September - October 2005

Safe Bicycling Now!

5BBC Joins Bicycle Safety Coalition

So far in 2005, 11 bicyclists have died in crashes. That’s a 50% increase in fatalities over the same period in 2004. The four most recent fatalities occurred on streets that are “recommended” bike routes according to the 2005 NYC Cycling Map published by the City of New York. Yet these are streets that force bicyclists into dangerous competition for street space with cars and trucks.

For those reasons, the Executive Board of the 5BBC agreed that the Club should join a coalition of New York City bicycling groups calling on the City of New York to make city streets safer for cycling. The organizations in this coalition, as of this writing, are Transportation Alternatives, the Century Road Club Association, Five Borough Bicycle Club, Free Wheels, New York Bicycle Messenger Association, Recycle-A-Bicycle, Right Of Way, Staten Island Bicycle Association, Times Up!, and the New York Cycling Club.

On July 19, Transportation Alternatives, representing the coalition, met with the Public Advocate, the City Department of Transportation Commissioner and the NYPD Chief of Transportation to urge action to prevent bicycling New Yorkers from being killed on our streets. In the meeting, they presented a six-point Bike Safety Action Plan, urging City Hall to convene a multi-agency taskforce to:

• Study all NYC bicyclist deaths from 1995 to 2005 and recommend measures to reduce cyclist injury and death rates (NYPD, DOT and Department of Health).

• Aggressively crack down on speeding, reckless driving, “dooring,” driving and parking in bike lanes and other behaviors that endanger bicyclists (NYPD).

• Implement the official NYC “Bicycle Master Plan” by 2010 and make more use of safer designs like buffered and physically separated bike lanes (DOT).

• Launch a public awareness campaign to curb dangerous driving and educate drivers about bicyclists’ rights to the streets (DOT, NYPD, DOH).

• Increase the City’s personnel capacity for bike projects, reinstate the NYC Bicycle Advisory Council and hold public meetings (DOT, Department of City Planning, Parks Department).

• Pursue legislation requiring safety-enhancing retrofits to trucks, such as side guards that deflect cyclists and pedestrians and reduce fatal impacts (DOT, NYPD).

A complete copy of the 2005 Bike Safety Action Plan can be viewed at 5bbc.org/bikesafe.shtml. The coalition of NYC bicycle groups awaits a written response to the Bike Safety Action Plan.

In the meantime, we are reaching out to elected officials and candidates for their support. In fact, we urge 5BBC members to do the same. Take Action! Ask your councilmember to support the six-point Action Plan. To make it easier, we have links to a sample letter and a way to locate your local City Council member, 5bbc.org/how2help.shtml.

As bicycling surges in NYC, the coalition is looking for the City to provide safe streets for the millions of New Yorkers who bike each year. Bike lanes, greenway paths, traffic-calmed streets and strong traffic enforcement are not amenities; they are necessary safety improvements. Please contact us with any ideas you may have to make NYC bicycling safer.

Ed DeFrietas, President
President@5BBC.org

Danny Lieberman, 2005 Day Trips Coordinator
Daytrips@5BBC.org

Ed Ravin, 5BBC Member at Large
eravin@panix.com