No Permit, No Problem: Riders Will Still Ride Through DC For 9/11 Memorial Ride

The memory of 9/11 hasn't faded from the minds of American motorcyclists. Tomorrow, on September 11, 2013 motorcycle riders from North America will meet early morning and rally their way through Washington D.C. to commemorate 9/11.

Organizers of the Facebook group, 'The 2 Million Bikers to DC', sought temporary closures of the parade route. Their intention was to grant riders smooth access in and out of the National Mall area.

'The 2 Million Bikers' asked the National Park Service for the permit of "No- stop" which would have allowed bikers to proceed through the city without stopping for red lights, stop signs and other traffic signals. But the park service spokesperson, Carol Johnson told the media "It would cause a severe service disruption of traffic... We couldn't provide adequate park police services and park police escorts and it would require a lot of road closures, so it was denied."

What started as a 3-hour ride through the Nation's Capital is now a whole day event. Despite the set back, the ride will go forward and motorcycle riders have agreed to abide by every law.

Traffic congestion will obviously occur and the group made this statement to calm residents and business owners in the core:

"On behalf of the National 2 Million Bikers to DC Team, please accept our sincere apologies. We did the right thing and went through the proper channels to secure a no-stop permit to ride through your great city. We wanted to ride an established route, which would have taken us past the Vietnam Memorial to the Lincoln Memorial, across the bridge into Virginia, and that's it! We would have been completely out of Washington DC, and your city would have been back to normal."

Since the permit was denied, some of the ride routes to DC were changed at the last minute. New routes won't be publicly available for security reasons, but organizers say riders should meet at the The Classic- Harley in Bern Township at 6 AM Wednesday, September 11, 2013.

You can find out more about the group on the 2 Million Bikers Facebook page.