On Demand
Crossing Guard
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Wiley Norvell, communications director, Transportation Alternatives, on the most dangerous crossings in New York City and their new online mapping project Crashstat 2.0.
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West 106th Street and Broadway is a very dangerous intersection--I know of at least 1 bicycle accident and 2 pedestrian accidents, one of whom died.
the worst for cyclists is heading south on broadway in midtown, and its not the cars, its the pedestrians who walk out into the street against the light once the cars stop coming but the cyclists are still there. they're only looking for cars! people do not pay enough attention!
DO WE HAVE TO HEAR ABOUT THIS SAME TOPIC EVERY MONTH.
Once again it's time to do some PR on telling cyclists to stay off the sidewalks expecially they race cyclists who like to turn corners at high speeds not knowing what's there. And don't tell me there are less bicyclists on sidewalks I experience at least 2 or 3 a day. I respect cyclists in the streets many people don't so let's do some PR on that too that cyclists have the same rights as traffic with regard to lights and pedestrians should allow them to pass when they have the light. It's dangerous for both. But on the sidewalk there should not be any bikes even for the last 1/2 block to destination.
What absolute nonsense! Pedestrians should be protected from bicyclists who go the wrong way on one way streets, run red lights, wear black at night with no lights on the bikes, etc., etc. The most dangerous place for pedestrians is on the sidewalks in danger of being hit by bicycles. Delivery guys (a real hazard) are only a part of the problem, not the whole problem.
I can't believe you haven't mentioned Queens Blvd in Queens --aka the Blvd of Death!
Instead of aligning bike lanes nest to traffic where delivery trucks etc use it for double parking why not have car parking next to the traffic and the bike lane run along the curb?
my scariest moments have involved pedestrians who walk out in front of me when i have the green light. cars are nothing compared to the people.
Drivers who don't bike will never understand or accept - it is safer for cyclists to go through red lights ahead of cars in their lane, otherwise they are sitting ducks when the light turns green. It is safest to be moving on the bike, as opposed to stopping and starting (unstable).
in some European cities they have a special bike lanes with a raised curb to protect the bike riders.
Bicycle lanes in Berlin are a good example of how to do it. They are a separate lsne between the sidewalk and the parking shoulder for motor vehicles. They are paved usually in red brick and are distinct lanes. I know this because often I forget and stand in them waiting for traffic lights to change then realize when bikes come by that I'm in the wrong. It usually only takes me a day to get used to it. But if there were permanent here we'd eventually all adjust to this good idea.
14TH AVE AND 75ST IN BROOKLYN
IT says there was only 1 incident and is on the decrease. This is wrong. There are many many many car accidents there and Im sure some involve pedestrians.
Apparently, Queens or The Bronx do not exist for guest host, David Cruz!!
Some of the most dangerous crossings in the entire city are in Queens (i.e. Queens Boulevard), but neither Queens nor any risky crossings in The Bronx were even mentioned.
The focus was on Manhattan, Manhattan, Manhattan and Brooklyn.... What a lack of thoroughness!
What can be done about DELIVERY PEOPLE on bikes, esp. at night? I'm on the UWS - delivery guys are the worst offenders about riding the WRONG way on 1-way street, with NO headlight, no taillight, often no helmut & certainly no lights on their helmuts AND no bell on their bikes to warn pedestrians & cars they are approaching. can some regulation be made for this population?
I'm getting a little tired of all those people who seem to fear bikes more than cars. The common feature of their calls and comments is that they tell scary anecdotes of near accidents with bikers.
What they don't realize is that at the speed at which bikes and pedestrians operate, there's a huge difference between a near accident and an actual accident. The numbers bear this out: Serious bike-on-pedestrian accidents are few and far between, while cars kill and maim every day.
I wish that your guest had addressed the comments made by two of your callers - that cyclists are far more dangerous to pedestrians than motorists. In the 30 years that I have lived in NYC, maybe twice I have had a close call with a car and in both cases I really wasn't paying attention. But hardly a week goes by that I'm not almost bowled over by a biker disobeying traffic laws - riding on the sidewalk, going the wrong way down a one way street, or running a red light. Recently, a friend was struck in an intersection by a bicyclist. She was knocked to the ground, tore her clothes, and was bleeding. The cyclist turned and said "Sorry" before speeding off. We need licensing of cyclists, we need them to display ID plates, and we need them to obey the law!
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