I Bike Party!
Following the “How We Ride” shows an proactive love of Bike Party.
Having the San Jose Police shut down the (legal) 3rd regroup in the last party has never happened before and may have been a result of us not sharing the road and shooting off fireworks.
What we all do reflects on Bike Party. Doing something silly, stupid or illegal damages Bike Party and puts your safety (and others around you) at risk. So let’s have fun and show our love of Bike Party!
I Bike Party!
Don’t you?!? Following these “common sense” rules and encouraging others to do so is easy and makes the ride more fun and relaxed.
If you follow these eight rules, Bike Party will be safe and a positive place for riders, drivers, pedestrians, and the community.
HOW WE RIDE
1. Stay in the right lane when possible. NEVER ride the sidewalk. NEVER ride against oncoming traffic.
2. Pick up your trash, leave nothing behind.
3. Stop at red lights.
4. Ride straight, ride predictability.
5. Roll past conflict.
6. Leave no one behind.
7. Ride sober! It’s illegal and dangerous to ride a bicycle inebriated.
8. Communicate to fellow riders! (We need your help to remind those who aren’t following the rules!)
I Bike Party!
How else can you show you love? Here’s some ideas:
- Cheer/boo behavior during the ride
- Volunteer at key intersection or regroup
- Get you & your friends to become BIRDs
- All riders, ages, abilities are heartily welcomed
- Bring music on your bike rack, basket,etc (trailer not needed)
- Start a “Dance Party” at red lights
MJK
July 25, 2010
Having people follow these rules is not realistic. It’s like saying, “Follow these 10 rules and you get to live in heaven when you die.”
You need to engineer a ride where violating these rules is highly unlikely or irrelevant if they are broken. That, or bring in more enforcement or charge for people to show up. Something.
testrides
July 25, 2010
@MJK – actually thru peer encouragement if we get the riders to live by these rules they will get to san jose bike party heaven.
the “how we ride” rule are not only the sjbp “house party rules” but have proven to work very well. it’s unclear how many rides you have been on but a proactive attitude and some “i will do this” commitments are much more useful than the “you need to” comments.
thru peer pressure we can make the jerks leave. thru peer encouragement we can make this ride even more fun. doing it all with a great, weird, zany attitude brings back the early days of bike party-so that’s definitely a “win-win.”
@everyone – please comment here or on the “I Want to Own a Piece of Bike Party” thread of what you will do to show your love of sj bike party. not only is it easy but it’s a lot of fun when we do this. thank you!
Ian
July 25, 2010
I will own the ride for i am Bike Party!!!
I need to put that on a shirt
Perlasum
July 27, 2010
I’d buy it!
testrides
July 26, 2010
from the marin county bicycle coalition:
for our purposes, you are not going to ride you bike like a pedestrian when you cross the street, however! (let’s not get into a helmet debate, ok?)
http://www.marinbike.org/Campaigns/ShareTheRoad/EtiquetteLaws.shtml
III. MCBC’s Bicycling Laws and Safety Tips
Bicyclists on public roadways assume all the same rights and responsibilities as automobile drivers, and are subject to the same state laws and local ordinances. For everyone’s safety, observe these bicycling rules (full details are on the link):
BE PREDICTABLE (and legal!)
BE ALERT
BE EQUIPPED
PARKING TIPS
RIDE SAFELY AND COURTEOUSLY
Ian
July 28, 2010
should we add a point 9. of Be Legal?
as in Have lights. and ride as the law mandates.
watani
August 2, 2010
it’s usually a few deuche bags that ruin it for everyone. never fails. so, sjbp wasn’t riding on the wrong side of the road nor lighting off fireworks. it’s those few deuche bags who were riding on the wrong side and lighting off fireworks. these DBs don’t see the bigger picture at hand and painting a bad picture for the majority of us that are partying civilly.
maybe i should recruit some crafty f-bomb droppers, find these DBs and chastise them off of our ride? haha. hmmmm.
Sudo Nim
August 6, 2010
The fireworks where a spark of livelihood! Weary riders were fueled by its catalytic energy. The ground fireworks illuminated the concrete as riders performed tricks through the light … True classic SJ. Im not condoning though.
since you cant control 100% of anything even in dictatorship. I ask ,,,
If only they could limit the amount and not set off so many to bring unwanted attention. Use it to set the crowd ‘hype’ NOT do a light show. Use discretion in your actions and realize that people put in hard work for Bike Party to come alive. Respect the Ride!
Wuss912
August 3, 2010
how about this?
http://www.nightbrighttyre.com/
Zog
August 5, 2010
Bike Party Organizers are living in a Fantasy World!
I quit going on rides, will not participate, nor will I bring any of my friends. I’ve had enough! It’s a sad day : (
You are loosing the base which made bike party great, and will do nothing to police the unruly. Quote: “thru peer pressure we can make the jerks leave” written by who ever “Testrides” is? The jerks are not listening to you, or anyone else.
SJBP Organizers…You can live in your Utopian World (where everything will fix it’s self)…but when the public has had enough, and passes resolutions to keep gatherings to small numbers…then you will wish you had policed your activities a little better.
Good luck to you!
Ian
August 5, 2010
Goodbye zog…
I’d say we will miss you but i don’t know who you are i guess you never volunteered…
it’s too bad you couldn’t stay and help us deal with the jerks…
as they say if your not part of the solution your part of the precipitate… err problem…
the cat
August 5, 2010
Maybe you should continue to come if only to police the activity a little better.
Seriously, who do you suppose is doing that out there on the road? The cops? The mayor? Your mom?
Every individual owns the world, or at least the part of it where their shadow falls. Even at night you cast a shadow in a way with your voice and your glances, that part of the surface of the earth where you dwell is always your responsibility. Deal with it. Or go back to live in your Dad’s basement. Adult life means dealing with a lot of crap. Sucks, but that’s what you signed up for when you agreed to be born.
Sudo Nim
August 7, 2010
Wow CAT! … well said, “Every individual owns the world, or at least the part of it where their shadow falls. Even at night you cast a shadow in a way with your voice and your glances, that part of the surface of the earth where you dwell is always your responsibility.” .. YUP tht was good.
@Ian ~> lol @ Goodbye zog
@Zog…. U will live in their Utopian world! The public is on the ride. the public is outside cheering us on from the side walk. SJBP has changed San Jose and San Jose likes it. The SJBP has made great strides in creating the most positive movement. Try to name one that didnt have the occasional heathens, you nay sayer! The Birds have had subtle triumphs in handling the misrepresentations. Statistically! If you have 1000 ppl, which in June they had 3000, 50 Ppl out of 1000 is 5 percent. Were there more than that? If not, Sudo say thats successful. Just my opinion.
Rider 44
August 24, 2010
An idea I just had to better handle bottlenecks.
At points on the route that will obviously become bottlenecks, have alternate routes. That way, as the group approaches, if the group sees that going one way is total gridlock, they can know about the alternate way.
For example, in the August 2010 ride we had bottlenecks leaving city hall and in the neighborhood before the first regroup.
At the neighborhood bottleneck the bypass could have been U-turn on Zanker, continue on River Oaks, right on 1st.
When leaving city hall we could have easily designated both 5th and 3rd (and maybe even 6th) as alternate routes until everybody got to Taylor.
Looking at the July 2010 route it seems that a decent alternate could have been Lafayette, Market, the Alameda.
I know that starting points won’t always have several alternate routes, but it’s something to think about until the group gets spread out.
Also, I know that the neighborhood bottleneck was exacerbated by the unauthorized regroup, but considering the street width issues, it hardly seems completely unexpected considering we just got off of several four lane divided long block roads.
Thanks all.