Sunday, May 24th, 2009 was the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Auckland Harbour Bridge.
Early that morning thousands of protesters gathered at the southern end of the bridge hoping for an organized crossing by cyclists and pedestrians. When permission was refused they moved en masse from the gate access around to the Curran Street on-ramp, which they completely filled. The small contingent of police on hand was then unable to stop a group of cyclists going around them and heading off up the western lanes of the bridge. With the seal broken the rest of the crowd then streamed on through with the only confrontation being a minor “tug of war” between a policeman and a cyclist. The northbound lanes were closed to traffic for an hour or more.
The protest was organized by an Auckland Cycle Action group aiming for permanent cycle and pedestrian access across the bridge.
Early that morning thousands of protesters gathered at the southern end of the bridge hoping for an organized crossing by cyclists and pedestrians. When permission was refused they moved en masse from the gate access around to the Curran Street on-ramp, which they completely filled. The small contingent of police on hand was then unable to stop a group of cyclists going around them and heading off up the western lanes of the bridge. With the seal broken the rest of the crowd then streamed on through with the only confrontation being a minor “tug of war” between a policeman and a cyclist. The northbound lanes were closed to traffic for an hour or more.
The protest was organized by an Auckland Cycle Action group aiming for permanent cycle and pedestrian access across the bridge.
