Critical Mass Ride
See the Critical Mass Ride Schedule here!
"What's this all about?" ask amused and bemused pedestrians on Market Street as hundreds of noisy, high-spirited bicyclists ride past, yelling and ringing their bells. There are a wide variety of answers: "It's about banning cars." "It's about having fun in the street." "It's about a more social way of life." "It's about asserting our right to the road." "It's about solidarity."
Critical Mass is many things to many people, and while many concepts expressed may evoke memories of past political protests, Critical Mass is foremost a celebration, not a protest.
Ultimately, Critical Mass is just a bunch of cyclists riding around together, going from one point to another. (Someone coined the descriptive phrase "organized coincidence.") But the incredible thing is that, in attempting this simple task, so many important and interesting questions come up. Why is there so little open space in our cities where people can relax and interact, free from the incessant buying and selling of ordinary life? Why are people compelled to organize their lives around having a car? What would an alternative future look like?
source: "How to make a CRITICAL MASS: Lessons and Ideas from the San Francisco Experience"
Contact: Ricky Pineda at 0917 603 9258 for CMR-related inquiries
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KKB: Kitang-Kita ang Bisikleta
It is simple a simple endeavor; qualified bike commuters shall be identified and equipped with necessary items; a packet containing a helmet, respiratory mask, blinkers and reflective tape shall be awarded to deserving individuals.
Among them are cyclists from the more economically challenged sector of society. Most are parents who bring their children to school, blue-collar workers such as construction workers, security guards, and factory employees to name a few.
Their main consideration for biking to and from work is not so much to save the environment nor for health benefits; it is quite simply, a way to save money. Thus we see them cycling without protective gear such as helmets and/or respiratory masks, items vital to their well-being.
Why KKB?
Visibility is safety. The more visible a cyclist is the less chance of a collision with other vehicles. Sometimes at night, we do not see these cyclists at all until they are within a few feet in front of our headlights. Their darkened bikes, devoid of any reflective material, curse them with a degree of invisibility, increasing the possibility of a collision with an inattentive driver.
The Firefly Brigade, through KKB, seeks to remedy this problem. Their bicycles shall be festooned, on the spot, with the reflective stickers and blinkers, and the cyclists themselves shall be instructed in the proper use and care of the helmet and respiratory masks, along with tips for safe urban cycling.
In this way more people will realize that cycling can indeed be a safe and viable form of transportation. This thinking will eventually open the path towards cleaner air, less gridlock, and more livable cities.
Be part of the Firefly Brigade as we lend light to those who already have wings. Help these bike commuters become true fireflies.
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RAB: Recycle a Bicycle
The Recycle-A-Bicycle Project Guidelines are as follows:
Preferred Items for Donation:
- 1st Preference: Donations of road-worthy and complete bicycles.
- 2nd Preference: Donations of bicycles needing minimal replacement of parts.
- 3rd Preference: Bicycle Parts and Accessories in good working condition.
The donated bicycles and parts are assembled and awarded to deserving individuals based on the following:
- Financial difficulty in purchasing a bicycle for commuting to work and/or school
- Active involvement in community and social work/services.
The RAB bike awardees will be enjoined to actively participate in the Firefly Brigade activities and campaigns for clean air and non-motorized transportation. They will have to sign and stand by an agreement to use and ride the bicycle and return it to the FB if they are unable to fulfill requirements. We will once again recycle that bicycle!
We would like to express our sincere appreciation and gratitude to all the generous donors, participants and bicycle shops who helped in the Firefly Brigade Recycle-A-Bicycle (RAB) Project. Since the start of the project in February, 2000, we have received the following:
- Compatible frame and components to complete 4 bicycles (3 MTBs and 1 BMX)
- Almost 200 assorted bicycle parts of various make, model, year and condition
- 7 BMX frames from Roosevelt Bicycle Shop
- And more than 200 kilos of assorted but unusable (extreme rust damage) parts, mostly rims and spokes, that were weighed for resale at junk shops.
Two of the bicycles were completed with the help of Extreme Bike Shop. Thank you, Extreme!
Three of the completed bicycles were awarded to 3 deserving individuals who are active in various community and social work. The first batch of RAB bicycles were handed out to Marie Fe Ty, Emma Fabella and Jhecy Rebite at the culmination of the 2nd Tour of the Fireflies on April 30, 2000.
Read their Profiles here.
We'd like to recycle and award more bicycles so that we can have more riders bringing the fireflies back to the cities! But with so many bike parts that won't mix and match, we just can't come up with many bikes. So donating whole usable bikes that need just a little fixing here and there would be best. From the bottom of our blinking firefly hearts, thank you for your donations!
Interested? Please get in touch with us through this email: blinking_fireflies@yahoo.com
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World Car-Free Day
The Firefly Brigade takes part in the annual celebration of the World Car-Free Day that happens every 22nd of September. It's this one day that people around the world gather protest against a car-dominated society by showing how wonderful the streets are with only bikes in them.
You can find more about the WCFD here.