History and Images
of Blacksburg Critical Mass
September 1999
During September's fourth Friday right after rush hour, roughly 60
beautiful
bicyclists rode the streets of Blacksburg. For this inaugural Mass of
the
year, we attained the required permit from the Town of Blacksburg and
rode
single-file. We did not ride on campus because a VT permit all of a
sudden
would have required a hefty insurance fee.
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Here we massed at the Blacksburg Library and
practiced turning
curves in the parking lot. |
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Lookin' on down the line...we stretched out all
along Main
St. and Price's Fork road. |
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Arr! Pierre and the crowd promote bike
power
and exclaim that we should "Tread lightly: Bike to
Work!" |
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Amy and Dylan test the walkie talkies used to
communicate
from the front to the back of the riding line, while an
interested party
listens in. |
Venture here
for even more exciting photos!
Spring 1999
On Earth Day, April 22, 1999, Blacksburg bikers celebrated their
most successful
Critical Mass ever! With over 100 bicyclists supporting the cause,
much awareness
was raised. Check out this Newspaper
Article.
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Before the Mass, pamphlets and
petitions were
set out to inform participants about bike safety and
transportation concerns
in the area. |
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An action shot from the road! |
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Unfortunately, one participant was pulled over by a police
officer
and charged with impeding traffic and something to the effect
of failure
to stop. At court, the first charge was changed to riding two
or more
abreast, and the other changed in name but remained same in
effect.
He was judged guilty and fined $100. Case closed, he paid the
fine.
Later on in the ride, the police requested that we ride single
file
for the remainder of our Mass. We did so as a gesture of
goodwill and
because our route from then on allowed us to do so without harm
(we
didn't have to take the lane).
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Here's the Mass at our midpoint in the
HarrisTeeter
(now Kroger) parking lot. |
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And here we are on our way home past
the War
Memorial on the Drillfield. |
Can't get enough? Here are some
More Images from the Spring 1999 Critical Mass.
Fall 1998
On October 5, 1998, once again about 60 Blacksburg bicyclists
critical massed
to advocate bicycle use. Check out this Press
Release for more information.
Spring 1998
On April 21, 1998, about 60 Blacksburg bicyclists converged into a
critical
mass to advocate bicycle use. Read this CT
article to learn more.
Page maintained by liz@slac.com and
pgrzybow@vt.edu
Last updated 08/04/99.
