By Emma Bennett-McConnell, guest blogger

Around 30 riders decorated their bikes, dressed up as extra-terrestrials, supernatural beings, cartoons and food items, and enjoyed a November evening of biking around Charlottesville. I was there as part of the annual Halloween Bike Ride on November 2.

We gathered at Community Bikes on Preston Avenue and biked through neighborhoods, downtown, with a stop at historic Maplewood Cemetery. Community members going about their daily lives on sidewalks, driving, and even grilling on their porches cheered us on and complemented everyone’s costumes. The ride ended back at Community Bikes with a costume contest and prizes from local businesses. 

All ages and levels of experience were represented, from cyclists who began a month ago to cyclists with years of experience road biking. The route was around 3 miles with easy terrain. Although many group bike rides consist mainly of “hard core” cyclists with years of experience who prefer fast paces and challenging routes, the Halloween Bike Ride, like other BikeCville tours, focuses on welcoming new people to the Charlottesville cyclist community.

There are definitely challenges, but being in a group made it feel safer.  For example, we had to be mindful of car doors swinging into the bike lane and in places where there were no bike lanes, we had to be aware of drivers who weren’t always willing to share the road. We let them go past.

We were able to navigate traffic through a collective effort of hand signals, and obeying traffic laws like stopping at red lights and assigning group members to hold off cars while all the bikes crossed busy streets. To me, the collective effort to make the ride safe shows how street biking can be a safe and accessible form of transportation. 

The goal of Bike Cville is to make biking more accessible to Charlottesville residents and to  create a movement that pushes for more cyclist-friendly roads. The two goals work together: the more people who ride, the safer it will be. And safer streets will attract more riders. The casual cyclist, families, and experienced riders all want to be able to safely bike on the roads. 

This was my first time on a bike in years. Now I want to start getting out on my bike more often. If you are interested in joining us and the Charlottesville biking community, there are 5 rides coming up this week, including a “cranksgiving ride!” More info can be found at bikecville.com. 

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Emma Bennett-McConnell is a PEC volunteer and a senior at CHS concerned about climate change. She enjoys hiking and being outdoors. You can learn more about PEC’s work to promote walking, biking and access to the outdoors at www.pecva.org/cvillegreenways. Sign up for walk/bike/access updates and action alerts at www.pecva.org/mobilityadvocate.