Bikes get political in New York

Bicycles used to power Occupy Wall Street protesters

A bronze Schwinn is among the bicycles enlisted by the Occupy Wall Street movement, as reported by the New York Times.

The protesters have turned to bicycle power, connected to dynamos, to power laptops and cellphones. One power-generating cyclist – Keegan Stephan – told the Times it took around six hours of pedalling to charge a marine battery that would provide 100 hours of use.

As well as being a bike mechanic, Stephan is a member of environmental group Time’s Up. He started to use the bike dynamo when the Fire Department confiscated several petrol-powered generators, with concerns over violated fire rules. 

After the confiscation, Occupy Boston protestors offered bicycles to those in New York to generate power for the encampment.

Occupy protests are taking place across the globe, with one generating plenty of debate outside London’s St Paul’s Cathedral.

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