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Dad/Mum POP2 Marshals I Knocked Back - I UnKnock Thee!

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  1. Uberuce
    Member

    Some of you fine and shiny people-of-successful-gene-propagation volunteered to be marshals this impending and lovely Sunday, but I cruelly eschewed your offer of services on the grounds that you wanted to bring your weans on the day, which meant I couldn't use you.

    As it turns out, I really can. See, we're going to send the riders off from the Meadows in batches, and we need sensible persons to ride at the head of each clump.

    These persons will ride at the sensible dawdling pace that you might remember from last year, and politely and sensibly suggest to anyone who looks intent on overtaking them that they don't.

    Also, you'll be on the lookout for signals from the blue-vesty marshals to stop in a gentle fashion so that pedestrians can cross the roads that we will be blocking.

    I can't see how this would conflict with sproglet wrangling, since you'll be advising your youthful charges to stick by you anyway.

    We'll kit you out in a vest so that Joe and Joanna POP2er know what you're doing, and if you possibly can, meet us at the junction of North Meadow Walk and Middle Meadow Walk at 2pm, or failing that 2.45pm, then we're golden.

    Thank you!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  2. wingpig
    Member

    Go on, then.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  3. stiltskin
    Member

    Oh! So it isn't going to be a race then? Not even not a race in the way sportives aren't?

    There isn't going to be a prize for the first one to reach the Parliament. What sort of event is this?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  4. lionfish
    Member

    Maybe a prize for the slowest?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  5. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    stiltskin: "Not even not a race in the way sportives aren't?"

    Sorry to go OT for a moment but did you see how the Etape Caledonia was reported on TV? A race with a winner - which it isn't so he wasn't. Especially as there are real bike races going on in Scotland all the time.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  6. Instography
    Member

    Even if you send 15,000 people off in batches of 300, that's a lot of marshals. It'll take hours to get everyone moving. Riots of frustration on the Meadows. I'm so looking forward to it.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  7. ruggtomcat
    Member

    BATCHES!?! *shakes head* glad we cant inconvenience everyone with our thousands of people demanding better conditions, is this a protest or a pleasure ride?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  8. wingpig
    Member

    Some of the inconvenienced will be pedestrians, seeking to cross the road, as is their right.
    It's a peaceful demonstration.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  9. Charterhall
    Member

    Talking of convenience(s), are there going to be any near the start ?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  10. ruggtomcat
    Member

    There are at the top of middle meadow walk. As last time I spent more than 50% of the ride stationary I dont really think peds are going to be a problem, even when we were moving it was less than walking speed most of the time. Protests should be inconvenient, thats the point. 'Todays protest caused zero disruption' doesn't sound like a good protest, or something that would make the news. Are we gonna have a collection for all the shops and traders that will lose out on an hours business aswell? Im sure Steve (the street performer who had to stop his show for us last time) would be happy.

    Good luck stopping the groups bunching!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  11. SRD
    Moderator

    as long as we get attention, we don't need to cause disruption. we want people to see us on bikes and think 'that looks like fun; maybe next time I come into town, I'll bring my bike'.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  12. ruggtomcat
    Member

    Thats funny cos I want people to see us on bikes and say 'why are the cyclists protesting?' not 'ohh theres a nice family ride!' I think this is the central issue, in an effort to appeal to families the teeth have been pulled. 112 people died last year from riding their bike, thats why I want to protest, and I want to protest, not be a poster boy for family cycling. We are not here to improve the image of cycling but to shame the government into giving us provision in law and deed. The messages shouldn't be 'isn't cycling great' but 'cycling in this country is broken and needs fixed.'

    Posted 12 years ago #

  13. SRD
    Moderator

    Yes, you;'re right. But I think our message is more complex than one or the other. It *is* saying "cycling in this country is broken and needs fixed" but also that, under the right conditions, "cycling is fun and easy and everyone can do it".

    which is why its important to have a wide range of people there - all ages, all types, all backgrounds. to send a message that "we are you"/"you can be us" / we're not an out-group.

    which is why we need police co-operation. because without that we'll just be 'another group of protest-junkies*' and the media and government will ignore us.

    *happy to self-identify with this group. got the (handpainted) tshirts to prove it.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  14. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    RTC: "theres a nice family ride" 4,000 cyclists is quite some family. POP has closed the centre of Edinburgh even if no-one turns up.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  15. fimm
    Member

    This was why I thought the blogger who thought it was a problem that lots of the cyclists who came to PoP last year had got hold of the wrong end of the stick - it wasn't a ride to promote cycling, it was a ride to protest about the conditions cyclists have to deal with - and that includes an expectation that we'll dress up like idiots otherwise the chap sentencing the driver who hit us will tell him that it isn't his fault that he didn't look, it is all the nasty cyclist's fault for not having a 6 foot high sign over thier head saying "Warning cyclist here".

    (If I could come to PoP, I would be on my Brompton with no cycling specific gear.)

    Posted 12 years ago #

  16. Min
    Member

    The way I see it, the longer the roads are closed, the more disruption we are causing. If we all zoom down to the Parliament in 10 minutes the road will open in 10 minutes and everything will continue as before. If we all trickle down slowly, stopping constantly for pedestrians it is going to take aaaaageees. What a shame etc..

    Posted 12 years ago #

  17. Uberuce
    Member

    Aaaaaand in the meantime I would like to have a few more folk to do the aforementioned mobile rolling stop sign routine.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  18. steveo
    Member

    Just in case we get kettled* I'm not brining the wee man so I'm now available for any marshalling duties that may be required.

    *he's actually visiting his granddad to play in the allotment and breaking that routine is more than my sanity is worth...

    Edit: typo completely changed the meaning of my post... I am available to marshal if needed.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  19. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    ruggers, there's a fine line between 'making it clear we're protesting' (which I agree is the point of this, the SKY Ride is more the 'this is a family cycle' idea); and simply p!ssing people off, meaning they will automatically not support you when previously they might have done.

    In the latter group I wouldn't include the die hard motorist, but I would include the pedestrian simply trying to walk somewhere. Why would you want to annoy them? It's not their fault cycling provision is so awful. So by showing up in numbers and saying 'LOOK, WE'RE HERE!', and adding to that statement 'And we're not some rabid gang who you can dismiss simply as zealots because we're actually being reasonable here' you give the strongest possible message.

    'LOOK WE'RE HERE!' on its own comes across as 'weirdy beardy angry people just trying to create disruption and that just confirms what I thought about cyclists that they are an arrogant and demanding group, I mean they don't even pay road tax, and I just want to get to that shop over there'.

    3,000 people turned up last year. With banners. And speeches. And songs. And police. If it looks like a protest and tastes like a protest there's no need to be nasty on top of that.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  20. sallyhinch
    Member

    Best way to make it clear it's a protest is to bring a placard. There were disappointingly few last year - I know it's awkward on a bike but if the Dutch can cycle with umbrellas surely we can manage a wee sign?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  21. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    @uberuce, you have PM.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  22. steveo
    Member

    Oops just realised there was a not in my post where there should have been a now...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  23. HankChief
    Member

    What's stopping people doing multiple laps?

    From memory last year there were many people still waiting to leave the meadows when the first people arrived at Holyrood.

    Can't take that long to climb up to the commie pool and join on the back.

    If everyone did a second lap we'd get double the numbers. ..

    Posted 12 years ago #

  24. SRD
    Moderator

    "climb up to the commie pool"

    there's a bike path that brings you up from Queen's drive to West Richmond street....

    Posted 12 years ago #

  25. Charterhall
    Member

    Apologies, a bit late to offer this thought but it would be great if there was tea and cakes at the finish, perhaps as fund raising for charities.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  26. Uberuce
    Member

    Bump, pimp, crack whip, apply guilt. My puppy will look sad if there's not enough volunteer sorta-marshals. Please give generously.

    Well, I mean please agree to ride with your elbows out and eyes open.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  27. SRD
    Moderator

    am sure mr srd could do this with trailer.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  28. Tulyar
    Member

    Experience with a number of mass rides is that it is perfectly possible for streams of pedestrians to cross streams of cyclists when all are travelling at slow and steady speeds with generous gaps between them.

    You should press a request that NO ONE wears earphones that block out the facility of being aware of what is happening BEHIND you and reacting to any instructions to stop or move out of the way (eg for an emergency vehicle to get through) Eyes are good for just 120 degrees of awareness at any one moment, ears work for the full 360 degrees.

    Eyes are also a vital detail in being able to move people on bikes and on foot around without colliding in quite complex ways - basically if you make sure you catch the eye of the person on a closing trajectory than it is very unlikely that you will collide with them.

    Posted 12 years ago #

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