City Councilmembers Push Police Outreach to Cyclists

West Side Councilwomen Ronnie Eldridge and Christine Quinn have joined with T.A. in urging local police precincts to establish an outreach campaign to businesses that utilize food delivery cyclists. Due to sporadic enforcement and a lack of education directed at owners and managers, prior police attempts to curtail sidewalk riding have not succeeded.

The new outreach effort would be a variation on T.A.'s Give Respect/Get Respect campaign, structured like police liquor law enforcement programs. Currently, precincts with underage drinking problems send out teams of officers to visit bars and remind the owners and managers to comply with the existing laws. T.A. and the Councilwomen have asked the police precincts to create a similar team to regularly visit businesses that use bicycles to make deliveries.

Similarly, the NYPD could regularly remind the existing restaurant owners and managers to comply with cycling laws and if need be, summons them. The officers would also distribute multilingual flyers illustrating NYC's cycling laws to the delivery cyclists. This program would ensure regular police contact with restaurant managers and delivery people, creating a consistent and effective presence in the community. T.A. is encouraged by the Councilmembers' positive approach towards the sidewalk cycling problem and hopes to expand the initiative on the East Side soon.

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