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Vilnius mayor mounts a tank to crush car parked in bike lane

By Laura Rozen | The Envoy – Tue, Aug 2, 2011

It's true that former Soviet republics have unwelcome experience with tanks in the streets of their capitals. But never before, it seems safe to say, has a political leader brought out the heavy artillery to protect the integrity of a bike lane.

However, that's just what happened recently when Arturas Zuokas, the mayor of Vilnius, Lithuania, declared virtual war on automobiles crowding out bicycles in designated bike lanes.

Zuokas, who was recently reelected to a second term, climbed into an armored personnel carrier turret to crush a Mercedes parked in a Vilnius bike lane. The resulting mayhem was, of course, captured for posterity on YouTube, in the video below.

"In the past few days, expensive cars have been illegally parked in almost this exact place," the mayor says on the video.

"What should the city do about drivers who think that they are above the law?" the narration continues. "It seems that a tank is the best solution."

"Mayor Zuokas wanted his message to be loud and clear that the city will not tolerate brazen and disrespectful behavior by drivers who disobey parking rules," the mayor's spokeswoman Irma Juskenaite told the UK Guardian.

"The mayor hopes that he will not have to repeat his performance, although he says that he is prepared to do so," she added, in a thinly veiled threat.

Zuokas installed bike lines in Vilnius to make good on his campaign to expand public transportation and bike usage in the Baltic capital. And lest you fret over the collateral damage to the Mercedes, Vilnius purchased the vehicle specifically for the video stunt, according to the Guardian report.

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All Comments

766 comments

Matt F • 9 mths ago
I hate drivers who think the world is all about them. The guy backing down the onramp and will not go on to the freeway cause he made a mistake. Illegal U-turn boy is always fun. The right turn from the left lane dude and my all time favorite, the slow car in the fast lane.
- Bruce 9 mths ago
  You been driving in China?
- Matt F 9 mths ago
  China no, Mexico yes.
- Chris C 9 mths ago
  You see this in the US too.
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Reply
pls • 9 mths ago
This guy gets it done! We need this kind of swift penalty here in the US. No wasting time with tickets and courts.
S. • 9 mths ago
it may not detour illegal parking offences, but it should shrink the number of repeat offenders
- Rev JRS 9 mths ago
  No, I don't think so.
- S. 9 mths ago
  @ Rev4O66 - you're right, some law breakers just ain't smart enogh to go straight after something like that we're to happen to them
- EasyGoer 9 mths ago
  Rev...you're just another moron on here answering all of the posts with the same stupid comment.
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Reply
Stephen M • 9 mths ago
the only thing that would have made this better is if he had placed a parking ticket on the guy's crushed windshield
- EasyGoer 9 mths ago
  What guy's crushed windshield??? It was his damn car. It was staged. What part of this story do you not understand dummy?
- Stephen M 9 mths ago
  have a sense of humor dbag
Whyzup • 9 mths ago
Now c'mon, haven't we all secretly wanted to do this?
- Bob 9 mths ago
  You mean drive the tank, right? I would like to do the same when a car is blocking the crosswalk and I have a "green walk light"! lol
- Boston-fan 9 mths ago
  secretly i openly want to do it. no hidding it over here
«Nàmá§té» • 9 mths ago
Hey you want a job in NYC?...You'll never run outta illegally parked cars!!
Austin W • 9 mths ago
he needs to come to washington and clean up some of the politicians we have
FedUp_lackofjustice • 9 mths ago
You park your car illegally somewhere you risk something happening to it and not having any recourse. Too bad the article says it was staged. I hate it when people think they have more priviliges than others because they have money.
- Reyter 9 mths ago
  The article doesn't say it was staged. It says the riding a bike part at the end was staged.
- EasyGoer 9 mths ago
  Riding a bike part??? Dude...you need to read the article again because you don't know what the $%^& you're talking about.
- Rin 9 mths ago
  "And lest you fret over the collateral damage to the Mercedes, Vilnius purchased the vehicle specifically for the video stunt, according to the Guardian report." Kind of wish it wasn't staged =(
JohnR • 9 mths ago
I want that man for mayor of Boston!
DP • 9 mths ago
This perfect. We need this in St Augustine. Martin Luther blvd with all the cars parked on the wrong side of the street especially on Sundays. There should be no parking other then in your driveway. Martin Luther blvd is too narrow and too many churches. It is the most stupid arrangment ever. Our taxes at work ???. But they will spend a fortune on downtown looks.
Ian • 9 mths ago
That is a BTR-80 armored personnel carrier. Totally different class of vehicle than a tank.
Andra • 9 mths ago
New York should try this with all the diplomatic cars that illegally park and owe the city millions in tickets that they don't pay because they are "diplomatic"!!!
F V • 9 mths ago
Looks like an amored personnel carrier to me.
TommySB • 9 mths ago
This is a Classic !!! Love this Mayors attitude. Now if we could get him to come to the USA and take out the cars that people park in the Handicap zones.
William • 9 mths ago
I say - right on. If we had the nerve to do what this mayor has done, it would staighthen-out people who are disrespectful of the law,instead of patting their hands..
ThaBeav • 9 mths ago
Good for him! I wish OUR mayor would do that to a few of the self-important, inconsiderate knuckleheads who park their BMW's. Mercedes, Lexus wherever they #$%$ well please.
Cal • 9 mths ago
Isn't that what our leaders are elected for? To take action? He provides a great role model, if others followed his lead, maybe some problems would get solved instead of endless debates with no action!
joe101 • 9 mths ago
basically he crushed his own car? he is making as example of himself. In america that won't fly the liberals would cry for the mayors electrocution (even though they are anti-death penalty). But the idea is sound to crush cars.
Raymond • 9 mths ago
OMG! Why can't WE do this!
Joni Mari • 9 mths ago
He clambered into the tank, not clamored into it. No copy proofing?

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