Cyclists riding in tunnel protest face jail : Melbourne Indymedia

Cyclists who ride through the Burnley tunnel with protest group Critical Mass will face arrest and up to five years' jail under a police crackdown.

Victoria Police have joined CityLink operator Transurban in a new hardline stance against the civil disobedience group, promising that a planned ride through the tunnel on Friday night will not go ahead.

"The community is sick of this and we are listening to what the community is saying," said police Superintendent Mick Williams. "They will not be allowed to go into the tunnel."

Critical Mass is a loose coalition of environmental activists, health industry workers and cycling enthusiasts who stage monthly rides through the CBD. Once a year they cycle through CityLink's Burnley tunnel, closing it to car traffic.

Friday's planned ride was to mark the ninth anniversary of Melbourne's first Critical Mass protest. Previously, Victoria Police co-operated with Critical Mass by closing the tunnel to cars and allowing the protest to proceed.

The ride through the tunnel in June last year reportedly cost Transurban $40,000 in lost revenue. Transurban has been talking to police since February to prevent a recurrence and extra officers have been rostered to stop Critical Mass entering the tunnel.

Superintendent Williams said many of the demonstrators were people who should know better. "It's not all students, unemployed people and rent-a-crowd types . . . there are a number of professional people from the corporate sector, a number of public servants and people from local government. We don't want them to risk prosecution."

He said riders could be prosecuted for disobeying a traffic sign or disobeying a police officer (both punishable by a fine).

If they joined fast-moving traffic on the Monash freeway they could be charged with reckless conduct and punished by up to five years' jail, he said.

CityLink spokeswoman Jane Calvert said Transurban expected business as usual on Friday night. "We have been working closely with the police on this matter and are confident they will do their job," she said.

Critical Mass targets CityLink because they say it is a symbol of the privatisation of public space. "Ian" is a member of the group and will join hundreds of cyclists on Friday evening, leaving from the State Library.

He said the movement comprised both "spikies" and "fluffies" - radical activists as well as moderate ones. It also drew attention to cyclists as road users, he said.

Ian believes the claims of massive traffic disruption are grossly overstated. "On the ground people who go to Critical Mass see that the hype is disproportionate to the actual impact."

He worries that the new hardline stance will end a period of unofficial co-operation with the police.