By Antje Mueller, dpa
Berlin (dpa) – Thousands of cyclists demonstrated for better cycling provisions in Berlin on Sunday as part of the so-called Star Ride in the German capital.
Police said some 6,000 cyclists had converged on the Grosser Stern (Great Star) junction at the heart of Tiergarten park in the centre of the city by midday.
Protestors were cycling along 19 designated routes that started mostly outside the city limits and stretched over 1,000 kilometres.
Officials were expecting tens of thousands to participate and said many more were still on their way from outlying areas, with one group even cycling from Poland.
The Star Ride is organized by the German General Cycling Club (ADFC), which claims that it is the world’s largest regular cycling demonstration, now in its 40th year. Last year over 100,000 cyclists took part in the event.
The cycling lobby would like better conditions for cyclists in Germany’s cities and more money to expand the cycle path network and provide more parking spaces for bicycles.
