City Cyclists Tell Sidewalk-Riders to Hit the Streets

Riders mobilize to stop reckless cycling and driving

December 4, 1997

1 PM, Sunday, December 7th, 1997, 1st Ave. at 72nd St.

Following the death of pedestrian Arthur Kaye, hit by a delivery-bicycle riding on the sidewalk last month, Transportation Alternatives (T.A.) will urge errant cyclists this Sunday to follow traffic rules. As the second Give Respect / Get Respect campaign event, bicycle and pedestrian advocates and volunteers will travel First Avenue between 72nd and 92nd Streets, handing multi-lingual educational leaflets to cyclists who ride the wrong way, on sidewalks or through crowded crosswalks. The group will also give mock summonses to drivers who flout traffic rules, stop or park in the bike lane or otherwise endanger cyclists and pedestrians. The group will meet at 1PM on Sunday, Dec. 7th, at First Ave. and 72nd Street.

T.A.'s Give Respect / Get Respect campaign encourages cyclists to respect pedestrians and other road users. Leaflets printed in English, Chinese and Spanish ask cyclists to

  • keep off the sidewalk;
  • ride with traffic, not against it; and
  • always yield to pedestrians.

Transportation advocates are also calling for safer streets for all in the form of

  • widespread posting and regular police enforcement of NYC speed limits;
  • a serious NYPD effort to keep bike lanes clear of cars;
  • designated cab stands to end taxi-hailing and passenger-discharging mayhem; and
  • an aggressive "Share the Road" campaign run by NYC DOT.

On October 28th, Give Respect / Get Respect campaigners walked up First Avenue and gave over 300 leaflets and mock summonses to outlaw cyclists and motorists. Reactions to the group were positive. At least 15 motorists stopped or parked in the bicycle lane cooperatively drove away once made aware of the lane. And over one dozen cyclists, many of them fast-food deliverers, immediately U-turned to head north on First Ave. once informed they were cycling in the wrong direction.