Following the 2006 release of New York City’s first comprehensive analysis of fatalities and serious injuries of cyclists in the city, the NYC Bicycle Safety Coalition has kicked off the 2007 LOOK bicycle safety campaign. The LOOK campaign aims to educate the public about bike safety and encourage sharing the road in an attempt to prevent collisions between motorists and cyclists. According to the NYCDOT Press Release, the 2006 report shows that “nearly all fatal crashes were the result of poor driving or bicycle riding behavior, particularly driver inattention and disregarding traffic signals and signs.”
Publicis, an advertising agency in Seattle, created the LOOK pro-bono campaign which will run on the back of buses, tops of taxis, in bus stop shelters, phone kiosks and on posters and postcards (which you can check out HERE).
In addition to improving motorist and cyclist awareness, the City is committed to doubling the number of on-street bicycle lanes and paths within three years and will work on improving data collection, analysis and reporting of bicycle injuries, along with increasing enforcement to keep cars from parking in bicycle lanes. Looks like they’re off to a good start; check out this video from StreetFilms showing Ninth Avenue ‘s physically separated bike lane.