http://cmlondon.dyndns.org

A website that likes CM London...

www.criticalmass.org.uk has details of past and future London Critical Masses

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/cmlondon	London CM news blog
/cmass	World CM news
/reports	CM ride reports and links to media and articles connected to that month. [new nov05]
/movies	Bike movies available on the web.

December 2006 post-mass report
The ride was great, there were no police, about 150 massers, and a very chilled out mood to the ride. We had two sound systems this month.We started with something the police have always stopped us from doing in the past. Critical Mass took the Strand Underpass, we also took the Euston Underpass tonight. We went to see the Regents Street lights (no really we did) and Parliament Square. Despite strong winds and the odd bit of drizzle we had a very good mass with good control of the side roads and traffic behind us. All without the assistance of the police.

December 2006 pre-mass report.
The quiet one!
December CM in London is always a small affair, on top of which its nasty outside, thick dark clouds are hanging low in the sky and its cold and windy. Not the most conducive weather for cycling or celebrating.
Well regardless of the weather I'm sure given the surprisingly high turnouts we have been getting for the last few months the ride will go ahead and wont just be a ride to the pub. Please don't call me a jinx when that happens. :)
See you at mass!

November 2006
Normally chilly, a bit rainy and warm...
It looked like rain! There were a few spots while on the Southbank. The police arived at 6:24pm [late for mass].
At just after 7pm We started by going up onto the roundabout then down to Westminster, Victoria and more, I don't remember the whole route but then who does.

The mass was going well we headed up to Camden via Regents park (outer Cut) [where another police bike chain was seen to snap], Camden was great with a massive reaction from the Friday night crowds, we headed back towards Kings Cross from Camden through St Pancras, and then along Euston Road though the underpass (or was that the other way around).

Anyway it all ended with a failed attempt to traverse Leicester Square, then off to the pub where a police van was waiting supposedly to make sure people in the area do not drink alcohol in public. I'm sure people would rather see alcohol in public than police wasting time eating takeaway and demonstrating dance steps to each other in alleyways, while having to walk in the road because a police van is parked across the pavement.

Oh and let’s not forget the guy who was told off for putting a glass bottle in the bin while leaving the pub!

See you next mass December 29^th wear a Santa suit or sommit.

October 2006
It's October, and you know what that means!
It was a great ride an early ride past of the pub, and the Theobalds Road loop was great, the Embankment underpass was fantastic (twice) as was getting lost on Savoy Hill and wearing out the police cyclists doing it (they all stopped for water at Covent Garden) and then Leicester Square. Parliament Square was also encircled by bikes again but no Traf Square or Oxford Street for a change, the mass was truly random, wrapping its self around the city and west end.

Also being halloween plenty of massers turned out in scary masks/bikes/costumes.  <|=^)

 15:34 20061027 Perhaps some of you don't. CM London has a long history of showing off its Halloween spirits, so get off yer arse and dress up for tonight.
 Also it is a year since the reaction to letters from Inspector Gomm (Met Police) saying that CM London is illegal. This month last year 1200 cyclists turned out for CM London, since then we've seen intimidation from the police, a court case in which the police had to apologise followed by more intimidation from the police, however the police seemed last month at least to see the point is not us versus them and laid off allowing everyone to have a good time therefore speeding up the mass and allowing massers to take responsibility for the mass.

September 2006
A great CM this month, the police stayed behind the mass for most of the ride, the ride also split with one part going to parliament and the other part to the west end, both eventually met up again. Police allowed us to keep the ride safe and many massers took a part in controlling the surrounding traffic by corking side roads and talking to drivers, even the spiky shouty massers were put in their place by more fun-loving massers shouting "pork pies" rather than the quite boring "More Bikes... Less Cars".

August 2006
During the last two London CM's massers have talked of harassment from a small group of police cyclists, this seems to occur at the front of the ride at every junction. The police have been closing the road by placing their bikes across the street. There seems very little point in them doing this as the mass is holding together, it seems this is thought (by them) to inconvenience us and put people off leading the ride. The police in question are new to the ride having only been seen for around the last four months.

July 2006
We won! Superintendent Gomm was so totally wrong...

Critical Mass is legal.

BBC News story.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/5119826.stm

The High court judgement.
http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2006/1536.html

Check out the new Critical Mass forums over at http://www.gub-gub.co.uk/bikeforum/

The police in London have labeled Critical Mass a demonstration, (rather than being just a bike ride) they say if no organiser gives proper notice of the mass it will be deemed an illegal demo, I only follow it and report opinion, there are no organisers of Critical Mass and no organisation of Critical Mass. The cmlondon blog has more details of the police letter and reaction to it.

ACCESS & CONTACT:
Two rss news feeds are available either by live-bookmark while viewing the blog's or from the icons above, The CM gallery will be returning soon with a bike and CM only rss feed, if you have CM photos either new or old, I can host them in the gallery, also if you want to contact me email me.