Bikelash Reaches a Whole New Level

A Minneapolis bike lane protest sets a new bar for opposition to bike lanes—Godwin's law was definitely in play.

1 minute read

October 16, 2017, 10:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Minneapolis Bike Lane Protest

Lisa Bender / Facebook

Angie Schmitt relays the details of a anti-bike lane protest that took place in Minneapolis over the weekend, describing the protest that included sings that read "Nazi Lane" and "Suck It Lane" as the most angry in the history of Streetsblog.

"Minneapolis Council Member Lisa Bender shared photos of the anti-bike lane rally in a Facebook post that quickly went viral," according to Schmitt, and it's clear why from the images.  Schmitt also wonders if the tone and language of this protest, "could reflect where local bike lane politics are headed in the Trump-era culture wars."

For more local coverage of the protest, see a post by John Edwards that details the genesis and operation of the protest, including a collection of images from social media. According to Edwards, "the idea for this protest began on social media as a hoax, but became very real after spreading to credulous bike-haters on Facebook." Attendees at the protest included "two candidates for City Council, David Schorn (Ward 10) and Joe Kovacs (Ward 7); and former Ward 10 City Council member Meg Tuthill; and let's not forget the group of people carrying "Nazi Lane" signs dripping with red paint intended to look like blood."

Monday, October 16, 2017 in Streetsblog USA

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