#eastbaykidicalmass — Public Fediverse posts

@ascentale @bikenite

A1. I'm posting from Berkeley, CA today as usual. I was at the Bike to Wherever Day Happy Hour event in Downtown Oakland yesterday with some of my colleagues from #eastbaykidicalmass. I do think events like yesterday's elevate the profile of bicycle transportation in the Bay Area. Our table had a lot of visitors asking questions about Kidical Mass, and lots of kids and their parents telling us they were eager to join us for their first Kidical Mass bike ride.

And, it's always a treat to chat with you in person @ascentale!

#BikeNite #BikeTooter

@ascentale @skyfaller @bikenite

A3. We use handheld FRS radios to communicate during #eastbaykidicalmass rides, and we use them just like another poster mentioned - comms between leader/sweepers/corkers/mechanics/medics. Basic, cheap, rechargeable radios that are easy to use.
#Bikenite #BikeTooter

@ascentale @pete @bikenite

A4. Riding as the sweep for both of the #eastbaykidicalmass rides this year has to be my group riding highlight. The next Kidical Mass will probably be at the City of Berkeley's Winter Festival on December 13.

I also have gone on a couple of #BikeEastBay group rides so far this year, and those were a lot of fun!

#BikeNIte

@ascentale @kimu A7. For #eastbaykidicalmass rides, we pre-ride our routes to spot terrain hazards and sketchy intersections, train our volunteers on the specifics of corking the intersections and driveways along our route, and use radios to communicate with each other. We also debrief after each event to figure out what we can do better next time.
#BikeNite #morekidsonbikes

@ascentale @KidicalMass A5. Events like #eastbaykidicalmass, EB Bike Party, Critical Mass and others in this mold exist in part because meaningful safety improvements for bikes and peds are few or non-existent. We need more events, more attention to the problem, and more lobbying of local officials to build safer roadways.

Motornormativity posses a huge challenge for building safety improvements in Berkeley. We have a population here that won't consider a car free or car lite lifestyle. We even have two competing ballots measures this November that address street paving. One measure includes steps to make streets safer for bikes and peds, which, in turn, makes roads safer for those drive cars. The other measure just fixes existing sidewalks and repaves roads - which taken alone only increases traffic speeds.
#BikeNite

@ascentale I'm posting from Berkeley as usual. I had a lot of positive interactions riding this week because I was the sweep rider on the #eastbaykidicalmass ride last Saturday. Sweeping a kids ride means I see lots of families who's kiddos have totally run out of gas on the ride, and they're getting a little cranky. I suggested those parents simply double back (shorter path to end of the ride) on our route so far so they can still join us for snacks at the end of the ride. I was surprised by the number of kids that cheered up right away when they learned they could still get snacks without riding the whole ride.
#BikeNite

@ascentale @crschmidt A1. I'm posting from Berkeley on the Saturday after #BikeNite. The biggest positive cycling interaction I had this week was this morning's group test ride of the #eastbaykidicalmass route. The actual ride takes place on Saturday, September 7, 2024, in Berkeley. It's not too late to join us, just register (it's free) at the link ebkm.org and join us next Saturday!

@charvaka @ascentale
@charvaka Welcome to #BikeNite, my Berkeley neighbor! Hey, come ride with #eastbaykidicalmass on September 7, 2024. This ride is in Berkeley this time, details to follow here later, or look for #eastbaykidicalmass on IG.

@ascentale A1. I'm posting from Berkeley today. After riding my MTB while on vacation in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and not riding my road bike since the last #eastbaykidicalmass in May, I hopped on the road bike yesterday and was amazed at how little effort it took to get that bike going really fast. So much fun!
#BikeNite

@ascentale A1. I'm posting from Berkeley, CA today. My last ride was last Saturday when I was one of the sweep riders for #eastbaykidicalmass. My mileage for the day was around 17.5 mi. because I rode to the Oakland event from Berkeley. My usual rides are much shorter, in the 2-4 mile range.
#BikeNite