Is there anything more vulnerable than a plastic cup on a road? Recently, Dave Salovesh, a lawyer and bicycle activist, was struck in Washington, D.C., by a car fleeing at 112 km/h from the police. Dave’s classmates and friends, as a sign of protest, lay on the ground for a few minutes on the street.
At the same time, on a global level on social networks, a more visible symbolic action has been set in motion as a tribute to Dave. It consists of placing plastic cups along the lines separating the bike lanes from the rest of the traffic lanes, thus showing the vulnerability of cyclists when they ride the bike lanes without physical barriers.
The first to take action and give visibility to the vulnerability of cyclists was Sam Balto, a teacher who began placing cups in Portland, Oregon. Balto has defined the protest as “a simple, but empowering way to get the message across that city planners and politicians need to improve cycling infrastructure to make it safer.”
The movement has become viral and from all points of the planet anonymous urban cyclists have uploaded to social networks the results of this action of bicycle-guerrilla, which could not be clearer visually.
You can perform an action of this kind yourself, not just retuitear or give it like and feel that you have already done something. You can go out and meet and interact with other cyclists. Seeing, touching and feeling like you’re doing something worthwhile,” Balto said.
And you, are you going to do something for the #RedCupProject?
And then a big truck had to ruin it all. Imagine your loved one here. ???? #RedCupProject #DemandMore #DaveSalovesh #PaintIsNotProtection pic.twitter.com/zmBHhy0Dfb
— Sam Balto (@CoachBalto) 26 de abril de 2019
