New York – The New York City Department of Transportation is waging an aggressive education campaign to inform City restaurants and their delivery personnel about the rules of the road in time for the January 2013 crackdown on commercial cyclists.
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DNAinfo.com reports (http://bit.ly/PzKaqY) that DOT officials have been giving out safety literature and directing restaurants to manage their customers’ expectations about when they will get their deliveries. “Cyclists may engage in unsafe behavior in order to deliver meals too quickly,” the DOT brochure reads. “When you tell your customer how long a delivery order will take, build in time for your employees to stop at red lights and stop signs and ride the correct ways on one-way streets.”
Commercial cyclists who violate the rules can expect to receive a fine ranging from $100 to $300. All delivery cyclists will be required to wear helmets and reflective vests with their restaurants’ name and unique three-digit number. Photo ID bearing their name, restaurants’ name and three-digit number will also be required.
Many restaurant owners are concerned that the new rules will negatively impact their businesses. “For us, it’s fine, but the customers don’t understand,” said a manager at the uptown Italian restaurant Coppola’s. They live a few blocks down and they think it’s going to be 20 minutes, but it ends up taking 30. They get upset. But what are they going to do? They call the restaurant next door, it will say the same thing.”
the electric bicycles with no lights going against traffic are a nemesis…the should be forced to follow all traffic rules just as a car…
Another attack on the restaurant industry.
One day I hope the bikers will pay registration and insurance etc. Solution; if that’s the case just order with 30 minutes earlier.
If the bicyclists were more considerate and didn’t think they own the streets and can do whatever they want, this wouldn’t have been necessary.