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Bikes banned for pope's visit
28/08/2006 22:08 - (SA)
Munich - Bicycles and baby buggies are to be banned from central Munich during a visit next month by Pope Benedict XVI because of fears they could trip people up, police announced on Monday.
The September 9-14 visit by Joseph Ratzinger to his native Bavaria state is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of Catholics.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel gained her first private audience with the pope on Monday near Rome to discuss the trip.
In Munich, 25 000 police, firefighters and ambulance staff will be on duty to manage the crowds.
Regional police commander Jürgen Garbe said there was no intelligence suggesting any threat to the pope, but "one can never rule out a single irrational person doing something".
Police would remove all chained-up bicycles from streets several days before the papal motorcade passed. When the crowds gather, organisers are to distribute 300 000 flags printed in the colours of the Vatican (white and yellow) and Bavaria (white and blue). - Sapa-dpa
- SAPA
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