Rain lightly dotted nearly 40 student cyclists Friday afternoon as they gathered at the EMU Amphitheater.
Their mission: Bike through Eugene, get some attention and show that biking is fun and better for the environment than driving a car.
The group of bikers go by the name Student Mass, not to be confused with the controversial Critical Mass biking group, which has a history of conflicts with the Eugene Police Department.
Student Mass, started primarily by environmental studies major Robert Maris, was not a protest against anything, but was just a way to get students involved with biking and to get information out to the public about the benefits of cycling.
“We’re showing that bicycle commuting is a fun way to get around,” Maris said, while waiting for cyclists to show up for Friday’s 4 p.m. start.
Students heard about the ride from fliers and other students.
“This is something really fun to do with your friends,” cyclist Wendy Martin said.
Maris had the idea for Student Mass after attending the Kyoto Protocol, an environmental convention in The Hague, Netherlands, with 174 nations represented, Maris said.
Maris learned that the United States makes up 4 percent of the world’s population, but is responsible for 25 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, which cause global warming.
“After the conference, it depressed me that there is so much we can do to change, but we don’t do it,” said Maris, who acted as a U.S. youth delegate at the convention.
There were 47 other colleges and universities represented, and Maris made it a point to contact each school’s representative to suggest Student Mass.
“A monthly bike ride is not only environmentally based, but is also fun student gathering once a month,” Maris said.
Maris took the idea for the ride in part from the group Critical Mass, which organized similar bike protests last Friday in Eugene, Portland and Seattle. He stressed, however, that Critical Mass’ problems with Eugene police were not something that would be mirrored by Student Mass.
“Critical Mass works so well in other cities like Seattle and San Francisco,” Maris said. “But in Eugene, the point has been lost due to the conflict with the police.”
Critical Mass members have been arrested for blocking streets and have been cited for breaking traffic laws, EPD spokeswoman Jan Power said.
The Student Mass group made it a point to follow traffic laws, Maris said. Yet they were still trailed by EPD officers in patrol cars and on motorcycles.
“The police were a menacing presence because we had no intention of doing anything wrong,” Maris said.
Before the ride began, Power said there would be no officers assigned to follow the group and officers would respond only if they heard of any trouble.
The EPD officers did trail the group, at some points making pace with the cyclists. Power said the officers decided individually to follow the group, doing so because they observed a large group and were just making sure nothing went wrong.
Maris said the group did not appreciate the attention, and cyclists were even encouraging each other not to break any laws.
“If it’s normal for the police to follow a group of cyclists obeying the law, why don’t they follow a traffic jam of automobiles?” Maris said.
Despite any discouragement from EPD, Maris said the trip was a success and will continue as a monthly tradition.
“Once we arrived back at the EMU everyone started cheering,” Maris said. “We knew it was a complete success.”