Critical Mass London January ride.
Masser | 27.01.2007 12:25 | Ecology | Free Spaces | London
You never know what the police are going to do next on the London ride. They clamp down on some things and relax on others from one month to the next and from one part of the ride to another. 'Shambolic' is perhaps the word that best describes their behaviour. They seem at times to behave more like Anarchists than the riders. You would think with their radios they could at least arrive at some sort of a consensus. In addition to our usual police overkill the Forward Intelligence Team were also in attendance at the South Bank, poking their cameras in people's faces. All this just because of a bike ride!
This time the cops decided to get tough with riders without lights and those who go through red lights and also with sound systems in the SOCPA zone. Did you know, it is OK for someone with a car to play their sound system in the vicinity or Parliament but not for a cyclist with a sound system? How discriminatory is that? Anyway, the cops allowed an extra long 'bikes high' stop in Oxford Circus but no stop whatsoever in Picadilly Circus. Those riders who were pulled for going through red lights are now facing a £30 fine, despite the fact that some cops were actually ushering other riders through red lights!
One of the highlights of the ride was storming through the Aldwych underpass, something the police normally prevent. We had a fun time with Brian Haw in Parliament Square, he led the "More bikes less cars!" chants on his megaphone and seemed in a very good spirits. The ride split up after that at around 9pm, going off in all directions and leaving our yellow coated retinue behind, chin-wagging among themselves.
Video to follow.
http://www.criticalmasslondon.org.uk
One of the highlights of the ride was storming through the Aldwych underpass, something the police normally prevent. We had a fun time with Brian Haw in Parliament Square, he led the "More bikes less cars!" chants on his megaphone and seemed in a very good spirits. The ride split up after that at around 9pm, going off in all directions and leaving our yellow coated retinue behind, chin-wagging among themselves.
Video to follow.
http://www.criticalmasslondon.org.uk
Masser
Additions
learning some lessons
30.01.2007 11:26
The police managed to split the ride and break the Mass, after the stop with Brian Haw the group I rode with stopped outside Buck hse, the police then arrived and seemed to be waiting for instructions before acting against us.
From there we moved to Park lane where we stopped to wait for part of the group to find us, having allowed ourselves to become separated, the police then turned up in some force and proceeded to create situations amongst our diminished group, I was threatened with obstructing the highway several times.
The police then approached Des Kay and asked him to get off his recumbent, when he refused a policman took out his handcuffs, but then Des was accused of having an offensive weapon, a multitool.
No cycle toolkit should be without one,
With hindsight, it would probably have been best to head for Soho, the police would then have lost the initiative
Keeping the Mass together is in my opinion the overriding priority at all times,
From there we moved to Park lane where we stopped to wait for part of the group to find us, having allowed ourselves to become separated, the police then turned up in some force and proceeded to create situations amongst our diminished group, I was threatened with obstructing the highway several times.
The police then approached Des Kay and asked him to get off his recumbent, when he refused a policman took out his handcuffs, but then Des was accused of having an offensive weapon, a multitool.
No cycle toolkit should be without one,
With hindsight, it would probably have been best to head for Soho, the police would then have lost the initiative
Keeping the Mass together is in my opinion the overriding priority at all times,
J Discombe
e-mail:
johndiscombe@ukonline.co.uk
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