Tagged: bikes

Political movements don't have to be shaped by politicians.  In fact, one of the most dynamic movements to shape the way we see our streets started with a group of bicycle riders in San Francisco who simply wanted to be seen.

It's a gathering that's come to be known as "Critical Mass."  Tomorrow night, hundreds, if not thousands, of cyclists from around the world will come together to take over the city's streets and celebrate the event's 20th anniversary.

On the last Friday evening of every month, the streets of hundreds of cities around the world are transformed. The cars, trucks, and busses that usually dominate the landscape slow down – because they are overwhelmed by bicycles. In San Francisco, cyclists from all over the city, the Bay Area, and sometimes the world come together at the foot of Market Street.

In Downtown San Francisco on Market Street, subtly hidden next to the glitzy Westfield Shopping center, 10 floors above the newly painted green bike lanes, are the offices are the San Francisco Bike Coalition. It’s big and lofty-feeling; there’s a wall filled with hooks for bikes. This is the brain trust of the city’s bike movement. The person in charge is SFBC’s executive director, Leah Shahum. And she has a vision: