Cycling at Critical Mass: “The beginning of the end of the Autostadt Kassel”

The 100th Critical Mass event will take place on Friday

A new age of traffic began in Kassel in 2013 with the Critical Mass Tour. At least that is how the cycling pioneers who helped initiate the traffic transition see it.

Kassel – This Friday, cyclists will meet in Kassel for the 100th Critical Mass event. The tour in North Hesse has existed since 2013, during which the participants drive through the city to show that they can no longer be marginalized as a “critical mass”. The movement was invented back in 1992 in San Francisco. We spoke to cycling activist Gregor Anselmann about the event, which takes place every last Friday of the month.

How chaotic was the first Critical Mass you organized in Kassel?

Not at all. That was on June 21, 2013 during the Hessentag. Attempts had already been made to hold a Critical Mass. But they all failed because very few came and the police stopped the tour every time under a pretext. For the Hessentag I tried to pull it up bigger. I did a lot of advertising in the culture and gastronomy scene, at large bicycle parking spaces and in church parishes. Sensationally, more than 400 people actually came. In relation to the population of Kassel, it was the largest critical mass in Germany. That was a blatantly euphoric experience. I knew: this is the beginning of the end of the Autostadt Kassel and the first step towards a human-friendly city.

The Critical Mass exists because, according to the road traffic regulations, groups of 16 or more participants are allowed to drive side by side. You are then an association. The last ones are allowed to drive over intersections even when the red lights. Many do not know that. How did drivers react, especially in the early years?

At first, of course, they were irritated. And every now and then, drivers slowly drove into the group, but without causing any injuries. We have created a guide on how to properly block intersections with wheels. It’s called Corken. And we have created flyers for drivers on which we have explained the whole thing. As soon as they felt noticed, there were many positive reactions.

How many now take part every last Friday of the month?

If we don’t do any major advertising, there are an average of around 250 participants. For the 2019 climate ultimatum there were even 900. The Critical Mass then extended the entire length of the Dutch Road in both directions. In the pandemic, however, no critical mass could take place for a long time.

They come from Kassel, have lived in Berlin and Frankfurt and were shocked when they returned home because there were hardly any bike paths. Has Kassel now become a bicycle city?

No. That’s Kassel only when everyone can safely go anywhere by bike at any time. Who is now letting their six-year-old cycle off on their own? But almost everywhere there is a lack of structurally separate, uninterrupted cycle paths from car traffic. And even where bicycle streets are being set up, as is now the case in Goethestrasse, the situation remains very dangerous because perpendicular parking has not been abolished and since there has been a failure to limit vehicle traffic. I don’t even want to talk about Kölnische Strasse, where the protective strip is so narrow that no car can keep the safe distance when overtaking.

Nevertheless, many more people now ride their bikes than in 2013.

Yes, cycling is much more important today. When I cycled through the Königstor in 2013, I had the feeling that I knew every other cyclist personally. That is completely different today and is also due to initiatives such as Next Kassel, the Radentscheid and the “Fahr Rad!” Exhibition two years ago in the documenta hall. There is now a two-thirds majority in the city parliament for parties that have made cycling a priority. And in the Climate Protection Council, the representatives of urban society have unanimously voted in favor of the traffic turnaround. It is a dream come true for me that cycling has become so important. The traffic turnaround has hit people’s minds – now it has to be put on the road.

There are now many bike demos. What is special about the Critical Mass?

The fact that there are so many bike demos is also due to Corona. This is how you can keep the distance. The special thing about the Critical Mass is that it is actually not a demo, but a community participation in road traffic. Everything happens spontaneously. Whoever is ahead determines the way. During Corona, however, we have to register the tour as a meeting. Otherwise we wouldn’t even be allowed to drive. That’s why there is a fixed route on Friday. In the past, many participants at Critical Mass dared to venture out onto one of the large and busy roads for the first time. For two hours they experienced how relaxed and safe cycling can be in the future. I hope that one day the Critical Mass will be superfluous, because then you can cycle safely and comfortably anywhere, not just two hours a month, but anytime.

You don’t have a driver’s license or a car. Can you understand drivers who are upset that space is being taken away from them?

Motorists are not born as motorists. They just got used to an infrastructure that heavily favors the car. It’s hard to change habits. And I can understand that it is annoying when you want to get somewhere quickly, but that doesn’t work. Many of them do not drive voluntarily either, but are forced to do so by a lack of alternatives. It has been shown time and again that as soon as you offer people direct, uninterrupted and safe bike paths, they will use them. It’s just a lot faster, healthier, and cheaper. And of course climate neutral. And the city gains a much higher quality of life when the streets and squares are no longer primarily asphalt deserts for stationary and moving cars, but rather beautiful places for people. Then you can talk there, eat and drink together, the children can play safely. Many people from Kassel only know this from their vacation – but we can also have it so beautiful in Kassel. With fewer cars, everyone would have won.

The 100th Critical Mass starts on Friday, 6 p.m., at the Fridericianum and should end at the Buga.

(Matthias Lohr)