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Bunch of Clowns Rally for Kent Avenue Bike Lane
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 17, 2008
Modified Dec 29, 2008
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By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 17, 2008
Modified Dec 29, 2008
Share
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As we announced on Monday, a group of cycling clowns rode along Kent Avenue in Williamsburg today to protest what they call a growing "anti-bike sentiment in Brooklyn." Organized by Times Up, the ride was a response of sorts to vocal community opposition to the bike lane, which some residents and business owners blame for a sudden dearth of parking. Last month Hasidic Jews in the largely Satmar section of South Williamsburg vowed to protest the bike lane by blocking traffic on Kent.
So today the clowns came out "to comically draw attention to the serious danger faced by cyclists without safe, protected bike lanes." Blasting Fat Boy Slim from a boom box, they distributed information in English and Yiddish to educate bike lane opponents about the importance of the new lane, which will eventually become part of a separate bike path connecting North and South Brooklyn. In a press release, bike lane clown Benjamin Shepard declared, "An injury to one bike lane, is an injury to all bike lanes. Enforced, protected bike lanes save cyclists lives, improve the landscape and make better use of public space for most of the community."
Tagged
bike lane
brooklyn
cars
clothes
dress
driving
hasid
hasidim
jews
kent
orthodox
parking
protest
shabbos
tickets
williamsburg
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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