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Tonawanda officials urge cautious trial for proposed downtown motorcycle 'cruise nights'; applicant to amend permit
Summary
A local business and veterans groups proposed weekly motorcycle cruise nights May–September. Police and fire officials raised safety and staffing concerns; council asked the applicant to amend the special-event application to a twice-monthly pilot starting May 29.
Downtown business owners and motorcycle organizers asked the City of Tonawanda to approve a recurring motorcycle “cruise night” on Thursdays from late May through September to draw visitors to Main Street. Police and fire leadership told the Common Council the city should test the proposal more cautiously, citing public-safety, traffic and staffing concerns.
The proposal presented at the meeting originally listed a weekly Thursday series from May 29 through late September (the applicant later described it as May through September, Thursdays 5 p.m.–10 p.m.). City public-safety officials said they could not support a 17-week, weekly event without a staged trial because the city’s available patrol staffing and fire‑safety access requirements could be stressed by repeated closures and larger-than-expected attendance.
Both the fire and police chiefs recommended a more limited…
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