Kidical Mass PDX

The early morning brainstorm was a combination of wanting to get more kids and families excited about riding and wanting to put together a little event to celebrate bike documentarian and creator of the term “Critical Mass” Ted White coming to town. They wanted to do something different than the traditional Critical Mass ride and Shane Rhodes coined the term “Kidical Mass” (though he’s sure it has been used before). Shane Rhodes — who manages the Safe Routes to Schools program for a Eugene-area school district and has been active in the bike advocacy world for 15 years says “The bike movement has grown up, and now it has kids!”

Since Shane’s initial brainstorm, Kidical Mass has popped up all over the U.S., and internationally as well. Here in Portland, Kidical Mass was pioneered by family bike advocate Angela Koch, but fizzled when she moved to Washington, D.C. In the fall of 2010, two bikey families, the Proctors and the Eckharts, decided to bring Kidical Mass back to Portland. We’ll ride rain or shine and all over the city, but very slowly, and only a few miles at a time. We hope to see you out there! Our Basic Guidelines:

- Personal responsibility (obey traffic laws and no group movements through stop signs and lights)

-Have fun!

-Go get a treat (like ice cream)

-Outreach to families via non-bikey means (schools, grocery stores, PTOs, etc.)

-A short FUN route that avoids busy streets when possible

-Some “street presence” so we are seen and recognized out there

-Get the kids involved! Have them do artwork, tell their friends, and most importantly- come to the ride!