Kidical Mass (sometimes Kiddical Mass) is an organised bicycle ride for children, often using public roads in towns and cities. The rides are free of charge and open to all, with adults acting as safety marshals. Unlike Critical Mass, the route is planned in advance. Rides are usually between 2 and 5 miles long [1] and may have feeder rides to reach the starting point.
The name 'Kidical Mass' is a pun on the Critical Mass cycling event and 'kid' meaning 'child'. The name was first used for a ride in Eugene, Oregon which took place 18 April 2008. [2] [3]
Kidical Mass rides now take place in cities around the world. International action weekends take place twice a year, in May and September (the latter around World Car Free Day on 22 September). [4]
Kidical Mass rides are an opportunity for children to practise riding on public roads and cycling paths, taking advantage of visibility and safety in numbers. They create awareness of children's mobility rights and promote the idea that kids should be able to go by bike to school or to their leisure activities. While connecting and uniting children and their parents, Kidical Mass rides are often also considered protests calling for safer cycling infrastructure. [5]
Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other type of cycle. It encompasses the use of human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world for purposes including transport, recreation, exercise, and competitive sport.
Critical Mass is a form of direct action in which people travel as a group on bikes at a set location and time. The idea is for people to group together to make it safe for each other to ride bicycles through their streets, based on the old adage: there's safety in numbers.
Bicycle culture can refer to a mainstream culture that supports the use of bicycles or to a subculture. Although "bike culture" is often used to refer to various forms of associated fashion, it is erroneous to call fashion in and of itself a culture.
Bicycle Network is an Australian charity, one of the largest cycling membership organisations in the world, whose mission is to have More People Cycling More Often. Before 2011 it was known as Bicycle Victoria.
Cycling in Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria, Australia, is enhanced by the city's relatively flat topography and generally mild climate. The city has an active cycling culture for commuting, recreation, fitness and sport, and the metropolitan area has an extensive network of off-road bicycle paths, as well as designated bicycle lanes on many streets.
Ciclovía, also ciclovia or cyclovia, is a Spanish term that means "cycleway", either a permanent bike path or the temporary closing of certain streets to automobiles for cyclists and pedestrians, a practice sometimes called open streets.
A clothing-optional bike ride is a cycling event in which nudity is permitted or expected. There are many clothing-optional cycling events around the world. Rides may be political, recreational, artistic, or a unique combination thereof. Some are used to promote topfreedom, a social movement to accord women and girls the right to be topless in public where men and boys have that right.
Critical Mass Melbourne is an informal grass roots collection of people who gather to take part in the month's Critical Mass event, which is a cycling event typically held in various cities throughout the world on the last Friday of every month, for traveling as a group through city or town streets on bikes. The rides in Melbourne began in November 1995, and have occurred every month since, with between 100 and 1000 riders involved. Like most Critical Mass events in other cities, the Melbourne rides have fostered the development of a coherent urban cycling community, the focus of which is the temporary intentional community of the rides themselves.
Cycling is a popular mode of transport and leisure activity within London, the capital city of the United Kingdom. Following a national decline in the 1960s of levels of utility cycling, cycling as a mode of everyday transport within London began a slow regrowth in the 1970s. This continued until the beginning of the 21st century, when levels began to increase significantly—during the period from 2000 to 2012, the number of daily journeys made by bicycle in Greater London doubled to 580,000. The growth in cycling can partly be attributed to the launch in 2010 by Transport for London (TfL) of a cycle hire system throughout the city's centre. By 2013, the scheme was attracting a monthly ridership of approximately 500,000, peaking at a million rides in July of that year. Health impact analyses have shown that London would benefit more from increased cycling and cycling infrastructure than other European cities.
Cycling in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia takes place for recreation, commuting and as a sport. Sydney has a hilly topography and so may require a slightly higher level of fitness from cyclists than flatter cities such as Melbourne and Canberra. Sydney depends heavily on motor vehicles where traffic and public transport operate at capacity. This means that cyclist are often competing with motorists for limited space on busier roads, and for limited government resources for expenditure on road infrastructure. In its favour, Sydney has a generally mild climate and there are active cycling groups.
There have been many conflicts during Critical Mass events since the founding of the worldwide bicycling advocacy event in 1992. The conflicts have resulted in injuries, property damage, and arrests, and both bicyclists and motorized vehicle drivers have been victims. Critics say that Critical Mass, held primarily in large metropolitan cities, is a deliberate attempt to obstruct automotive traffic and disrupt normal city functions, when individuals taking part refuse to obey traffic laws, while participants variously consider it a celebration of cycling, of cyclists' rights, and a practical re-imagining of urban space.
OCBC Cycle is an annual mass participation cycling game event held on closed public roads which encourages riders of all skill levels to take part. The last edition was held on 8 May 2022.
Amsterdam is well known as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities, with high levels of bicycle infrastructure, planning and funding, tourism—as well as high levels of bike theft, safety concerns and overcrowding in places.
Cycling in San Francisco has grown in popularity in recent years, aided by improving cycling infrastructure and community support. San Francisco's compact urban form and mild climate enable cyclists to reach work, shopping, and recreational destinations quickly and comfortably. Though San Francisco's famed steep hills can make cycling difficult, many parts of the city are relatively flat, including some of the most densely populated. However, heavy automobile traffic, the lack of bike lanes on many streets, and difficulty in crossing major streets deter most residents from cycling frequently in San Francisco.
A bike bus, also known as a bike train or a cycle train, or cycle bus is a group of people who cycle together on a set route following a set timetable other than for sporting purposes. Cyclists may join or leave the bike bus at various points along the route. Most bike buses are a form of collective bicycle commuting.
Pedal on Parliament is a grassroots campaign group that wants Scotland to be a place where active travel is safe and enjoyable. Set up in 2012, it seeks improvements to make conditions on Scotland's roads suitable for those aged from 8 to 80. Events were initially held annually, which for the first seven years centred around people cycling through Edinburgh to the Parliament. A simultaneous ride in Aberdeen was introduced in 2015. In 2017 rides where also held in Glasgow and Inverness as well as in Edinburgh and Aberdeen. In 2018, events took place over two days in Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen. In 2019, there was a switch to local events being organised, with 20 events planned between the Friday and Sunday. In 2020 and 2021 because of the Coronavirus epidemic group rides were not held, with people instead encouraged to undertake actions as individuals to mark the date of Pedal on Parliament. In 2022 a family-friendly mass ride took place again. An event is organised for Saturday 23 April 2023.
Cycling for transport and leisure enjoys popularity in Greater Manchester and the city also plays a major role in British cycle racing. The Bee Network was launched in 2018. The University of Manchester is home to the Manchester Cycling Lab.
The London Freewheel, originally known for sponsorship reasons as the 'Hovis London Freewheel', was developed by the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) to encourage and increase cycling participation, and promote cycling as a form of transport within London. The event was launched at City Hall on 26 June 2007 by the Mayor, Ken Livingstone, Konnie Huq and Tim Dewey, Marketing Director for the event's sponsor Hovis. Hovis contributed £300,000 out of the total £600,000 raised in commercial sponsorship and support.
San Jose Bike Party is a monthly social bicycle ride event in and around San Jose, California held on the third Friday of every month. Attendance varies with weather and time of year, usually ranging from hundreds in the winter months to low thousands in the summer. Established in 2007, it is the original 'bike party' now replicated in other cities around the world. Its motto is "Building community through cycling".
Cycling infrastructure in the Canadian city of Halifax, Nova Scotia includes most regular streets and roads, bike lanes, protected cycle tracks, local street bikeways, and multi-use pathways.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)| General and technical | |
|---|---|
| Utility and slow recreation | |
| Sports-related cycling and fast-paced recreation | |
| Health, safety and infrastructure |
|
| Other | |
| Lists | |
