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NYC Widow Pushes 'Pedal Pledge' To Keep Pedestrians Safe

NEW YORK (CBS 2) -- The woman who lost her husband to a terrible accident involving a bicycle deliveryman is out to make sure something like it never happens again.

It has been two years since Nancy Gruskin suffered the loss of her husband Stuart. He was hit and killed by a bike delivery rider going the wrong way on a Midtown street.

"It can be chaos out there, with the bicycles going," Nancy Gruskin told CBS 2's Tony Aiello.

In her husband's honor, Gruskin has started a safety foundation that will now undertake its first major effort. The Stuart C. Gruskin Foundation is asking businesses to sign up for "The Pedal Pledge."

The new initiative targets delivery riders who endanger pedestrians by going against traffic and running red lights. The pledge entails asking businesses to make a commitment to train delivery bikers in safe and respectful riding.

"It sends the message that this business is taking safety on the streets very seriously," Gruskin said.

A scientific study from Hunter College that observed thousands of delivery riders found that 16 percent rode against traffic, 22 percent failed to use bike lanes and 40 percent ran red lights.

On 9th Avenue, the owner of B-Bap rice bar said she was ready to sign "The Pedal Pledge."

"I think it is a good idea. I think it's not only good for the public, the pedestrians, but also for the people that work at the restaurants," the restaurant's owner said.

Gruskin said that she didn't want her husband's death to be "in vain." She added that ultimately the "public can vote [on the pledge] with their wallets" by patronizing businesses that commit to safer streets.

For More Information About "The Pedal Pledge," Click Here

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