New Decals Want You to LOOK! Out for Cyclists

The LOOK! safety campaign has been extended to combat the dangers of “dooring” – when a car door is opened into the path of a bicyclist – with new taxi decals and a Taxi TV video urging passengers to keep an eye out.

As of Tuesday, 26,000 orange-and-white window stickers reading “LOOK! For Cyclists” became available to the city’s 13,000 yellow-taxi fleet. Likewise, the video calls on New Yorkers to “Take out their boss/Take out a date/But don’t take out a cyclist" and will air on screens in every yellow taxi cab on Taxi TV.

DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson and TLC Commissioner David Yassky presented the decals and video at an event Tuesday in Union Square, where they were joined by Bike New York President Ken Podziba and Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Paul Steely White.

“This safety campaign takes the message to New Yorkers and visitors that you need to take a second and take a look around whenever you get out of a car,” said Commissioner Sadik-Khan. “The best protection that bike riders and pedestrians have is our attention, and there is one thing everyone can do – look.”

Last week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood kicked off the campaign by introducing “LOOK!” street markings to 200 high-crash crosswalks citywide as well as a matching ad campaign.

Windsor Terrace-Kensington Patch editor Lauren Evans has some personal experience with getting "doored"—read about her saga here.