By maintaining a physical presence in the new lanes, event attendees will be able to prevent motorists from driving, stopping, standing or parking in the bike lane, common driver behavior that is extremely dangerous. They will also educate passing cyclists about pedestrian safety, and encourage the NYPD to heighten enforcement of people who drive or park in the bike lane.

During the event, attendees will distribute safety literature to drivers explaining the importance of staying out of the bike lane, looking and signaling before turning, driving at or below the speed limit, checking for oncoming cyclists before opening a car door, and not double parking. Literature distributed to cyclists will remind them to stay off the sidewalk, always yield to pedestrians, and to ride with traffic, not against it.

With Brooklyn bike lanes growing in numbers and popularity, education is needed to teach drivers that bike lanes are for cyclists, not for driving or parking. Transportation Alternatives has scheduled another Give Respect/Get Respect event for Thursday, December 15th, from 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM at the 5th Avenue bike lane at 2nd Street in Park Slope. Community members are encouraged to attend. This Spring, Transportation Alternatives plans to expand the program to other bike lanes throughout New York City.