Nuxx:3acbcbdc-4b1c-4e0a-810b-5ab44c80c6e2@n11g2000yqb.googlegroups.com

Path: num2.nntp.dca.giganews.com!num1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!number.nntp.dca.giganews.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!postnews.google.com!n11g2000yqb.googlegroups.com!not-for-mail Message-ID: <3acbcbdc-4b1c-4e0a-810b-5ab44c80c6e2@n11g2000yqb.googlegroups.com> From: Nuxx Bar  Newsgroups: uk.rec.cycling Subject: Re: Critical Mass - Procession? Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:27:23 -0700 (PDT) References:    Lines: 49 Organization: http://groups.google.com NNTP-Posting-Host: 86.145.66.52 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: posting.google.com 1248301643 17951 127.0.0.1 (22 Jul 2009 22:27:23 GMT) X-Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:27:23 +0000 (UTC) Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com Injection-Info: n11g2000yqb.googlegroups.com; posting-host=86.145.66.52; posting-account=7_6kYAkAAABD6HrjM0VxehwvZOKMxm4g User-Agent: G2/1.0 X-HTTP-UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-GB; rv:1.9.0.11) Gecko/2009060215 Firefox/3.0.11 (.NET CLR 3.5.30729),gzip(gfe),gzip(gfe) Bytes: 3841 Xref: perfectly-safe.chapmancentral.co.uk uk.rec.cycling:719424

On Jul 22, 11:16=A0pm, Chris Malcolm  wrote: > In uk.rec.cycling Simon Mason  wrote: > > > > > "Judith M Smith"  wrote in message > >news:opfe659124je9nae9984b39khdi3nnk4m6@4ax.com... > > >> There has been some debate in uk.rec.cycling regarding: > >>http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/nov/26/critical-mass-london-police > > >> Some people are saying that because "Lord Phillips ruled today that > >> the ride was a "customary procession" " - this means that it does not > >> have to obey certain traffic regulations. =A0eg it can proceed through > >> traffic lights at red etc. people must wait at zebra crossings for the > >> "procession" to pass - the cyclists need not stop. > > >> Surely this is just =A0rubbish? > > My workmate organised a large charity motorbike ride through the centre= of > > the city last year involving 100's of bikers. With police permission, t= hey > > were allowed to pass through the city en mass and onwards to the Humber > > Bridge passing through red lights where the motorcycle group members ac= ted > > as marshals to stop other traffic. > > It's quite common for large peaceful demonstrations or rallies, > whether on foot or cycling or vehicles such as motorcycles, vintage > cars, whatever, to use local motorcycle club members who are used to > doing it and trusted by the police to marshal the demonstration, > stopping other traffic at intersections so they can keep moving > through red lights etc..

Of course, according to the Spindrifts and the Chapmans, such people absolutely shouldn't be trusted. Anyone who doesn't hate motorists/ motorcyclists, and *especially* anyone who advocates motoring/ motorcycling, is quite obviously reckless, selfish and irresponsible, and cannot be trusted an inch. That is why the only way forward for road safety is to treat every single driver and biker as a homicidal maniac who doesn't give a monkey's about killing people, and must be physically stopped from doing so and threatened with huge punishments for minor transgressions every step of the way. Those are the *only* ways of stopping carnage on the roads: you cannot expect anyone who chooses to drive/ride a ton of metal at speed to care even remotely about the lives of others, even their own friends or family. Therefore trusting such monsters to marshal demonstrations is incredibly foolish, and I will be writing to the police to tell them this (at least I would if I was a car-hating dick).