CYCLIST MEMORIAL STENCILLING PROJECT

stencilling photos available here, here and here. *don't forget the morning memorial ride to city hall tomorrow

TIME'S UP! ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION & DIRECT ACTION P.O. Box 2030, New York, NY 10009-9906

June 14, 2005 -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Street Stenciling Project to Memorialize Pedestrians and Cyclists Killed by Motorists.

TIME'S UP! Environmental Group Direct Action Campaign; Full-Body Stencils With Names And Dates Where Victims Were Killed.

NEW YORK, New York -- On June 14, 2005, On Tuesday night, June 14th, cyclists and volunteers with TIME'S UP! Environmental and Bicycle Advocacy group will initiate a direct action memorial stencil campaign in tribute to pedestrians and cyclists killed by automobiles. The group will stencil at a particularly Hazardous intersection in Manhattan's Lower East Side.

"While cyclists know of the hazards of riding on our unsafe streets, the community at large, unfortunately, only takes notice when one of us is killed," Bill DiPaola, Executive Director of TIME'S UP!, noted. "Relative to other cities in this country and around the world, New York is devoid of infrastructure that would effectively promote safe cycling; the city also refuses to adequately prosecute or enforce traffic laws that would cut down on this careless and reckless driving."

Last week, Elizabeth Padilla, 28, a lawyer from Brooklyn was hit and killed by an ice cream truck as she tried to avoid a motorist illegally opening the door of his parked truck. In May, a 21 year-old waitress, Brandie Bailey, was killed by a garbage truck that left the accident scene in Manhattan's Lower East Side. In late April, a 59 year-old bicycle commuter, Jerome Allen, was run down by an SUV in Staten Island.

Motorists were not charged with any infraction or crime in these incidents. In many accident cases, in order for a driver to be indicted with criminally negligent homicide or other crime, he or she must have violated at least two traffic laws during that same accident. (Source: New York Daily News)

More information on the TIME'S UP! Memorial Stenciling Project can be found on our website: www.times-up.org/memorial.php