It started out as an “act of civil disobedience” to raise awareness about bike safety, but some are saying the Critical Mass has become too much to deal with.
Most commuters expect traffic in downtown and heading to Miami Beach, but it was compounded Friday night when the Critical Mass riders crowd took to the streets. Miami Police said they were expecting between 3,000 and 5,000 cyclists Friday.
In past rides, Miami Police posted officers to help stem the flow of traffic. But this time, the plan was to let bikers and drivers watch out for each other.
"Let them get through whatever they need to get through, and then you proceed; and, we're asking the bikers as well to be cognizant of the vehicles that are on the street," said Frederica Burden of Miami Police.
Diane Hirschfield came from Broward County for a concert, but instead found herself stuck at the starting line near Government Center.
"At some point, they should just stop and let people through," Hirschfield said.
The bikers made their way from downtown and onto the beach. The ride tied up traffic throughout the area. One driver said he had seen enough after seeing a couple of near accidents between cars and the glut of riders.
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Miami Fire Rescue aided one woman who fell and sliced her hand. NBC 6 saw at least four bikers and cars collide and were told there were many more.
While some drivers were sick of the traffic and the cyclists, at least one was behind the effort underlying critical mass.
"It's a neat idea what they're doing, so no, I'm not worried. It's Friday night, and I'm just enjoying it," said driver Anton Zherelyev.
