“Critical Mass” bicycle demonstrations began in San Francisco in 1992 to protest the challenges of bike riders in car traffic. In Seattle, monthly protests began to take place during rush hour.

This photo shows Critical Mass cyclists pausing to chat during an event in downtown Seattle. Cyclists had tangled with police near Westlake Center a week earlier, but this rally of about 200 cyclists was peaceful. Most of the bicyclists pictured here are wearing helmets, and the cyclist at center carries a camera with a long lens around his neck.

Caption information source: “Bicyclists are regrouping with mass ride today”, by Jane Hadley, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 7, 1997, pages C1, C2.
Caption information source: “Bikers show rush-hour traffic during ‘uneventful’ protest”, by Vanessa Ho, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 8, 1997, pages A1, A8.