US Freedom Convoy: Cyclist Goes Viral After Slowing Down Truckers in Washington

The United States People's Convoy, which was inspired by Canadian truckers who opposed coronavirus pandemic mandates, struggled to move forward in Washington, D.C. on Saturday because of a solo cyclist.

The coalition had already made its way to the U.S. capital earlier this month as it continues to protest pandemic restrictions that have already been largely removed. The truckers who attended the demonstrations have caused frustrations among residents in the area due to the resulting slow traffic on major roads around the notoriously traffic-jammed city.

U.S. People's Convoy

But on Saturday, one cyclist was able to bring the massive convoy to a near halt by riding in front of the line of truckers very slowly. The lone biker's actions have caused the groups of truckers to sound their horns in frustration.

On social media, a video recording of the incident has gone viral as of Sunday morning and has received more than 4.2 million views. One post by a direction action group in the city, ShutDownDC, included a video of the situation with the caption, "Big powerful convoy slowed down by... a single bicyclist," as per Independent.

The group also praised the people who have been fighting back, albeit peacefully, against the large freedom convoy since they arrived in the region. In another video recording, one of the truckers could be seen pulling alongside the cyclist and could be heard saying, "Hey, what are you doing? You got a bunch of trucks behind you."

The situation comes as last week, a long line of People's Convoy drivers of vehicles covered in American flags blocked traffic around the capital. Many of the protesters who painted their cars had done so in the colors of the Betsy Ross and Confederate flags, which are known to be associated with the far-right and are involved in racist controversy.

According to the Dailymail, the demonstrators also placated the words, "2022 convoy," "faith over fear, your choice," "freedom," and "the people are united" on their windows. Originally, the convoy wanted to make it to DC by United States President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on Mar. 1 but was unable to reach the region in time.

Freedom Convoy Causes Heavy Traffic

Heavy traffic, delays, and road closures were expected along I-395 from Virginia heading into D.C. last week as the convoy arrived. Police also noted that there was heavy traffic volume at Inbound 14th Street Bridge Toll Road (HOV), Inbound 395 at Exit 3 to 12th Street Tunnel, and Eastbound on Maine Avenue at the split to I-395 split/Wharf.

The DC Homeland Security & Emergency Management used its AlertDC Twitter account to announce that the DC Police Department was closely monitoring to prepare the implementation of traffic control measures in the area as needed.

Since Mar. 4, residents have seen several truck convoys in the D.C. region, with drivers staying at the Hagerstown Speedway and holding rallies. They made loops on the Beltway and also met with Congressional leaders before making their way into the District itself, WUSA9 reported.

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U.S., Cyclist, Viral, Washington