Mass Die-In Planned By 1,000 Bike Activists In Greenwich Village

GREENWICH VILLAGE, NY — Hundreds of bike activists are expected to hold a mass die-in Tuesday night to protest the killings of cyclists on New York City streets.

At least 14 bike groups are hosting the die-in — slated for 6:30 p.m. at Washington Square Park.

Organizers say they plan for some 1,000 cyclists to protest, lying on the ground of the Greenwich Village park. Groups leading the protest include Transportation Alternatives, Families for Safe Streets, Bike New York, The Brown Bike Girl and NYC Mechanical Gardens Bike Co-op. Friends of cyclists who have recently died, Robyn Hightman and Aurilla Lawrence, will also attend, according to organizers.

"We will mourn, we will remember, and we will make sure that May­or Bill de Blasio knows that the NYC Bike Family will not stand for the threat on our lives," organizers said on Facebook. "Vision Zero is in a state of emergency, and the only way to stop the killings is to break New York City's car culture."

Citi Bike is also supporting activists with a valet service at the MacDougal Street and Washington Square Citi Bike station 6 to 8:30 p.m. to assist those attending the die-in by Citi Bike.

The mass die-in organized by myriad groups from across the city will protest a recent uptick in cyclist deaths in 2019. Fifteen cyclists have died this year — up from 10 deaths in all of 2018. Three people alone have been killed in the city's streets in the past two weeks.

Following the surge in cyclist deaths, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD announced a citywide blitz to ensure bike lanes aren't blocked — an initiative that would last just three weeks, through July 21.