Video: Critical Mass bicyclists on the West Seattle Bridge

Huindekmi August 29, 2009 (7:09 am)

I’m an avid cyclist and a bike commuter (during the nice months) as well as a homeowner and driver (for those out there who think people who own bikes don’t pay taxes). Every serious cyclist I know thinks Critical Mass are a bunch of morons who do nothing but make it tougher for the rest of the cyclists out there by antagonizing the people we need to share the road with. They give cycling a bad name.
And why would they block the West Seattle Bridge? Bikes aren’t even allowed up there. If you’re trying to make a point about sharing the road, stick to the roads that are actually shared. And don’t intentionally block traffic just because you can.
Morons!

duncan August 29, 2009 (7:51 am)

Why were my tax dollars being used for a police escort for law-breakers on bicyles riding illegally over the W.S. high rise bridge?
They (bicyclists) have a private lane, paid for by tax payers, on the lower bridge.
Cars cannot use it but these law-breakers,since they ride bikes, think they can break the law.
They should have been arrested.
What a waste of tax money!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mike green August 29, 2009 (7:52 am)

all this does is give bike riders a bad name—–try getting involved politically instead of being a nusance !

MG

JJ August 29, 2009 (7:56 am)

Agree with Huin–I’m a serious cyclist/commuter, and Crit Mass just give us all a bad name. Hate to see it and the press they get…

Aa August 29, 2009 (8:16 am)

Thanks, Huindekmi. You are the type of cyclist I am delighted to share the road with.

Jim August 29, 2009 (8:38 am)

Critical Mass is the PETA of cycling.

rw August 29, 2009 (8:44 am)

I’m passionate about cycling also, but Huindekmi pegged it right when he called these people morons. I got caught behind the Critical Mass ride a few months ago on the viaduct north from Quest Field all the way to the north side of the ship canal. I was actually glad there were a few other cars in front of me because I was well beyond pissed that they were trashing our very time-sensitive early evening plans. My wife and I ended up going to Discovery Park instead to unwind in quiet nature, but even then you find yourself looking at every bicyclist you pass on the street and wonder whether they are one of the bozos. Not healthy.

And the police were nowhere in sight. I really wish they would lock some of these Critical Mess people on a regular basis.

Just Wondering August 29, 2009 (8:52 am)

Is there a point Critical Mass is trying to make? If there is then I just don’t get it. Because, if the point is that both cars and bikes can “share the road, then I guess the point is not well made…because Critical Mass does not “share” well.

rw August 29, 2009 (8:52 am)

I just watched the video. It appears that the police at least got them to ride toward the side of the West Seattle Bridge, leaving two lanes open for regular traffic. On the ride I was describing they were blocking all lanes of northbound 99. Imagine trying to head home exhausted from work or trying to get to UW Hospital for an emergency and having to crawl along because of these a**holes.

AaronK August 29, 2009 (9:17 am)

There’s a UW Hospital accessible via the eastbound WS bridge? News to me. I bet they made a lot of people going to the beach late for a bbq. Tsk tsk.

@TR I believe the nekkid cyclists rode in last month’s Mass.

Critical Mass rules. I am a year-round bicycle commuter. (Okay, snow and ice stops me ;)

rw August 29, 2009 (9:23 am)

Aaron,

I was referring to the Critical Mass ride a few months ago that blocked northbound 99 from the stadiums up to the ship canal.

Rhonda Porter August 29, 2009 (9:34 am)

I’m hoping the videographer in the post was the passenger and not the driver of the car. :)

josh August 29, 2009 (9:44 am)

interesting. I don’t think I’d ever realized that they had so many police escorts.

wseye August 29, 2009 (9:47 am)

I’m just glad that the police were there to keep the peace, looks like they did a good job. It isn’t easy with Critical Mass trying to antagonize automobile drivers. I’m another bicyclist that finds their tactics to be counterproductive.

Helmeted Nulu August 29, 2009 (10:01 am)

Jack-Asses in Critical Mass
A celebration of mob mentality into mob action.
Riding the WS Bridge has no validity,
Just illegality.
What about the riders without required helmets?
But, all should be cited.
Why don’t they ride up Delridge or 35th where bikers have been killed?
Aaron deserves the Gary Busey Helmet Head Award
for his comments.

Westie August 29, 2009 (10:25 am)

I’m 100% for bike sharing the roads, but each time I deal with Critical Mass I get 30 minutes (or however long their traffic block goes on) thinking about how much I hate cyclists. In truth I don’t hate cyclists, but when there 300 (4 letter word) cyclists intentionally blocking traffic it’s hard to remember the good cyclists I see all year round doing what they can to be respectful of all commuters.

I ride a motorcycle every day. If I wanted people to be aware of the risk and needs of riding a bike (my choice of risk BTW) and I got 300 of my motorcycle buddies to block traffic every 4 weeks I don’t think the outcome would be helpful to my cause.

On last point…where’d those sweet cop cars come from. The men in black suburbans are awesome looking.

J August 29, 2009 (10:33 am)

Hmm. I think of them more like the marchers for civil liberties, who certainly inconvenienced people to make their points. Critical Mass seems to me to be taking a “protest march” approach to raising awareness about our civic failure to address bicycle infrastructure needs. I suspect they’ve found that being polite and quiet makes it easier to ignore them.

I’m not a participant. I’m hardly even a bicyclist, because the aforementioned lack of infrastructure intimidates me.

Mike August 29, 2009 (10:43 am)

I commute to work on my bike. I also go to Alki Bike & Board, for a reason AaronK. Critical Mass is a joke, a bunch of idiots blocking traffic and doing anything but sharing the road.

I applaud SPD for taking control of the traffic mess these morons caused.

I’d like to point out to Critical Mass that they completely disregarded the SHARED road. Here, I’ll make it easy for you… here’s a map. http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/images/BM-West-Seattle-Bridge.jpg

JanS August 29, 2009 (10:43 am)

well, I don’t think they’re really making their point.,…and they were breaking the law…so why not bust some of their a$$es at the other end of the bridge? or are they “special”? If one of you decided to ride your bike over the high bridge, you can bet that you’d be stopped and cited….I don’t get it…

Sasquatch August 29, 2009 (11:28 am)

Critical mass can kiss my grits. Their events are a cry for help in all the wrong ways. Like when an able-bodied pedestrian crosses the street into oncoming traffic so that the cars must stop or runover the person. A weak attempt at momentary control.

Paul in Gatewood August 29, 2009 (11:49 am)

I’m not amused by Critical Mass. Their monthly rides are illegal and inconvenience the h*ll out of people just trying to get home. I wish the police would enforce the traffic laws these clowns break with impunity.

Paul in Gatewood August 29, 2009 (11:50 am)

Hey Sasquatch, how’s it going? :)

steven August 29, 2009 (12:08 pm)

These idiots need to be arrested. I believe in sharing the road with bikes and i ride a motorcycle daily. but i promise to vote anti bike on every item as long as there is a critical mass fiasco.

CM rider August 29, 2009 (12:23 pm)

Having ridden in CM nearly 15 times here, San Francisco and NYC let me offer another perspective. CM is not a demonstration of advocacy to share the road. It is a monthly celebration of cycling that takes to the streets.
I know that’s too frivolous a purpose to block traffic for most of you, but it’s the closest thing to capsule summary.

Jim’s comparison above to PETA is about right but they have a formal structure with leaders and are completely humorless. CM is far more rudderless with no real defined political goal. There’s plenty of fine cycling organizations that carry that mission. Does CM give them and cycling in general a black-eye? Perhaps but only because all cyclists are lumped together. Funny we’d never observe a drunk driving accident and project our animosity towards all drivers.

“B-b-but they were riding on the West Seattle bridge that’s for cars only, there could have been a real emergency behind the traffic they blocked.” Bicycles don’t block traffic, we ARE traffic. A heavy handed law enforcement response would be as futile here as it’s been
in New York. Every month police in cars, motorcycles, scooters and mounted on horses attempt to shut down and arrest CM cyclists. Talk about a waste of tax dollars…a slowly moving crowd of 300 bicycles in Manhattan would be less of a distraction if they we’re simply provided a escourt and allowed to proceed..,,hmmm come to think of it that’s what I saw in the video clip.
Are there elements

WSB August 29, 2009 (1:01 pm)

I need to offer a note here because of a couple comments we have deleted. Speculating on commenters’ identities, or posting identifying information regarding other people who did not choose to share that information themselves (license plates, addresses, full names, etc.) is against site policies. We have deliberately chosen to continue to allow comments in the main section of WSB without requiring registration. for a variety of reasons and we would like to be able to continue operating that way, for a freer flow of discussion – within the few rules we have set (including civility). Thanks – TR

Helmeted Nulu August 29, 2009 (1:07 pm)

CM rider
WS Bridge is not a NYC street.
A “celebration of cycling that takes to the streets” is available in Seattle on Sundays.
CM is a celebration of insulting, intentional lawbreaking and obstruction of law abiding citizens.
When the CM riders were on the bridge, SPD could have closed the bridge (no problem to Aaron) and arrested the whole lot of them.
I wish they had.

Big Daddy Baumer August 29, 2009 (1:50 pm)

The Critical Mass riders are truly a special group of people.
Not special in a good way though, special in the window licking way.

I think people on motorcycles and scooters should get together and have their own critical mass event, where they take over every bicycle lane and path in the city.

JanS August 29, 2009 (2:12 pm)

CM Rider…please explain to me why we should just let the CM participants be above the law…make it a really GOOD explanation, please..thanks…

glocson August 29, 2009 (2:54 pm)

Critical Mass is AWESOME!!! There is way too many cars in the world and we are just trying to show people another mode of transportation. And a healthy one at that. Sorry if we interupt your precious evening once in a great while. By the way all you drivers cause huge traffic delays and ruin my commute, EVERYDAY!!!!!!!!!!

AaronK August 29, 2009 (2:57 pm)

We’re a community. Some people ride bikes. Some people drive cars or ride scooters. Some choose to walk. That shouldn’t threaten anybody or result in hostility. I’m not sure why I would want the bridge closed, or care which bike shop someone supports. That’s great that you choose to support a local shop though! Locking up cyclists for CM is about as useful as locking up people for pot possession. I’m sure if blocking emergency vehicles became an issue, SPD wouldn’t allow it to continue every month. Have a bitchin summer!

joeythecoyote August 29, 2009 (3:24 pm)

Why don’t they pay a tab bike fee as well too? They use up tax-payers money to give them more paths, money doesn’t grow on trees.

Marge August 29, 2009 (3:51 pm)

Joeythe Coyote, I’d be happy to pay a bike tab, let’s see, let’s use weight, so I’m a 120 lbs. amd my bicycle is 17 so if we say 1 dollar a lb. my tabs will be $137. If you’re the average American male, and your 160lbs driving a 4,000 lb
vehicle your tabs would be $4,160.00. seems fair too me.

Bill August 29, 2009 (3:54 pm)

There is certainly quite a bit of dislike for Critical Mass in these comments.

Although I’ve never participated in Critical Mass, I am someone who commutes regularily by bike, and very interested in sustainability. I do have a great deal of empathy for their activities… theirs seems to be a leaderless, somewhat disorganized, and definitely in-your-face protest about the dominance the auto has in american transportation, urban design, and culture.

Our miles and miles of big box stores, exurban development, greenhouse gas pollution, impervious surfaces, oil dependency and wars are all a legacy of the fact that cars own about every inch of city transportation and receive the vast majority of our tax money in infrastructure.

Critical Mass is but one form of protest saying all this could be different and I appreciate their attitude as thought provoking.

Have some of them behaved inappropriately? Sure… but that’s beside the point for me.

Bre August 29, 2009 (4:07 pm)

Honestly, people, Critical Mass is just for fun. No political motives. No point. Just fun.

GenHillOne August 29, 2009 (4:48 pm)

So it’s for fun now. Whether we think it would be fun, or we carry signs of protest, I bet I wouldn’t get a free pass if I gathered 20 friends and decided to go for a jog across the 520 bridge. Dumbest thing ever. And a disappointing reaction from SPD.

Babs August 29, 2009 (4:59 pm)

I think CM is great. For whatever reason(s) they ride I say YES. Its an act of Civil Disobedience which is the active refusal to obey certain laws, demands and commands of a government, or of an occupying power, without resorting to physical violence. In this country we can do this sort of action and I’m so thankfull.

What? August 29, 2009 (5:19 pm)

Sorry but not a fan of Critical Mass. I’m a San Francisco bay area kid. NO stranger to critical mass. I do agree about how dangerous and angering it is for Critical Mass to even be on a road that was NEVER designed for mixed use. Sorry to say Critical Mass riders, I stopped supporting C.M’s when my friends aunt died because the C.M in Berkeley wouldn’t let the ambulances and fire truck through. There is nothing good about civil disobedience that causes death. How do you handle it here? If your blocking the West Seattle bridge and the ambulance is coming, do you let it through? Or do you stay the course to prove your point?

BarbG August 29, 2009 (5:32 pm)

So CM is just an “act of Civil Disobedience which is the active refusal to obey certain laws, demands and commands of a government…” If that is the logic then that sounds like a damn fine response to a cop when someone gets pulled over for speeding “sorry officer, I’m just exercising an act of Civil Disobedience, it’s fine for critical mass, so it’s fine for me”

Johnson August 29, 2009 (5:52 pm)

See?

I TOLD you the bike nazis and McGinn want to ban cars on the W. Seattle Bridge.

It’s just part of their master plan to make car commuting as miserable as possible, as see the insane changes done to Faunleroy

What? August 29, 2009 (8:14 pm)

I’m sorry again, but I have to say, even thought I’m not a CM fan, Just because someone is doing something that isn’t popular doesn’t mean their a nazi. I really think everyone is starting to over use that word.

seriously August 29, 2009 (8:55 pm)

sorry, critical mass is a big ‘middle finger’ from the cyclists to the drivers.

if you’re trying to improve the relations between cyclists and drivers, and encourage the drivers to share the road and look out for you, this isn’t the way to do it.

and also, showing up on the cover of Pac NW magazine, with no helmet and lots of PBR in your panniers, makes you look like a jerk. not to mention riding around WS neighborhoods with a kid (who looks to be 12), and the kid’s not wearing a helmet either.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/zoom/html/2003311163.html

Hokie August 29, 2009 (9:30 pm)

“Its an act of Civil Disobedience which is the active refusal to obey certain laws, demands and commands of a government, or of an occupying power, without resorting to physical violence. In this country we can do this sort of action and I’m so thankfull.” – Babs

At what point do laws become expendable and who gets to make that decision?

Take red lights for instance. All too often cars, bicyclists and pedestrians ignore stoplights altogether. In my experience, bicyclists ignore the laws that govern the operation of vehicles on Seattle roads at a far greater proportion than the other two groups.

I’ve heard many different explanations of why many cyclists ignore redlights but my favorite one was “it just takes so much work to get back up to speed.” If that logic were followed by those driving automobiles at the same rate that cyclists do, there would be many, many more injuries on our roads. It just doesn’t make sense.

My point is bicycles are vehicles just like cars. If you are going to use the roads – obey the traffic laws. That applies to automobile drivers, truck drivers, bus drivers, cyclists, uni-cyclists and pedestrians too.

qutoe from a kid’s song of all places:
“RED MEANS STOP, YELLOW MEANS SLOW, GREEN LET’S GO!”

We have laws for a reason. If we can all decide for ourselves which laws to follow and which not to, what is the point of having an organized society?

Scuba02 August 29, 2009 (10:12 pm)

How sad, while I agree with what Critical Mass rides for (bicyclist’s rights – at least as far as the law will allow), I think it’s unfortunate how they go about it. The illegitimize the whole argument.

While they were riding by my condo on Alki I heard so many of them cursing, loudly to one another, “f**$ Chris, dude slow down for a second!”, and kids were outside. No regard whatsovever. Then the illegal commute over the West Seattle Bridge?

There are more effective, less pervasive forms of protesting – it would seem the Critical Mass has decided to terrorize an entire populace – without legal recourse (I thought they should have closed down the West Seattle Bridge too, and all have been escorted to jail).

EW August 29, 2009 (10:29 pm)

Cycling is the right thing to do for the environment, for your health & for your community – yet the bike experience in Seattle can be unpleasant, intimidating and dangerous. While some may not agree with the methods employed by critical mass riders, certainly we must all support the cause of cycling in our community. CM riders may see themselves as radicals, and thus do radical things like riding on the viaduct or the WS bridge – but cycling should not have to be a radical act, it should be accessible and available to everyone – that is the point worth drawing attention to.

When I am driving, and come across a cyclist on a high traffic road, it does not seem like a safe situation, and the presence of a little painted “sharrow” on the road does not magically make it so. When I am walking, having a cyclist zoom up behind me on the sidewalk is not safe either. There ought to be dedicated paths and lanes that keep cyclists safe from high volume traffic and keep pedestrians safe from cyclists – that connect to all parts of the city. The domination of car traffic in many areas provides an inconvenience & safety hazard to other forms of transport every day. If some motorists are inconvenienced in one or two places once a month to raise awareness of this fact, it seems a small price to pay.

The overall problem is not that the bikes are in the way of the cars, it’s that the cars are in the way of the bikes! The cars are in the way of the bikes, so the bikes are either risking their lives or in the way of pedestrians on the sidewalk. Critical Mass is like any other city event: game, convention, movie premier, popular night club, concert, festival, show, parade, protest, — yes they may impede traffic. The lashing out of motorists is only the sad signal of the cost of driving – driving can turn otherwise calm & peaceful citizens into angry psychopaths ready to mow down anyone in their way – be it other drivers, cyclists, marathon runners, parade participants, kindergarten children on a field trip – anyone who slows down the progress is a target of wrath & frustration. One anecdote that comes to mind is the motorist who yelled out at a suicidal person to jump, angry that the police incident had caused a traffic jam. It’s the unfortunate feedback loop of the last half-century of American car culture:
driving = traffic = frustration = hypertension = overeating, = weight gain = diabetes = depression = more overeating = more weight gain = more driving = less exercise = more stress = high blood pressure = heart problems = driving = poor air quality = asthma = respiratory problems = serious medications = fatigue = driving = increased medical costs = increased taxes = stress = driving = increased oil consumption = oil & auto lobbyists = national security issues = more pavement = less trees = climate change = resource scarcity = war
The saddest part is that oftentimes people do not realize there is another way…and oftentimes those are the same people that have planned the city – but the slow process of change that is occuring can only succeed with the support of our community.

PatC August 30, 2009 (12:00 am)

I lived in Belltown for 18 years. Knew some of them back in the day. Individually most of the people in CM are good. Biking will some day be the best way to ride the roads.

In a group they come across as annoying, self-righteous, arrogant bike riders who think even walkers were the problem. (we’re in their merry way) Walk/don’t walk mean nothing to them.

I haven’t done the math, but I am sure my non nike shoes with their imitation 3rd world rubber, have a smaller carbon foot print then their 3rd world titanium frames.

A Life long pedestrian

Scuba02 August 30, 2009 (2:45 am)

“The overall problem is not that the bikes are in the way of the cars, it’s that the cars are in the way of the bikes!”

Seriously? Yeah, after CM events and countless statements like this I’m thinking new legislation needs to be passed – keep bikes of our roads. If it’s truly an ‘us vs. you’ argument, roads were built for cars. When you run lights, don’t wear helmets and break other laws you make it difficult for us all. In fact the vast majority of bicycle/vehicle accidents are the fault of the cyclist.

Mike August 30, 2009 (2:50 am)

Arrest them, impound the bicycles, sell the bicycles at auction, pay for some new bike paths. There, problem solved. I get a better bike path to ride on and the idiot riders are off the bike path.

Yay! I win!

grr August 30, 2009 (8:17 am)

[i] think people on motorcycles and scooters should get together and have their own critical mass event, where they take over every bicycle lane and path in the city.[/i]

now that is something I’d love to do.

What August 30, 2009 (8:50 am)

Please pro critical mass riders, I really want to know the answer. Critical mass takes over the west seattle bridge, and an ambulance or fire truck, or search and rescue rig is coming. Do you get over to one side to let the rescue crew go by or do you stay the course to prove your point? How is it done here?

Nancy F, August 30, 2009 (11:29 am)

Not a cyclist (except casual), not militant about it at all. I like CM and think it’s a good reminder and largely benign. I was caught in one once, in my car, and I was delayed, oh, *maybe* five minutes. If an emergency vehicle needed to pass, I have no doubt the cyclists would have made room. Besides, there wasn’t, and I don’t know of any case where an emergency vehicle has been unable to pass due to one. So that’s a red herring.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I see far more automobile drivers breaking laws and driving unsafely than cyclists. Far more. I challenge the complainers to really take a count of every violation they see during one week and whether it’s a bike or a car. And, please include your own violations in that count.

swellworks August 30, 2009 (4:21 pm)

Amen. It is sort of bad, but sort of good too. Folks don’t protest or do much of anything for what they believe in or want. When they do they are cast as outsiders or miscreants – nothing would ever change without dissent.

a mom August 30, 2009 (6:03 pm)

Do you really think this is speaking out for what you want? We’ve heard from a lot of “real” cyclists on this page who don’t agree with CM. As a recreational cyclist, these are not the people I want representing the cycling community for me or my kids – no helmets, no lights, not obeying the law. C’mon! I perceive this group and those who agree with them as a F* the authority / establishment group. What point are they trying to make by cycling illegally on a route which has a great bike route to downtown?! Maybe the point would be valid if there was not a good bike route established – a way of pointing out that we need better cycling infrastructure. If the police are going to be present, I’d like them to enforce the law vs. allowing them to break the law. Maybe ticketing each cyclist vs. arresting them would help. I’ll certainly make my views and wishes known to our local police precinct and all in law enforecement officers I know. Thanks WS Blog and CM for bringing an advocacy need to my attention.

Helmeted Nulu August 30, 2009 (7:13 pm)

Nancy F apparently did not read “what’s” post-
“Sorry to say Critical Mass riders, I stopped supporting C.M’s when my friends aunt died because the C.M in Berkeley wouldn’t let the ambulances and fire truck through.”
What color herring is that?

Millicent Vanderhooeven August 30, 2009 (10:49 pm)

Interesting. Thanks for taking the time to post the vid and stimulate discussion. Wendell Berry has a wonderful essay “Out of your car, Off your horse” in which he says:

“If you want to SEE where you are, you will have to… get out of your car, off your horse, and walk over the ground. On foot you will find that the earth is still satisfyingly large and full of beguiling nooks and crannies.”

Protests and demonstrations are often inconvenient, obnoxious, obstructive, and a pain in the butt. So are parades and festivals. I’m glad we have both.

grr August 31, 2009 (9:59 pm)

without a doubt..the cops should have ticketed every single one of these morons for the laws they broke. I’m all for free speech, peaceful protest, and all that….but these little monthly ‘rides’ are for NO other purpose than to intimidate and flaunt…

Eddie September 1, 2009 (6:35 am)

It hasn’t been all that long ago that it was called the “west seattle freeway”.

What a bunch of ignorant clowns. I’m a fervent support of bike riding and bike commuting, but every time they (critical mass) does a stunt like riding over the high bridge, or riding en-mass over the aurora bridge, it makes me cringe. They do more harm to the cycling community and goodwill toward cycling in one hour a month than all the bicycle commuters and (alleged) stop sign running bicyclists could do in 5 years.

Grow up.

Should have ticketed every one of them.

Will Bluemel September 2, 2009 (7:51 am)

Riding a bicycle is fun. Driving a car is only half as fun. Bicycling wins!!!

masshole September 2, 2009 (11:06 am)

Man, that looks like fun riding over that bridge.

All you cagers can suck it up one night a month, and recognise that sometimes, you get to wait in traffic for something which isn’t a car.

some bicyclist September 2, 2009 (4:44 pm)

@masshole –

“All you cagers can suck it up one night a month, and recognise that sometimes, you get to wait in traffic for something which isn’t a car.”

Since when has a bicyclist ever waited in traffic for a car? Hypocritical Mass served its purpose, now it’s a negative contribution. Quit joy riding, join your local community government, and do something *useful* for the bicycling community for a change.

M. September 4, 2009 (10:18 pm)

Perhaps a better show of support for the CM riders would be to ride legally and safely in single or double file on the SHARED roads, without blocking the flow of traffic. Imagine seeing such a long line of riders! Blocking vehicle traffic is not only illegal and unsafe, it seems to create ill will amongst those who are also traveling in/on vehicles, be it motorized or not. I really doubt anyone is against bicyclists sharing the road, just please do so within the law. They exist for the benefit of EVERYONE. And PLEASE STOP at stop signs.I am a rider.

a nice guy September 6, 2009 (2:13 pm)

After watching the video, it sure looks like the cars were moving and getting by just fine. How was there a problem?
The police were keeping the peace.
I have ridden several CM rides here and that was a small one and only took one lane. On several of the rides there have been emergency vehicles come thru. CM has ALWAYS moved right for sirens and lights on the rides I have been on.
A common theme here is that cars do seem to sap folks of good will, patience and kindness.
It was only and INCONVENINCE! Chill. Smile!