Bicyclists & the NYPD’s “Parade Permit” Regulation

By Veloprop

Since February 25, 2007, the New York Police Department has required bicyclists in groups of 50 or more to obtain a permit in advance of riding together. Failure to do so may result in our arrest for “parading without a permit.”

We think the City should be spending its limited resources (our taxpayers’ dollars) on improving the transport infrastructure overall—instead of deterring bicycling through baroque, cumbersome regulations. In how many other countries is riding a bike a crime?

We also think the City should be asking bicyclists a whole different set of questions than what is on the NYPD’s bizarre permit application (it's real: see our 2006 download). So we’ve appropriated the permit for our own use, adding some of those questions. We’ve asked a range of people for their thoughts on the situation. We hope the City will listen to what they say.

Postscript 10/09—Two years later, our parody remains sadly appropriate, due to continued NYPD harassment of Critical Mass cyclists through selective enforcement of traffic violations and punitive fines (a red-traffic ticket costs nearly $300).

On a more positive note, the city has taken enormous strides toward effective bike and transit infrastructure, thanks to Mayor Bloomberg's enlightened choice for Transportation Commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan, and her visionary team. But the coercive policy remains in place.

Update 10/10—The NYPD agreed to pay a settlement of nearly $1 million to cyclists wrongly arrested during Critical Mass rides, in a suit that was filed in 2007.

Update 2/19: The NYPD now processes permits online. The types of permits are here. I don't see any mention of size limit, but amplified sound, musical performances, and speakers require a separate permit. Marches of 1,000+ people require nine months for processing.

Shelley

O'Gachain

Brawer

Moskos

Blonde Baron