cyclists, bladers, pedestrians
get active; join us for Critical Mass - Ithaca and join up with others
on a bike ride to reclaim the streets.

Every Friday @ 5:00pm
Meet in front of Woolworths

Route to be announced on the day of the event

We're not blocking traffic, We ARE traffic!

The motor car dominates our cities physically and politically. We are starting to see the horrific consequences of car dependency. Inner cities deserted of children, their parents too scared to let them play in the car-choked streets, once the playground of millions of urban children. The appalling costs in health due to inactivity and toxic emissions (one in four British children are now affected by asthma, a direct consequence of car dependency, and few children walk to school any more - commonplace just two decades ago). The alienation felt as communities break up, their local markets and shops destroyed by conglomerates offering all-in-a-week shopping facilities -- if you are a car owner, that is. The increasing stress, tension, frustration and ill will caused by gridlock. You want me to continue?

But here's the good news: people around the world are standing up to automobiles and one of the most important tactics employed is Critical Mass. This is the name adopted by urban cycle activists for the mass cycle rides which take place in city center streets, typically in rush hour, blocking the path of motorized vehicles, making the important point that, for short urban journeys at least, the humble bicycle is unbeatable -- clean, fun and good for you. Critical Mass offers the urban cyclist solidarity, a means of peaceful protest and a short respite from the menace of engine and exhaust.

The phenomenon is widespread throughout the USA from New York to San Francisco, and is now well established in European cities as diverse as Berlin, Barcelona and Birmingham. In London, the monthly rides have grown quickly from just a handful of hardcore activists to hundreds of commuters, couriers and leisure cyclists rallied together under one banner, cheered on by pedestrians and even the odd enlightened motorist glad that, for once, somebody is making a stand for clean, livable cityscapes. (text © adbusters.org)

The shining hope for a revolution in human
consciousness lies in the actions of everyday people

Critical Mass Ithaca will take place every friday until winter. Help keep it alive and growing!

Want more information or just want to post information to other Critical Massers? Post a message to Read or add an entry to the CARfree! forum and your questions will be answered.
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Last Modified: 09/19/98