Monday, November 28, 2016

More pedestrians and cyclists dead this year

From the Daily News:

Deaths of the most vulnerable users of city streets — pedestrians and cyclists — are outpacing fatalities from 2015, even as a drop in the number of motorists killed have held the death toll flat, according to the latest figures.

There were 202 fatalities this year through Nov. 20 — exactly as many people who died in 2015 over the same period.

But crash stats show that more pedestrians and cyclists are being killed than last year at this time under Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero Action Plan meant to end traffic deaths and injuries.

There were 124 pedestrians and 17 cyclists killed, compared to the 115 pedestrians and 14 cyclists cut down over the same period in 2015, according to city Department of Transportation figures.

At the same time, fewer people in cars and on motorcycles died this year — 61, compared to 73 over the same period last year.

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bi-Cyclists are behaving stupider than they usually do, given the false sense of security and entitlement because of bike lanes

Anonymous said...

Can we proclaim Vision Zero a failure and move on?

Anonymous said...

Ride on the sidewalks

Anonymous said...

Cyclists do not obey the traffic laws. They whizz in and out of bike lanes. Do not stop for pedestrians as we walk out in the crosswalk. The run red lights and think nothing of it.
How many times I look before I walk in the crosswalk and almost get knocked over as a cyclist comes zooming passed me. No respect for us pedestrians.
When will something be done regarding ticketing these individuals on these bikes?
How about requiring them to get a plate!
Hold them accountable as you hold drivers accountable. City would make a killing on registering these cyclists. Charge them $25.00
For the license. Make it yearly.



Anonymous said...

How many pedestrians were killed by cyclists?

Anonymous said...

nassua cnty .removed all speed cameras,especially @schools. all pupils were bused from bldg.to home& viceversa.

wake up NYC tax payers!!!!! just got a $160.00 increase in Prop.Tax. wait until Santuary city Fed. $$$$ are held by NEW FRUGAL U.S. GOVERNMENT.

do you think the" Radical Norwegian Vikings" will pay their taxes@ their places of worship of Sharia Law?

Anonymous said...

The bike stuff is simply entitlement bullshit. Lets see them ride a bike to work in Febuary.

These kids are soo stupid and naive - every time a pol walks into a room they act giddy.

The Snowflake Generation.

Anonymous said...

"Bi-Cyclists are behaving stupider than they usually do"
Right and drivers are always smart and safe !

(sarc) said...

If enough cyclists are killed, will the powers that be get rid of all of the useless bicycle lanes?

I am just a bit curious...

Anonymous said...

10:30pm. Broadway & Maiden Ln / Cortlandt. Waiting for green light to cross Bway. Car also waiting to cross Bway. Light turns green, car slowly moves into street, I slowly move into crosswalk. And there comes a young male bicyclist, speeding south on Bway, running red light; if I had been moving faster or had not seen him coming, he wld have hit me; if car had been moving faster, bicycle & car wld have collided; car stopped & bicyclist, still speeding thru red light, barely missed hitting car, did a quick U -ey, & illegally turned uptown on Bway.

Another time at same intersection, same time, pedestrian waiting at red light, looked uptown to see if any cars coming down Bway; no, slowly started to move into crosswalk, only to barely avoid bicyclist who was illegally riding UP Bway. Lesson learned: it may be a one-way street, & cars don't usually ride the wrong direction of a major thoroughfare, but you still have to look both ways, bec you never know when you will encounter a bicyclist breaking the law.

Are there red light cameras at that intersection ? Even if yes, they will only ticket vehicles, bec city cannot ticket an unlicensed bicyclist.

Anonymous said...

Anon no. 6: English translation and spell check, please?

Anonymous said...

Face the facts most traffic deaths are caused by motorist not cyclist !
Bicycle road safety is needed to ensure safety for all.
Bicycle lanes are not useless ! They are used by many bike riders and provide a safe lane for riders. Why all the hate on bikes from a few readers on this blog ? Mommy didn't let them ride when they were little kiddies ?

JQ LLC said...

There are so many factors in this uptick of casualties. Mostly is because there is practically any enforcement in all areas of traffic and the majority of commuters I see are being defiantly stupid. The bike lanes in the city have become extended sidewalks in Times Square and Herald Square. There are also these hipshits and even stupid kids doing reckless shit like skateboarding in the streets, riding with no hands on the bars and popping wheels like it's Portland. (with the addition of all these trees and greenspaces, this is the type of shithead behavior when you turn the entire city into a playground or park). A lot of idiots are looking into their stupid phones. And with all the bottlenecking that all these infrastructure methods have caused, drivers are more impatient and psychotic than ever.

Drivers are getting too aggressive also. They are speeding even when they park and turn.

If anything, selfishness is causing this in addition to this vision tunnel policy and programs left over from the fun size mayor's last commissioner, jeannie kahn.

Anonymous said...

Vision Zero is a farce!

Anonymous said...

Yay! Lets go for the number one spot!

Anonymous said...

Of course more bicyclist and pedestrians are being killed and injured. With the addition of bike lanes more people are peddling and there are more people driving than ever before. Being a senior and one who has biked, drove a car and walked most of my life I have noticed all the crazy things that people do and I've did some of them myself.
People are people whether they walk, bike or drive and nobody likes to be stopped by a light or sign.Who hasn't gone a little too fast or sped up as the light was changing or didn't make a complete stop at a stop sign. Pedestrians are the same and many are oblivious to cars and cross streets without a care in the world and usually looking at their phone.
It comes down to safety and being considerate to others. We all do stupid things once in a while that we may regret but over all I'm always amazed how well traffic flows without much incidence. In my 50 years of driving all over this country only had a couple minor accidents. I've also bike all over this city and never had an accident and have found most drivers to be considerate of bikers.
New York is the biggest city with the most people but I think we do pretty good. I know many people including former NY'ers that wouldn't even think of driving in this city. What makes us safe is good roads and sidewalks, good signs and good lines. It is much more dangerous driving, biking and walking in rural areas without these things.They keep saying we are the safest city in the U.S.but it could always be safer.

Anonymous said...

@sarc

Not a chance. The Feds are giving 900 million dollars a year to states for bike lanes, bike sharing programs and pedestrian improvements.
One can imagine what corrupt and dishonest politicians do with this money.
Congestion due to bike lanes, idiotic traffic patterns, air quality issues and now major safety issues in spite of the 25 mph/hr speed limit.
Money and politicians, nothing good can be expected.

Anonymous said...

Right and drivers are always smart and safe !


My friend, is called respect.
I own 3 bikes and 2 cars. Everyday I see reckless drivers and reckless bikers.
The problem is when one is riding a bike there is a big price to pay in case of an accident since there is no protection for a biker.
Also ignoring traffic laws, stop signs, red lights just because one is riding a bike is unacceptable.Same goes for drivers, but lets be honest, the enforcement is much stronger when it comes to cars.
At night wearing dark clothes with a 1.5 V light bulb blinking in the back is not safe! So all of us that share the road need to be held to the same safety standards!

Anonymous said...

Are you saying since the weather doesn't permit biking for most people a few months a year the city shouldn't do anything to improve biking for the other months?

Maybe if more people would bike we wouldn't have all these obese people who can't walk.

>> Lets see them ride a bike to work in Febuary.

Anonymous said...

So not only does Vision Zero snarl traffic, make drivers miserable, and waste uncountable amounts of time in a City that's always in a rush - but it doesn't even work.

Can we get normal speed limits back again?

Anonymous said...


Someone said for the bicyclists to ride on the sidewalk? Well, Chinese bikers do in Flushing and Manhattan, also most bikers (Chinese or not) ride the wrong way and if you're happen to be crossing while they are coming at 20 MPH against traffic and you happen not to look that way, you're prey.

Bicycles should be banned from an advance society such as this, period.

Anonymous said...


I don't think Vision Zero was that effective but as most people learned in science class, you need a control group. This is not easy to do.

If without Vision Zero 700 people would have died this year then it was successful. Also, a test needs to be run for a longer period of time.

250 or so people dying in a city of 8.5 million doesn't seem like a lot. And, we need more details about each one of those deaths and compare that to the deaths from the previous year.

If 100 people dies last year in one drunk driving accident that blew up a bus, then that's an anomaly. The people writing these stories need to dig deeper into the data.

Anonymous said...

it works so well in Beijing

Res Ipsa said...

I've always thought that lowering the speed limit was a waste. You can drive safely at 30mph, provided that you obey the rules of the road. Yield to pedestrians, stop at red lights and stop signs, etc. School zones should have lower limits, and anything with a parkway, boulevard or expressway in the name should be 35mph. The key is to enforce the rules at the limits you have. That means against pedestrians, cyclist and drivers alike. Pedestrians should not feel comfortable texting and walking, or casually jay walking in front of buses. Pay attention, enforce the rules. And any cops texting or disobeying the rules of the road should be disciplined. They should be leading the way for good behavior instead of doing the b.s. they do.

Anonymous said...

No enforcement, no good behavior.

Anonymous said...

As I said before is all about the federal $$$, prime example of money for socialism from WDC.
Has nothing to do with safety or lowering pollution.
While we are on the topic, car owners do pay gas tax, registration (tax) and other fees, not to mention the tickets that are given out like candy.
Now add repairs and ask the stupid politicians why is the infrastructure crumbling with potholes, uneven roads and various traps that belong on a battlefield not on city streets.


Anonymous said...

I see lots of bicyclist without lights or bells which is the law. At night you can't see them and of course they are running red light and not stopping for anyone . Pedestrians too have to be aware of their surroundings and not be looking at their phones and when crossing streets not take their sweet time. Most fatalities happen at crosswalks where cars are turning and drivers can get impatient or walkers are not paying attention.
I wonder if these statistics include all the electric bikes and scooters that are everywhere and supposed to be illegal. They drive without a license plate and violate all the rules of the road and drive and park on the sidewalks.

Anonymous said...


Makes you wonder why someone wouldn't ride a bike instead.

>>car owners do pay gas tax, registration (tax) and other fees, not to mention the tickets that are given out like candy. Now add repairs

Anonymous said...

>Drivers are getting too aggressive also. They are speeding even when they park and turn.

What do you expect? Vision Zero is slowing everything down so much and leaving drivers so frustrated that they behave recklessly when ever they have a chance to make up some time.

>I don't think Vision Zero was that effective but as most people learned in science class, you need a control group. This is not easy to do.

It's outright impossible. Comparing to previous years is the best we can do.

>Bicycles should be banned from an advance society such as this, period.

That's an absurd an idea as Vision Zero is.


@Res Ipsa: Nice to see someone gets it.

Erik Baard said...

The spike is in line with a national trend due to the introduction of apps. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/business/tech-distractions-blamed-for-rise-in-traffic-fatalities.html

Anonymous said...

More pedestrians have been seriously injured by cyclists since the dumb bike lanes were installed.
That was told to me by a rehab RN at Beth Israel hospital.
These wired or comatose bikers do not follow traffic rules.
Required license plates and insurance for these people powered vehicles.
Modest fees, of course.

Anonymous said...

>The spike is in line with a national trend due to the introduction of apps. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/business/tech-distractions-blamed-for-rise-in-traffic-fatalities.html

A decade ago they were saying that there was a massive rise in traffic deaths and were blaming texting. Now they're saying that deaths were declining for 4 decades until this last year? Do they really think we've forgotten this quickly??