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Is London Critical Mass getting its act together?

Doug | 27.02.2010 11:42 | Repression | Social Struggles

During last night's February 26th ride I had the distinct impression that CM is gaining control of the traffic which threatens it. Corked drivers were mostly patient and were thanked by corkers as the end of the ride passed and there seemed to be less hooting. Could this be because there is now a plentiful supply of corkers and they appear more confident, or is it just a phase? I did speak to one corker who had been rammed by a driver but he said his bike was undamaged.

Since the Law Lords decided that London CM is a 'customarily held procession' the police have been mainly hands-off. There used to be an interfering retinue of cycle police and some riders were ticketed for going through red lights, or told to turn-off their sound systems, or the front of the ride was blocked by police to allow their van to catch up, which caused additional congestion. So CM has been left to its own devices and has to relearn how to do the corking, a tactic used to prevent traffic from entering the path of the cyclists, which used to be done by the cycle police. Maybe corkers can be regarded as self-appointed stewards?

While the police have been ignoring CM the same also can be said of some drivers, who seem to think that cyclists are an unnecessary and illegal impediment in their motorised haste to get somewhere. So there has been confrontation between drivers and corkers with angry exchanges. Some drivers deliberately ram bicycles and their riders who are corking, fortunately at slow speed, while CMers sometimes kick cars and taunt hooting drivers.

BBC TV has done a short piece on the January CM ride. See  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXHqQky2Mz4

More on the February ride will soon appear on  http://criticalmasslondon.org.uk and there are some pictures at  http://www.flickr.com/photos/d1v1d/sets/72157623390935561/

Doug

Comments

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Stewards

01.03.2010 02:30

I think comparing corkers to stewards is unfair, stewards are mostly there to control the marchers/protesters where as corkers are just their to control the traffic for the safety of the other cyclists.

I'm sure if someone wanted to leave through a corked road there wouldnt be much of an issue for example, where as trying to leave a UAF kettle past some stewards can get pretty hairy...

Ether

Re Stewards

01.03.2010 08:14

The thing is, drivers don't respect corkers and sometimes hoot and deliberately ram them but they respect cops who are doing the corking. Since London CM is deemed to be a procession in law then why shouldn't it have the same status as other processions, where stewards do the corking?

I do take your point about Stewards being being used to control and they are often much too chummy with the cops too but that will never happen with CM.

Doug