Green lights for boobs parade route

Tauranga's inner city will become a green light district when the topless boobs on bikes parade winds its way through town tomorow.
The council's chief executive Ken Paterson said that traffic lights along the route of the parade will be kept on green to ensure minimum disruption to traffic.
And if there were problems caused by the parade, it will either captured on the council's network of closed-circuit TV cameras or noted by council observers.
He was reporting back to the council yesterday on the consequences of boobs on bikes organiser Steve Crow snubbing the council's decision to refuse permission for the parade.
Mr Paterson said that if something did happen, the approach would be to observe what went on and gather evidence so the council could make a decision on what it might do. There would be an opportunity to prosecute after the event, depending on how it goes.
He said people should understand that when the council said no, it meant no. It meant needing to be careful and considering all the circumstances in order to make the right decision.
Mr Paterson said Hamilton's approach had been to decide it was not a parade and basically ignore it.
Mr Crow told the Bay of Plenty Times earlier this week that if the council refused his application he would revert to his original route for the parade - along The Strand, turn right at the lights at the top of Devonport Rd into Elizabeth St and then left at the lights into Cameron Rd.
City councillor Murray Guy said afterwards that not only was the council turning a blind eye to Mr Crow breaching bylaw requirements for a parade, it was now giving it a green wave through the lights.
He said the council had acknowledge that a breach was more than likely to occur and it was now expediting the parade as quickly and painlessly as possible. By allowing the parade to have the consideration of green lights, it meant other traffic would be penalised by being held up for longer than normal at a red light.
"We are now a party to the offence."
Cr Guy said the Street Use Bylaw was a contract with the community to protect the public from nuisance and keep them safe. "If the council turns a blind eye and does not take appropriate action, then it is failing in its approach to the community.".
He questioned whether the council's vote on Tuesday to decline the parade had not been more about appearances than a genuine concern to uphold the bylaw. The council should have yesterday sought a court injunction that ordered Mr Crow not to breach the bylaw.
He hoped that as many people as possible join in a silent protest at the parade to send the clear message that they "give a damn about their community and where society is heading".
Cr Guy came in for some flak at Tuesday's council meeting which opposed granting permission for the parade.
Cr Terry Molloy said that what he found offensive was the blatant politicising of the issue for political gain, knowing full well it was playing directly into the hands of Mr Crow.
Cr Baldock said he would not be going down to have a look at the parade and any man that did on the pretext of opposing it would look a little foolish.
Cr Guy responded that this escalation in personal comment had no bearing on his integrity.
Cr Baldock said he was not referring to Cr Guy, but still withdrew the comment and apologised.