Editorial: Critical Mass is a Hypocritical Mess

Imagine this.

Thousands of drivers take their cars and snake through greater Vancouver traffic on rush hour Fridays.

They block traffic. They run red lights.

They stop and confront pedestrians and cyclists and any others on the road.

Some take off their clothes. Some smoke pot, drink and drive.

Others scream obscenities at those who challenge them.

They then stop on one of Vancouver’s bridges to contemplate their actions bringing traffic to a standstill.

Surely you say this cannot happen.

The cops will be there in full force to stop this craziness, no?

But it does happen and all the cops seem to be able to do is to stand around and look tough.

Just replace the imaginary cars with the reality of thousands of cyclists who claim they are making a point by breaking law.

Bolstered by the summer sun, the inaction by traffic police and the anonymity of being in a mob, thousands of so called biking enthusiasts gather at the Vancouver Art Gallery to form a protest procession and choke the roads every last Friday of the month.

They cycle through the city ignoring all road manners and confronting motorists trying to get home after work.

They call themselves Critical Mass.

But a more proper moniker for this idiocy is Hypocritical Mess.

When these rides take place, traffic is snarled for up to four hours. Thousands of cars lay idling as the cyclists block roads and blow traffic lights.

This is their idea of lessening pollution from cars.

Sgt. Mark Tonner, a Vancouver police officer, who writes a biweekly column in The Province lamented last Sunday that the cops really don’t know how to handle the situation.

He wrote that any number of these people drink or smoke dope as they roll along. Some ride naked. Others taunt frustrated motorists, swarming drivers stuck at crossings.

There are fistfights. Cars are damaged as bicycles scrape by on purpose; teaching "lessons" to those who dare voice an opinion about being forced to a stop.

Tonner is asking for public feedback on this matter.

Should these people be subjected to an intense enforcement campaign, with special attention to the violent fringe?

Should they be pampered with a full motorcade escort?

Send him your views at [email protected].

Our view is simply this.

Cyclists have a right to the road.

Protestors have a right to protest.

If you want to protest and cycle at the same time, don’t break the law and respect others who use the road.

Otherwise Tonner and his mates have every right and a duty to the rest of us to enforce traffic rules.