¡Auto No, Bici Si!

Masa Critica: Critical Mass
First Sunday every month, 4pm, Obelisco

Masa Nocturna: Night Mass
Every full moon, 9pm, Obelisco

Don't forget your bike!

Simply put: Thousands of people riding bicycles through the streets of Buenos Aires. Yes, we stop traffic. Yes, it's intentional. No, we wont move no matter how loud you honk and scream! That's right, I'm back to the blog, fresh off my first Masa Critica. The only question is why on earth did it take me 8 months to ride in one of these events. Exactly 8 months to be precise. Sunday, May 6th marked the day. Even though I didn't realize I had been here that long until well, now actually, it seems as though my anniversary was very well spent.

A show of pure celebration and support for the metropolitan cycling community, the first Sunday of each month, thousands of people gather in the center of Buenos Aires to 'go for a ride'. We made it all the way down to some neighborhoods I'd never previously entered and topped off the night with a complete block of traffic to the freeway. Imagine, you're in bumper to bumper traffic and you glance to your left only to see 4 lanes full of bicycles. Not a single car in sight. Never thought I'd have the chance to do something so original! There are no organizers, nobody knows where we will ride, no pre-marked streets, auto traffic is unaware of the route, but everybody shares a passion for riding. To prove our presence in the city, Masa Critica is a way for cyclists to get noticed in the streets: strength in numbers! Because cycling is a very new culture in BsAs, the bicisendas (bike paths) are just under 2 years old, there are still many people who don't respect rider's rights in the streets and forget that one cycle = un auto menos. One less car! And the way that traffic gets stopped up around rush hour, I promise, a bike is absolutely your best and fastest option. There was even an article in La Nacion this last week with a study showing that a bici commuter makes it home in half the time compared to the public bus. The bici is worth it, every time!








P.S.
Thanks to some very nice gentlemen at Biking Buenos Aires, I am now whizzing through the city on a shiny red cruiser! And don't worry, as we all should be so diligent... I never sit in the saddle without my pearly white helmet.