This was a Critical Mass event, which is why the bicyclists are taking up all of the street as a way to reclaim the streets and protest the lack of safety for riders under usual conditions. It’s not legal, but protests are never useful if they’re fully legal now, are they.

    • TeddE@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      52
      arrow-down
      6
      ·
      2 days ago

      It’s a protest. Showing how dangerous the streets are to cyclists (and how many cyclists use the roads) is the message. A protest that challenges law and inconveniences people peacefully is how they garner attention (hopefully as a prelude to change and improvements).

      So yeah, ignoring a lot of traffic laws.

        • BossDj@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          22
          arrow-down
          3
          ·
          2 days ago

          I apologize as someone who fully thought you knew it was a protest and were just being a snarky ass opposed to their cause and sent you a down vote.

          • Bakkoda@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            8
            ·
            2 days ago

            Never heard of the movement but as a cyclist the first thing i thought was no helmets, ignoring stop lights and riding outside the lane. Now that i know it’s a protest I guess i understand.

            • sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone
              cake
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              7
              arrow-down
              1
              ·
              1 day ago

              This is critical mass and each city does theirs a bit differently.

              They are a form of protest but they’re usually done legally with the cooperation of police. The lead riders will stop at Red lights, but the mass of cyclists is treated as a single, long vehicle, and will continue through red intersections if the light was green when the front of the group went through. In my state at least, helmets are only required for children.

              The official ride does not ride on the wrong side of the road, but there are usually some free spirits doing what they want.

              They also have volunteer ride leaders, medics, and corkers who stand in front of cars trying to pass perpendicularly through the long bike “vehicle”.