Adam Martin, The Examiner
2006-06-26 09:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked
SAN FRANCISCO -

The creation of new bike lanes and other improvements under San Francisco's citywide bicycle plan was halted abruptly last week when a judge handed down an injunction against the plan's implementation.

San Francisco Superior Court Judge James Warren issued the injunction Wednesday after a coalition of pro-forma groups sued the city, claiming that the lack of environmental impact review on the plan was illegal under the California Environmental Quality Act.

The stated goal of the 250-page bicycle plan, first implemented in 1997 and most recently updated in May 2005, is to improve bicycle safety and to "refine and expand the existing bicycle route network."

Critical Mass celebrating 15 years of free-form bicycle advocacy
Rachel Gordon, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, September 28, 2007

(09-27) 20:59 PDT San Francisco -- Tonight's Critical Mass in San Francisco marks the 15th anniversary of the rebellious rolling ride that locally has propelled the bicycle movement into the political mainstream and globally has been copied by hundreds of cities.

What began with four dozen bicyclists riding together up Market Street on Sept. 25, 1992, has turned into a monthly happening that regularly draws thousands of participants pedaling along the streets of San Francisco, at times drawing both praise and scorn.

The monthly Critical Mass rides are part political statement and part roving street festival and now are firmly part of San Francisco's cultural fabric.

Critical Mass has no organized leadership. The rides are promoted by word of mouth and over the Internet. The only constant is that they are held the last Friday of the month and start around 6 p.m. at Justin Herman Plaza at the foot of Market Street. The routes are fluid, often determined on the spot.

It is not uncommon for the mass rides to tie up automobile traffic for an hour or more just as people commuting by car or bus are trying to get home at the end of their workweek.