Tour De Hoods: Increased police presence in Onehunga for mass Sunday bike ride
A controversial weekly pushbike ride has drawn an increased police presence in Onehunga today, as 150 riders travelled from the suburb to Mt Roskill and back on bicycles.
Tour De Hoods is a weekly pushbike ride which ran over four consecutive weekends in May across south, west, east and northern Auckland.
After the recent ride in West Auckland, police arrested four people and issued 53 infringement notices.
At the time, police said they were “disappointed that a portion of the group failed to comply with road safety messaging and legislation”.
About 150 people were estimated to have attended today’s event, dubbed Tour De Hoods: Central Auckland.
Police said they were aware of the planned event.
“Additional staff are in the area and will monitor the event,” Inspector Wayne Kitcher said.
“Action will be taken against any unlawful or dangerous activity and our focus is ensuring the community can go about their day uninterrupted.”
Police asked anyone who witnessed unlawful activity to call 111, or to make a report via 105 with as much information as could be safely gathered.
Kimami Ngaluafe – known as G Money to the group – was the organiser of Tour De Hoods.
During the previous South Auckland ride, he told the Herald: “It’s sad to see that we are viewed as a gang by the public.
“The appearance of the riders can be misleading.”
Ngaluafe said a lot of the attendees came from “broken homes and poverty” and saw the ride as a “positive outlet for the boys”.
The South Auckland gathering drew a large police presence, which included seven police cars and a police motorcycle.
During that ride, police vehicles moved along the route, assisting with road closures and ensuring riders stayed left.
Police said previous rides had generated complaints about unsafe riding behaviour and roads being blocked.
“Should there be an opportunity to stop dangerous behaviour from continuing, then our staff will do so,” Counties Manukau police inspector Mark Chivers said.
“Police will continue to monitor and take appropriate enforcement action against those who choose not to follow road safety rules or engage in any other antisocial behaviour along the way.”
Police emphasised they saw individual behaviour as the problem at such rides.
“We don’t consider them to be a gang ... The rides themselves are not illegal. What’s illegal are the activities of some of the individuals who take part in the rides,” Kitcher said.