Late in the afternoon Friday, you may have noticed a group of about thirty bicycles in procession down McKinley Avenue. Critical Mass, as the event was called, raised awareness about the myriad of transportation choices beyond cars while also asserting the legality of bike-riding in the street.
Organizers for the bike ride, who hope Critical Mass will become a weekly event, mapped out a route which covered stretches of McKinley, Tillotson, and Kilgore avenues and took riders from the Scramble Light to Doc's Music Hall in downtown Muncie.
Fun fact: It is perfectly legal to ride your bike in the street, while sidewalk riding is prohibited by law. Don't worry, though, if you've been riding your bike to class exclusively on the sidewalks, like I have. Chances are pretty good that no one raised an eyebrow at what you were doing because they didn't know any better than you did.
Critical Mass is not exclusive to Muncie. Begun in San Francisco in 1992, Critical Mass is a worldwide celebration of self-propelled transportation. During the last Friday of each month, the event is celebrated in major cities around the world, including Chicago, Seattle, Brasilia, Sydney, Mexico City, Paris, Seoul and Rome. Budapest, Hungary holds the largest Critical Mass ride in the world, with an estimated 30.000 bike riders at their semi-annual event.
Another fun fact: It is much safer to ride your bike in the street with a large group. It's also more enjoyable.
The importance of Friday's bike ride at Ball State University reached further than its assertion of bike law awareness. On an often apathetic campus, a group actively demonstrated a common belief they held. Also, people were united; they stayed together on the road and looked out for each other, even signaling their intentions to turn in unison. This level of togetherness is significant in an age when online dating can occur with little to no in-person contact and "Facebook stalking" substitutes actually talking to that really cool girl in the dance department that your roommate knows. (That's not a judgment, because I do it too.)
It is conceivable that, because of Critical Mass's leaderless structure and emphasis on group decision, Friday's bike ride approached this community in a way many demonstrations cannot. Architecture majors chatted with journalism majors as they rode. Professors told students where they were from, and students told professors where they wanted to be in the future.
When they reached the parking lot behind Doc's, the riders let out a cheer, stretched their legs and sat down to eat. Conversation continued there and poverty, music, politics and classes were discussed over hot, meatless pizzas and soups. Dreams of a community garden project and a co-op for the visual arts were revealed. For an hour or so, online dating and Facebook didn't even exist because they didn't need to. (By the way, it turns out that girl in the dance department that my roommate knows really is cool.)
Fun fact: Critical Mass is starting up in Muncie, and it's proving there really is more to this town than meets the eye, and it's all accessible from the back of a bike.
Write to Joel at jtmiller@bsu.edu
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