January Critical Mass

Critical Mass is a grassroots celebration of bicycle culture and alternative transportation that springs up on the last Friday of every month in hundreds of cities around the world. Sometimes, it springs up in Savannah! 

This Friday happened to be cold, windy, and grey. It was a particularly nasty day for Savannah in January. Still, the Critical Mass was going to happen. Stephen was the only available regular crew member this weekday. He almost decided to take the tandem to the meeting because of the strong wind and lack of pedalling help. The Hummer isn’t usually difficult for one person to pedal, but the Hummer catches a lot of air. However, Critical Mass is a somewhat fragile thing in Savannah, and the Green Hummer needed to get out on the streets again.

A good part of Critical Mass’ message is the advocation of alternatives to automobiles. Cars simply don’t move well through a dense, lively, walkable city.  Bicycles can get around much better downtown; mobility and ample ‘parking’ are what makes some motorists become motors. However, the Green Hummer doesn’t quite take advantage of all of the qualities of cycling. At Liberty Street, the Hummer got caught in heavy traffic!

While the Hummer was stationary, a couple guys drove a little car into a parking space besides it. They asked Stephen if they could join, shut the car off and hoped in. One guy started pedalling while the other sat in the back. They rode with the Hummer to Franklin Square.

Not everyone had assembled in Franklin Square when Stephen and the two guys arrived. Another couple of Stephen’s friends took turns pedalling the Hummer around the square. Before long, the others had arrived, and the critical mass started.

Darrell and his friend after test driving the Hummer

All of the progress after two green lights at MLK and Bay

The Critical Mass was formed with most cyclists in front of the Hummer, and a few behind. The group’s route: Bryan Street to MLK, over to Bay, down Bay to Houston, then up Broughton and back to MLK for another loop. Broughton, Bay, and MLK are some of the busiest streets in the city. After waiting through a couple of red lights on MLK, the Hummer finally made it on to Bay Street.

After one loop, the Hummer’s front right tire lost air. Again, Stephen was running the Hummer without a spare. A front wheel was borrowed from another bike, and its rider became a passenger. The Mass started moving again, making another loop around the city. The Hummer returned to the abandoned bike, the wheels were switched, and the group disbanded. Stephen was going to meet a friend for dinner after the ride, and decided to leave the Hummer on Broughton Street for the night and return for it (with a good tube) in the morning.