Date: Wednesday, August 30, 1995
Location: Vancouver, BC
Distance, etc: negligable
We just had an Indy Out demonstration/parade here in Vancouver to protest the glorification of the automobile which this event represents to some. Personally, I'll admit I enjoy watching a bit of racing on TV occasionally, but at the very least I agree that the venue for this particular leg of the circuit, our downtown streets, is inappropriate. I also agree that inappropriate (over)use of cars is a big problem in our society today, and that the race is a decent time to get a bit of publicity for transportation alternatives.
Anyhow, on to the event itself. A couple score of cyclists gathered at the art gallery on Robson at 5pm. Unbeknownst to many we were to be coresident with a protest in support a group of natives who have occupied some farmer's land out in the interior and are holding off police with automatic weapons. Thankfully we left for our ride before the other protest got started, as a number of the cyclists (including myself) were obviously not sympathetic to armed insurgence as a means of protest. That's pretty much irrelevant to the main theme of this post, however, so on we go.
We had a couple short speeches by local cycling advocates, a song and one or two passably witty chants, then we were off with our motorcycle police for shepherds. In my opinion, the police carried out their duties responsibly throughout the event, despite the usual provocation from a few irresponsible riders. The "ride" proceeded down Burrard and over the Burrard bridge, blocking intersections for a short time and generally annoying lots of drivers.
I say "ride" as we never even got up to a walking pace. While it gave me lots of practice riding very slowly in tight places on my bent, I didn't think it was a very good demonstration of what cycling is all about. Cycling isn't about gratuitously getting in the way of other users of the road, and it isn't about taking ten minutes to go a couple blocks.
To make things worse, the lanes we were blocking are typically the lanes that buses use. It seems short-sighted to me to make life difficult for the transit drivers, when public transit is one of the alternatives that we are supposed to be promoting. Maybe it did raise awareness in some few people, but I'm afraid it likely succeeded in pissing far more people off.
From my perspective it was a pretty poor demonstration, though it was educational to have been there at least insofar as I know which protests to avoid in the future.
What I would like to see in a protest ride is a the same number or more of cyclists hitting the streets, taking a lane or two as appropriate, and cycling. We should be able to go at traffic speed and obey the same rules as the rest of traffic, but do it over a decent distance. Around False Creek and through as much of the Indy site as possible for example. This would have the effect of attracting attention in that we would be occupying "car space" so we will inconvenience people, but at the same time we will be demonstrating why we're on bikes in the first place.
At least for me, I'm not riding a bike to play 4kph touch-me-not with the tire of the bike in front of me.
to Century II: The Madness Takes Langley 
to Almost an Imperial Century 
to my main cycling page
August 30, 1995: Indy Out Outing