Note: Due to the torrential rains caused by the greenhouse effect - a direct result of too many cars on the road and not enough bicycles - the Critical Mass has been moved to this Friday 14 March at 19h00 for 19h30, not 7 March as originally planned.

Critical Mass is a celebration of the alternatives to cars, pollution, accidents and the loss of public spaces and freedom. It’s sometimes described as an ‘unorganised coincidence’; essentially a resistance ride to the problem culture of the car.

Not an organisation or group, but an idea or tactic, Critical Mass allows people to reclaim cities with their bikes, just by getting together and out-numbering the cars on the road.

Jo’burg is organising a ride for this Friday, 7th March, 19h30 that is set to begin on the corner of Carr & Quinn Streets in Newtown. Admission is free. The first Critical Mass bike ride took place last September and started in Newtown weaving its way through the CBD to Gandhi square, over the Queen Elizabeth bridge to Braamfontein, and then back to Newtown over the Nelson Mandela Bridge.

The organisers of the event don’t ask for the roads to be blocked off, as one of the main concepts behind the Critical Mass movement is taking back what should be public space. The intention is that the event will remain unsanctioned and unsponsored.

It is a participant-based social event, which means the group members are the ones to determine the nature of their own participation. They all ride together at a slow enough pace to maintain the group and take in the scenery. It's about getting out in the city, not just racing through it!

The event is open to anyone with a bicycle. As event organiser, James Happe says: “There were serious cyclists at the first 'Mass, but there were also people who hadn't ridden a bicycle in years and made the effort to pick one up for the event. I made it clear to everyone that it was not a competitive event but rather a group outing, a self propelled sightseeing trip. One guy even arrived with rollerblades and a rope and we all took it in turns towing him. That was more of the sort of thing I want to see happen.” - Critical Mass events in other cities in the world see skateboarders, inline skaters, roller skaters and unicyclists take to the streets.

This is more than just a bicycle ride through town. It is a statement about not being limited in our choices of social interaction by crime. It's about making fun the focus of our activities rather than letting fear dictate where we go and when.

Visit the Critical Mass Facebook group or contact the organisers on jozicriticalmass@gmail.com or James on 0824565099