By Erin Curry
If you saw tomatoes lining the 13th Street bike lane last week, you may have been wondering why.
To honor the legacy of long time Washington DC cycling advocate Dave Salovesh, bike lanes across the world found themselves lined with some unusual barriers last Friday. Dave was struck and killed riding in an unprotected bike lane on April 19th. To pay tribute to Dave and his work for safer streets, activists placed red plastic cups, tomatoes, and even red potatoes along unprotected bike lanes in their own cities.
The project exists to represent how vulnerable cyclists are, even with designated bike lanes if they are not protected. Often times, these cups and tomatoes were crushed very quickly after they were placed as drivers occupied the bike lane.
Though it is a small action, the message is clear: a line of paint does not effectively protect cyclists from other vehicles on the road.
We are out here getting the #redcupproject going in solidarity with other advocates across the nation to show the need for protected bike lanes pic.twitter.com/XUgQ6sZeSb
— BikePGH (@BikePGH) April 26, 2019