On December 12, 2007, Time’s Up! organised a direct action to dramatically call attention to the unsafe condition in the Midtown Manhattan 6th Avenue bike lane. The “Die-In” also commemorated the death of 63-year old cyclist David Smith, who was killed on 6th Avenue while riding to work on December 5, 2007.

About 20 cyclists and supporters participated in the “Die-In” to dramatise the fatal last moments of David Smith’s ride. After riding up to the spot of the crash, they stopped traffic on one lane of the heavily travelled 6th Avenue and lay down motionless on the street, next to their bikes, with signs proclaiming “Killed by Car.”

The action called attention to the need for safe buffered bike lanes, especially on heavily trafficked streets. The bike lanes on 6th Avenue and Broadway are too narrow and offer no protection for cyclists who are forced to ride either too closely to the moving vehicles or risk being “doored” by someone in a parked car.

“Unfortunately, dodging illegally parked cars and carelessly opened doors is an everyday activity for NYC cyclists. The NYPD needs to step up enforcement of traffic laws and ticket motorists who park in bike lanes. The number of cyclists in the city is increasing every year, and bicycle safety has to become a higher priority if we want to encourage this trend to continue,” said Judy Ross, Time’s Up! spokesperson.

- Barbara Ross, www.times-up.org