Critical Mass is in trouble...wah wah

Critical Mass, Jan 2005, originally uploaded by tiqtoq.

This article in News Day in order to make tonights ride, that much more unpleasent...

NEWSDAY, NYC

March 25, 2005, 3:12 AM EST



NEW YORK (AP) _ The city has filed a complaint seeking to require permits
for a monthly bicycle rally through Manhattan that typically brings
automobile traffic to a standstill.

Summonses were issued Tuesday to four participants in the Critical Mass
ride, ordering them to respond to the complaint, The New York Times reported
in Friday editions.

The city wants to require permits for use of city streets and of Union
Square, the rally's starting point, and to bar participants from publicizing
the ride.

The event _ held the last Friday of each month in Manhattan _ gained
notoriety last summer, when police made dozens of arrests at a ride held
several days before the start of the Republican National Convention.

Last December, the city filed a lawsuit to require cyclists to obtain parade
permits, saying the rides threaten public safety by creating traffic chaos.
But a federal judge dismissed the case, saying the issue should be resolved
in state court.

Cyclists argue that since no one claims to organize the event, the issuance
of permits is unnecessary. They say they do not need a formal organization
because they have the same rights to streets as motorists do.

The bike rides are designed to make a statement about cyclists' rights and
to protest urban areas' reliance on motor vehicles.