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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Variety can be helpful, says bicycle rider Doug Ritchie, especially when it comes to sending a message.

Critical Mass is a cycling movement which started in 1992 in San Francisco.

Jessica Mace, one of Friday's Critical Mass participants, gets set to ride for city hall. - Lauren McKeon/NNSL photo

Held on the last Friday of every month all over the world, groups of participants ride their bikes en masse.

While the specific purpose of each ride can be as varied as the participants, each celebrates the raison d'etre of cycling: good, clean, fun transportation.

It's great, said Jessica Mace, one of Friday's cyclists. Everyone on two wheels can join in she added, from children to their parents, to their grandparents.

Rides are also largely non-hierarchical and loosely structured traditionally owing to the fact that if dubbed "spontaneous" they're not required to get permission for blocking so much of the road.

After two years, Yellowknife's Critical Mass just introduced a formal petition on Friday's ride.

With the closing of summer, "the best bicycling season is coming to an end," said Ritchie. "I wanted to see if we could take some steps to remind city hall that cyclists are growing in number and they're impatient for action."

Ritchie and the other riders posted a petition on the doors of city hall demanding better cycling conditions in the city. The points range from trying to connect and extend the trail system, to reviewing the rules of multi-use trails, to installing more and better-quality bike racks at schools, businesses and city buildings.

"Yellowknife is a good place to bike," said Ritchie.

There are positive areas such as the Frame Lake Trail "the crown jewel of cycling in Yellowknife" and then there are areas that are less than positive, he said.

What it comes down to is that no consideration is given to cycling, he said, especially when it comes to development and that needs to stop.