

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You are encouraged to do your own research. The links and entries copied into this page represent just the tip of the iceberg for what the public has to say on the subject. The above should give you a taste of how many people feel.

To include all blog and website entires would be tiresome and redundant. There are only so many “Critcal Mass Sucks!” comments even WE can take.