Burg Bikers Protest But Keep it Modest
On Saturday night a group of bicyclists planned a topless ride to protest the DOT’s removal of the Bedford Avenue bike lane but, faced with the frigid elements, they ended up keeping their shirts on. As shown in the Daily News’ video above, some of the riders wore plastic breasts outside their jackets; riding topless…
On Saturday night a group of bicyclists planned a topless ride to protest the DOT’s removal of the Bedford Avenue bike lane but, faced with the frigid elements, they ended up keeping their shirts on. As shown in the Daily News’ video above, some of the riders wore plastic breasts outside their jackets; riding topless was supposed to protest the Orthodox community’s objections to the former lane’s scantily clad riders. The quote of the day, though, came from a cop who told Gothamist, “I want to see some boobs!” The Daily News estimates that around 15 people took part in the ride, while the AP called it “dozens.” Before the event occurred, Transportation Alternatives issued a statement denouncing it: “A bike lane on Bedford Avenue is about transportation and road safety. Rhetoric or acts that pit neighbors against one another are not just irrelevant to this discussion, they are flat-out offensive.”
Topless Bike Protest Called Off [NY Daily News]
“Topless” Bedford Bike Lane Protest Draws Clothed Cyclists [Gothamist]
Bike Lane Protest Rides On [AP via NY Post]
TA Denounces Naked Bike Ride [Voice]
they are not orthodox – they are hasidic. this is a very, very insular area. the whole scantily clad thing is total BS. this is about parking and convenience for their vehicles. the other issues are red herrings.
there are plenty of not scantily dressed people using the bike lane including my 4 year old.
this is about using gross political influence to un-due the forward thinking bike lanes at a cost to the public too!
the protesters are right on. they’ve gotten the necessary publicity to shine a light on the illegal political nonsense that went down.
That girl looks so ridiculous wearing those fake breasts, trying to be taken seriously. Only one Hasid has ever said anything publicly about the scantily clad women, yet every news article and blog now writes about this as if it were their chief opposition to the bike lane because it makes for a funnier story. I don’t see the Hasids freaking out over any other bike lanes, just the ones by the schools. So Heather Loop and her homies should focus on discussing the real issues instead of purposely trying to offend someone’s faith. What they’re doing only hurts the cyclists’ cause.
Dr franklin puts it very very well. I concur.
The protesters with their fake breasts etc, actually make the Orthodox community’s actions seem more sympathetic.
Rob, that is an excellent phrasing of the situation
Here are a couple of biased observations:
* People will continue to bike in NYC in increasing numbers, including on this stretch of Bedford, lanes or no lanes.
* People will also continue to drive in NYC, probably in increasing numbers.
*People will also continue to walk and ride transit in NYC in increasing numbers.
Griping that any of these groups should commute differently or move out of the city is a waste of time. The only serious (and interesting) discussion will center on how the needs of all these groups can be reasonably met and balanced.
Some cyclists act like A-holes. Coincidentally, so do some drivers and pedestrians. Most of each category behave reasonably, however. Efforts should be focused on reforming the behavior of the lesser community of jerks in each category (agro cyclists, enraged motorists, inattentive jay-walkers). But wishing that any group (cyclists, for instance, or drivers) will simply go away is a waste of time. Many of us already have carpal tunnel syndrome from scrolling past comments to this effect in previous discussions on this topic on this and other sites.
I always thought TA (in spite of their acronym) were a humorless and overly-earnest group. Or maybe they have not heard of the concept of democratic protest.
“these “protesters” should really learn the concept of not letting your mouth write checks your ass cant cash.”
lol, or your tits as the case may be..
have to agree with Rob on this one.
epic fail.
these “protesters” should really learn the concept of not letting your mouth write checks your ass cant cash.
*rob*