Chapter 20 Recommendations

AGENCIES

Mayor's Office

Mayor to give major speech affirming New York as a pedestrian and cycling city, with driving as a privilege not a right.

NYC Dept. of Transportation

Establish a bicycling public awareness campaign, with subway and bus shelter posters and radio and TV public service announcements.

Use every opportunity to highlight pedestrian deaths caused by motor vehicles (see Chapter 17, Accidents).

NYC Dept. of Consumer Affairs

Prepare and distribute multilingual manual on safe operation of restaurant / food delivery bicycles.

Taxi & Limousine Commission, MTA, DoT

Jointly produce a bicycle education curriculum and manual for all vehicle operators (taxicab drivers, MTA and private bus operators). Consider requiring licensed operators to undergo an hour of bicycling in the central business district for sensitivity training.

Taxi & Limousine Commission

Require cab interiors to have stickers reminding customers to look before opening their doors.

NY State Dept. of Motor Vehicles

Amend driver's education syllabus to teach new drivers how and why to be alert to bicycles.

Legislative

Enact regulation to hold taxicab passengers as well as drivers responsible for bicyclist accidents caused by opening cab doors.

PRIVATE SECTOR

As part of mandated programs to reduce car commuting, large businesses should institute bicycle training classes for employees, financed in part with federal, state or local funds. As an alternative, businesses may institute voucher system to pay for bike safety or bike repair classes.

Companies employing fleet drivers should develop and apply bicycle-sensitive curriculum to drivers.

Take-out restaurant and food delivery companies should give a course in safety training and traffic law before sending out bicycle deliverers, and also provide helmets, lights and reflectors to improve safety, especially at night