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This month's York Critical Mass

Critical Masser | 04.02.2007 14:39

Another month, another ride, and this time around we narrowly exceeded the previous months attendance. However, the police made another brief intervention, as two cycle police and an officer on foot joined the ride.

The women PC (on foot) was immediately very hostile, demanding that cyclists proceed single file, essentially making the ride pointless. However, they bizarrely vanished, and the ride finished off more or less in one piece. This did have the effect of encouraging a few riders to leave early. There was a bizarre moment where an officer announced into their radio that they'd found the organiser. Ironically, this was the one regular rider who'd been much quieter than usual!

The ride headed out through Monkbar and along the last untouched section of the inner ring: Lord Mayor's Walk. The ride than headed past the hospital, where the ride had to evacuate the road to allow an ambulance through. Over the bridge into the Clifton area, and along Burton Stone Lane, before heading out to Clifton Green. Here the ride crossed the river, and headed through Leeman Road, before riding along Rougier Street and back across Ousebridge.

The next ride will be on 3rd March, when skies will just about still be light when we set off. And looking ahead, the first "summer time" ride will be on 6th April, Good Friday, when the ride will be advertised as family friendly (and much easier to photograph!!). It'll be interesting to see what the police decide to do next: it won't be surprising if they fail to show up until midway through yet again. Legally, they have no right to prevent the ride, nor to interfere with it, other than if the ride stops mid-road or mid-junction. Whatever happens, it should be fun non-the-less.

Critical Masser
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