2004-10-27 Going After Bike Protests – Daily News

City Wheelie Going After Bike Protests New York Daily News
October 27th, 2004
By Thomas Zambito

http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/city-wheelie-bike-protests-article-1.575613?print

The city wants to shut down a mass bike ride scheduled for Friday,
saying the monthly event has grown so unwieldy that organizers should
apply for a parade permit.

But the riders say they deserve the same access to city streets as
cars and have refused to apply for a permit.

“Cyclists should have equal access to the roads,” said Matthew
Roth, a spokesman for Time’s Up!, an environmental group that supports
the Critical Mass rides. “If you have 1,000 cars in the street, it’s
not considered a protest.”

A hearing has been scheduled for today before Manhattan Federal
Judge William Pauley.

The city’s request for an injunction barring future rides comes in
response to a lawsuit filed last week by five cyclists who had their
bikes seized during a mass ride in September that attracted more than
1,000 cyclists.

In August cops seized bikes and arrested more than 230 during
a 5,000-rider event staged days before the Republican National
Convention.

Critical Mass rides take place across hundreds of cities at the
end of every month as a way to promote environmentally friendly
transportation.

Copyright 2004 Daily News, L.P.