Crazy mass cycle ride /shutdown

[Earl Aelfheah]

Did anyone see the thousands of kids cycling through central London yesterday, doing wheelies down the wrong side of the road, jumping lights and along the pavement? I saw a couple of very near misses. Apparently this is an extension of the motorbike / scooter thing, where kids cover their faces and ride on mass through town. All organised through social media and promoted via YouTube channels such as bikelife.tv.uk. The hashtag for yesterday's stunt was #bikestormz3 . These guys are really dangerous and the police don't seem particularly concerned with stopping it. They were about, but in very small numbers and keeping their distance. It reminded me a lot of the riots, the way that the police were just standing back. It wouldn't have taken much for somethings to kick off and they would have been powerless to stop it. A lot of the kids were putting themselves and others in danger, openly smoking weed and doing wheelies through pedestrian crossing as people had to jump out the way. All whilst the police just watched. It was a direct challenge to the polices authority IMO. Can't help speculating that the feeling of impunity will inevitably lead to escalation. Weird it wasn't reported in the news too.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Forgive the typos, on my phone.

[uncleglen]

The fact that they cover their faces means that if they did cause a serious accident they won't get recognised on CCTV. I agree it is a direct challenge on the law but these types of kids have had networks of communication before mobile phones and social media.

I witnessed a line-up of kids against a wall in Goodrich Road about 20 years ago and there were several police vehicles and the whole of the tiny area between Crystal Palace Road and Landells road was swarming with teens lounging over car bonnets and one lad was following a cop car and aggressively gesticulating to the police. I asked one of the policemen why the saturation and he said that they all swarm to a place to intimidate witnesses and the police have to turn up well prepared.

It wasn't reported in the news because that is what they want- perverse isn't it?

I remember the Zampa Road Millwall trouble years ago and a friend of mine said that a kid that was involved and had his mug shot on most wanted was printing it off and passing it around to his mates in school with pride.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Social media changes the scale of this stuff though. It was a really big crowd at tower bridge, in the thousands I would guess.

[DulwichFox]

And there will be 10 x 1,000's running over Tower Bridge today...

Strange ehh.

Foxy

[Blah Blah]

But is this any different to the cycling campaigners that do the same thing? Turn up en masse and ride round central London making it impossible for vehicles to pass through?

[DulwichFox]

Blah Blah Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> But is this any different to the cycling

> campaigners that do the same thing? Turn up en

> masse and ride round central London making it

> impossible for vehicles to pass through?

Not quite the same thing but when it comes down to riding on the wrong side of the road, jumping lights and along the pavement....

...Well thats what many cyclists do ..

DulwichFox

['bout now]

Blah Blah Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> But is this any different to the cycling

> campaigners that do the same thing? Turn up en

> masse and ride round central London making it

> impossible for vehicles to pass through?

It's called critical mass, it's organised on a specific day and it generally is law abiding. It mimics the effect of what cars do to London every day. So, no, it's very different.

"Not quite the same thing but when it comes down to riding on the wrong side of the road, jumping lights and along the pavement....

...Well thats what many cyclists do .."

Thanks for that, never been said before. Ever.

[red devil]

They're a load of pussies compared to this lot.

But then again...

World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) London 2015 from Cywol on Vimeo.

[Blah Blah]

I'll take kids doing wheelies on the pavements over naked every time :P

[TheArtfulDogger]

Last time I came across the naked bike ride, a large number were on boris bikes... Hence why I haven't hired one since (shudders )