Dublin - Event Notice
Thursday January 01 1970

CriTicAL mAss

dublin | miscellaneous | event notice

Thursday August 18, 2005 22:24

by Barry - Dublin Critical Mass

0863614554

6pm, Garden of Rememberance, Friday 26th August

Bring your bike or other non-motorised transport (whistles, balloons, funny hats and bike-bells are a neccesity) and gather at the Garden of Remembrance, Parnell Square at 6pm on Friday 26th of August for a pleasant and fun bike ride around town.
Its the last one of the summer so do your best to get your friends, enemies, acquaintances and everyone in between out on their rothar!

What is Critical Mass?

We are the cyclists of the city, cycling together in a large group. The idea is to show how much nicer Dublin would be (for cyclists and everybody else) if the streets were full of cyclists all the time.

What exactly do we do?

We cycle. We go in one large group at about one mile per hour, which has the effect of taking over the road. Traffic is calmed, pedestrians can cross the road without running, you can hear the birds sing and you can converse without shouting, and you think ‘wouldn't it be great to have this all the time?’

So it’s really a type of demonstration?

Not really. Only in a society immersed in car-culture could people think that cycling around is a demonstration. Critical Mass is a celebration!

Who’s in charge?

You are. There is no steering committee, no treasurer, no chairman - we just cycle. Many people design and photocopy leaflets to give to passers-by to explain, but that’s up to each person.
We don’t ask anyone’s permission to use the streets of our city, we do it by right. We reject the idea that driving is ‘normal’ and that cycling is some far-out activity that has to be shunted off and catered for specially.

The cycle generally lasts for 30 or 40 minutes. Sometimes we plan it out ahead, sometimes it just emerges. We often go to the pub afterwards, so if you haven’t joined us before, come along and introduce yourself!