Last month's article criticising critical mass got a few responses, almost entirely in support of the problems we saw with the rides. Tim Stredwick gave us the benefit of his experience in Hobart...

It is not very often I find myself in Hobart late on the last Friday of the month, not such a significant day really, unless you are intent on joining the Critical Mass ride. Hobart is one of approximately 350 cities all over the world that have such a ride.

Critical Mass (CM) started in San Francisco 1992 as a grass roots movement celebrating cycling and demonstrating against the dominance of car transport in that city. The concept brought cyclists together in a way that had never been experienced before and that first ever CM ride attracting about 60 cyclists, within a year the numbers had risen to over 600. The idea also spread very quickly around the world seemingly tapping into a widespread and deeply felt frustration over the marginalisation of cycling, particularly in urban areas. Both Melbourne and Sydney have in the last couple of years celebrated their tenth anniversary of Critical Mass rides. The first CM rides in Hobart began in the mid to late 90’s and as with many similar movements its profile has risen and fallen, largely dependant on whether there have been individuals around to initiate the rides. Attendance on the rides has been patchy as a result of the relatively small cycling population interested in such events.

5.30pm Franklin Square Friday May 26th and around 20/25 cyclists had gathered for May’s Critical Mass ride. I knew a few faces even if I couldn’t put names to all of them so if nothing else it is a nice social event to catch up with people you don’t see very often. I thought such a turn out on a dark early winter evening was pretty good for Hobart, some years ago in Sydney I had ridden with over 150 other cyclists on a similar winter evening. As we chatted, before heading off on the ride I couldn’t help thinking of the solidarity amongst the thousands of cyclists worldwide who (give or take a few time zones) were gathering to do the same thing, for the same reasons at exactly the same time.

CM is contentious and good on it for being so, every cause needs is extremists to push the message to create awareness and discussion, it is for this reason that I am largely a supporter of the Critical Mass phenomenon. Momentous changes through history have always had people on the fringe challenging and irritating the security of the status quo that cultures love to hang on to.