Editing Critical Mass (cycling) (section)

== Organization and tactics ==

[[File:Massa Crítica - BICICLETADA - Lisboa Abril 2012.ogg|thumb|Full path of Critical Mass in [[Lisbon]] in April 2012]]

Critical Mass has a decentralized (rather than hierarchical) structure. Critical Mass is sometimes called an "organized coincidence", with no leadership or membership. The routes of some rides are decided spontaneously by whoever is currently at the front of the ride, while others are decided prior to the ride by a popular vote of suggested routes often drawn up on photocopied fliers. The term ''xerocracy'' was coined to describe a process by which the route for a Critical Mass can be decided: anyone who has an opinion makes their own map and distributes it to the cyclists participating in the Mass. Still other rides decide the route by consensus. The disorganized nature of the event allows it to largely escape clampdown by authorities who may view the rides as forms of parades or organized protest. Additionally, the movement is free from the structural costs associated with a centralized, hierarchical organization. In order for the event to function, the only requirement is a sufficient turn-out to create a "critical mass" of riders dense enough to occupy a piece of road to the exclusion of drivers of motorized vehicles. Authorities in New York, California and Oregon have expressed concern with the difficulty of coordinating with the riders, due to the lack of leadership.<ref name=oregon>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pF1WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qfADAAAAIBAJ&pg=4190%2C4508834|title=Rolling protests hit bump|first=Susan|last=Palmer|work=[[The Register-Guard]] |location=[[Eugene, Oregon]]|date=May 20, 2006|page=A1, A9}}</ref><ref name=usatoday>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-11-15-bikes-new-york_x.htm|date=November 15, 2004|work=USA Today|title=Big pack of bikes piques police|first=Martha T.|last=Moore|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706142039/http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-11-15-bikes-new-york_x.htm|archive-date=July 6, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metroactive.com/papers/sonoma/04.03.97/bikes-9714.html|publisher=MetroActive News & Issues|title=Bicyclists see transportation as critical|first1=Dylan|last1=Bennett|first2=Gretchen|last2=Giles|access-date=November 16, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100727213956/http://www.metroactive.com/papers/sonoma/04.03.97/bikes-9714.html|archive-date=July 27, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Critical Mass rides vary greatly in many respects, including frequency and number of participants. For example, many small cities have monthly Critical Mass rides with fewer than twenty riders which offer [[safety in numbers]]<ref name=unsw>{{cite web
 |last        = Gaffney
 |first       = Dan
 |title       = A virtuous cycle: safety in numbers for riders says research
 |date        = September 3, 2008
 |url         = http://www.science.unsw.edu.au/news/a-virtuous-cycle-safety-in-numbers-for-riders-says-research
 |access-date  = October 3, 2008
 |url-status  = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080920012845/http://www.science.unsw.edu.au/news/a-virtuous-cycle-safety-in-numbers-for-riders-says-research/
 |archive-date = September 20, 2008
 |df          = mdy-all
}}</ref> to cyclists in those locales, while on the opposite extreme, in what have been the largest events using the name Critical Mass, cyclists in [[Budapest]], Hungary hold only two rides each year on April 22 ([[Earth Day]]) and September 22 ([[Car Free Days|International Car Free Day]]). The "Budapest style" attracts tens of thousands of riders.<ref>
{{cite web|url=http://www.budapestsun.com/news/48369|publisher=Budapest Sun Online|title=A critical mass critique|date=April 20, 2008|access-date=November 16, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526012435/http://www.budapestsun.com/news/48369|archive-date=May 26, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The April 20, 2008, Budapest ride participation was estimated at 80,000 riders.<ref>
{{cite web|url=http://mti.hu/cikk/266730/|publisher=MTI|title=Minden eddiginél többen vettek részt a Critical Mass felvonuláson|language=hu|access-date=November 16, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080623093602/http://mti.hu/cikk/266730/|archive-date=June 23, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web|url=http://www.budapestsun.com/news/60058|publisher=Budapest Sun Online|title=Critical Mass wheels away|date=April 23, 2008|access-date=November 16, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314075216/http://www.budapestsun.com/news/60058|archive-date=March 14, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In [[Vienna (Austria)|Vienna]], close to Budapest, a Critical Mass Ride has been held every month since 2006 and attracts up to 1,000 or more riders.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.criticalmass.at/4139 |title=Kommentare zu: Frühlingszeit – CM-Zeit – Graz 25.03.11 |date=March 12, 2012 |access-date=2016-04-30 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407115512/http://www.criticalmass.at/4139 |archive-date=April 7, 2016 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

In the Critical Mass practice of "corking", a rider breaks away from the group to block the side streets of an intersection as the mass crosses. This prevents traffic travelling through the intersection on a green signal and allows the riders to ride through red lights. This both contains cross-traffic while the mass passes and protects the mass from splitting or from drivers who might attempt to pass through the mass.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=VuUJBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA95 Rethinking Policing and Justice: Exploring Alternatives to Law Enforcement], p. 95</ref>

[[File:Critical Mass Chicago Time Lapse 2009.08.28.webm|thumb|right|200px|Timelapse video of a Critical Mass in Chicago in 2009]]