T.A. Launches "Give Respect / Get Respect" Campaign:
First Action on October 28, 7 pm, at First Ave and 2nd Street.

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It should be no secret that sidewalk-riding, red-light running, and wrong-way moving cyclists are doing serious political damage to cycling. Festering ill will against cyclists has translated into very slow going for new bike lanes and bike racks, and political vulnerability which opens the door to things like the Mayor's 1996 confiscation of the Queensboro Bridge bike lane. Judging by the volume of mail and phone messages at T.A., bad bicyclists are aggravating even strong cycling supporters. While it should be obvious that cars cause infinitely greater damage than the environmentally and city-friendly bicycle, there is something about cyclists brushing by pedestrians on sidewalks and crosswalks that seems especially infuriating. 

To counteract this deepening problem, T.A. has launched our "Give Respect/Get Respect" campaign. We are urging cyclists to ride courteously, yield to pedestrians, move with the direction of traffic and keep off sidewalks. A flyer in English, Spanish, Chinese and Korean will illustrate these basic cycling concepts. In return we are urging the City to clear bike lanes of double parking and cab drop-offs and put an end to speeding and do something about the most egregious dangerous driving. We also are asking the City to promote a "Share The Road" campaign with public service announcements and street signage. We hope to have the Share the Road campaign kicked-off in earnest at Bike Week 1998.

The first event of the Give Respect/Get Respect campaign will be a combined bike/pedestrian action on October 28th. A group of T.A. members on foot will walk up the west side of First Avenue, from 72nd to 92nd, handing out leaflets to cyclists found riding on the sidewalk and encouraging them to use the street and ride with traffic. Simultaneously, a group of T.A. members on bikes will inform motorists who are double-parked in the bike lane that they are endangering cyclists' lives and breaking the law. The cycling group also will encourage wrong-way cyclists to ride with traffic. Motorists blocking the bike lane will be given mock summonses and have their license plates photographed. Ideally, the action will attract significant attention from the press and media. If it's successful, we'll do it again.

We need your help! Call Gian-Claudia at 212-629-8080 to participate on Oct. 28th and in future actions.