New Bicycle Safety Campaign

“Slow Your Roll, Respect The Stroll”

By New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher

New York City thrives on the energy and vibrancy of its streets, and cycling plays a vital role in this dynamic ecosystem, offering a sustainable, efficient and healthy way to get around the city. One of my goals is to help cycling grow in popularity as we make biking safer and build more safe cycling infrastructure, like protected bike lanes. 

As we celebrate the many benefits of cycling, we also recognize the responsibility that comes with it. Cyclists must adhere to traffic laws and be vigilant in ensuring the safety of pedestrians.

Yesterday, we unveiled a new multilingual public awareness campaign entitled “Slow Your Roll, Respect The Stroll,” urging cyclists to be mindful of pedestrian safety by yielding to pedestrians, avoiding biking on sidewalks, stopping at red lights, and refraining from biking against traffic.

The campaign is now appearing on LinkNYC kiosks throughout Council District 3, which includes the neighborhoods of Hudson Square, the West Village, Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, the Flatiron District, Garment District, and Times Square.

The campaign is appearing in English and Spanish, and other languages will be added as well.

The vast majority of pedestrian injuries and deaths are caused by cars and trucks, and many cyclists are killed each year by cars and trucks. Addressing traffic violence by cars and trucks must be a main focus of the city’s efforts, but we must also do much better at ensuring that bikers, particularly those on e-bikes, follow the rules. 

Since taking office in 2022, I have been a big proponent of cycling, fighting for and winning a new protected bike lane on Tenth Avenue, helping to expand and improve Citibike coverage and performance, and passing legislation calling on the Department of Education to teach all students in New York City schools how to safely ride a bike. This campaign will complement those efforts to help make New York City one of the best cities in the world for cyclists and pedestrians alike.

Through this public awareness campaign, we aim to underscore the importance of mindful cycling and encourage a culture of mutual consideration, ultimately fostering a safer and more inclusive urban environment for all. In other words: Slow your roll, respect the stroll.