In New York City cycling deaths have been on the rise. The City has slowly been taking steps to make the streets safer for bicyclists, but progress has been slow, and the death toll has been disturbing. It’s no secret that all New York City intersections are dangerous places for cyclists, but a new report shows that some intersections are more dangerous than others.
Real estate website Localize.city analyzed bicycle accident data from 2013 to 2018 to determine the most dangerous intersections in the City for cyclists. These determinations were made based on the number of injuries and fatalities. The most dangerous intersections in the City for cyclists include:
Sixth Avenue and West 23rdStreet
This intersection in Chelsea was found to be the most dangerous with 21 injuries during the five year period examined in the report. This past summer a young cyclist was killed by a tractor-trailer in a hit and run at this intersection. 23rdStreet is wider than the streets parallel to it, and therefore, it becomes a major thoroughfare for delivery trucks. This makes the area very risky for bicycles. A protected bike lane was added to the area in 2016, but it was not enough.
Jay Street and Tillary Street
This intersection in downtown Brooklyn was tied for second place with 20 injuries. It is a busy area for car and bike traffic, including those coming off of the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges. While there are some marked bike lanes in the area, they are not protected from traffic.
Atlantic Avenue and Bedford Avenue
Another Brooklyn intersection located in Crown Heights this area is a high traffic intersection. The bike lane on Bedford Avenue is not protected from traffic and is, in fact, wedged between car travel lanes. When crossing the six-lane Atlantic Avenue, cyclists are expected to move toward the curb. However, often, cars in a left turn lane created a hazard for cyclists.
Solutions for Cyclist Safety
The City has promised that a bike-safety initiative would include the redesign of 50 intersections with high cyclist injury and fatalities. The improvements should be made by the end of 2019. There has been no word on whether the intersections included in the recent report will be among those intersections.
Contact a New York City Bicycle Accident Attorney
If you’ve been injured in a bicycle accident, you should have an experienced personal injury attorney evaluate your case. At Bonina & Bonina, P.C., we’ve been helping New Yorkers injured in bicycle accidents for over 50 years. Contact us online or call us at 1-888-MEDLAW1 to schedule your free consultation. Home and hospital visits are available. Se habla español.