Saturday, March 13, 1999, 9:30 AM

Cyclists will meet at the southwest corner of 14th Street and Fourth Avenue

On Saturday morning cyclists armed with clipboards and a vision of safer, smoother streets will document all of the dips, cracks and tire-eating pot-holes they encounter on First Avenue from 14th Street up to 42nd Street. During the event, called Operation Hazard ID, cyclists will complete forms describing the size, location and category of each defect on this popular cycling route. The group expects to encounter at least 30 treacherous defects.
"First Avenue is prime cycling territory and it is the Department of Transportation's responsibility to keep it safe. Unfortunately, that is not happening, so we are out here listing anything in the roadway that poses a threat. Once we send this list of defects to the NYC Department of Transportation they have 30 days to repair them or the City will be liable for any injuries that occur because of them. What we do today will directly improve on-road cycling conditions in NYC by mid-April," stated Susan Boyle, Bicycle Program Coordinator at Transportation Alternatives.
Past Operation Hazard ID events resulted in the repair of 300 dangerous locations by the Department of Transportation.