Indymedia York

At a meeting designed to bring together those who went to the Climate Camp at Drax, and those who wish'd they'd been, it was decided to resurrect Critical Mass in York. The first will be on November 3rd, and will have a "air-pollution" theme. Participants will be recommended to turn up in gas masks or dust masks or make there own costume, but everyone is welcome even if they can't manage the creative bit.

The idea behind Critical Mass is really simple. Lots of people assemble at the same time (5:30pm in this case) at a specific location (the West end of the Minster) and after a while (6pm) they set off on a ride around the area. Students are to be encouraged to cycle from campus as a group, to get the ball rolling, and its suggested they meet at 4:30 somewhere obvious, ready to set off at 5pm.

Its designed to be both a social event (meet others who do battle with traffic on nowt but a push-bike) and a protest against the number of people still using their cars (buses and emergency vehicles will be allowed past at any time). The London 'mass' has been going for 10 years already, and has attracted up to 1000 people. The biggest recorded mass was in Chicago, where 3000 rode along an urban-motorway for a few miles. Its hoped that 100 people will turn up in York, and this should be very acheivable.

The event will be repeated each month on the first Friday, meeting at 5:30 and setting off at 6pm for as long as it's sustainable. Hopefully the idea for the theme of the December ride will come out of this first one. Other ideas came up at the meeting, and these will be revealed shortly. Hopefully this meeting will birth a new wave of eco-action in York, and a followup meeting is planned for Tuesday 21st, 7:30pm at Friend's Meeting House.