On Saturday 10 June, thousands of cyclists around the world participated in the 2006 World Naked Bike Ride.
Protesting against oil dependency, celebrating humanity and having a good cycle round town, naked cyclists and their colourful props (from flowers and masks to coffee-cup cock-holders) took to the streets in their droves. Perhaps the biggest set of rides to date, there seems no lack of enthusiasm for going au natural for the day. Rides took place in at least 50 cities…
Recent months have seen an upsurge in activity within the road protest movement, particularly in Scotland, reinforcing existing camps and campaigns - such as the ongoing occupation of Bilston Wood since 2002 and a legal challenge brought by Friends of the Earth to the extension of the M74 - and establishing new camps such as Dalkeith, near Edinburgh and, in southern England, at Camp Bling in Southend.
The Dalkeith bypass was first discussed in 1992 and approval was finally given in…
The attempt by the Metropolitan Police to criminalise central London's monthly Critical Mass bike ride (see PN2467) faces legal action supported by Friends of the Earth's Rights & Justice Centre.
On 16 January, papers were filed in the High Court seeking a judicial review of the police's sudden attempt, last September, to make the 11-year-old tradition of a collective bike ride around central London subject to the Public Order Act. The rides had hitherto been tolerated…
Following last issue's frontpage article on the threats made against London Critical Massers, we are pleased to report that the ride on 28 October saw a massive turnout, with at least 1,000 cyclists and other unpowered wheelsters showing up. Colourful, vibrant and powerful the Mass was untouchable by the police and - in fact - the forces of law and order never even tried to interfere with what was the biggest ride seen in the capital for many years. Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace…
After more than a decade of informal, monthly, collective assertions of the delight of cycling around a city in the company of lots of other cyclists, the Critical Mass bike rides in central London have suddenly been targeted by the police.
Critical Mass rides, which take place in many parts of the world, are a traditional way to show that if bikes outnumber cars for a change, rather than vice versa - hence the name Critical Mass - then the safety and pleasure of public spaces can…
