Streetsblog New York City

Delivery Cyclists Have One of the Most Dangerous Jobs, But No One Is Protecting Them

Working cyclist Robyn Hightman was killed by a truck driver in Manhattan on June 24.

By Julianne Cuba | Jun 25, 2019

Working cyclists have one of the most dangerous jobs in the country, and they are dying at rapid rates on New York City streets — and New York's Finest are focused on victim-blaming and ticketing bikers.

Twenty-year-old Robyn Hightman, who was killed by a truck driver Monday in Manhattan, is now at least the fifth delivery cyclist to die because of the actions of a motorist while on the job in the past six months. And injuries are running rampent.

A whopping 62 percent of working cyclists said they had been hit, according to Biking Public Project’s 2017 survey.

[Read more]

This post is supported by

Op-Ed: To Meet New York’s New Climate Law, We’ll Have To Break the Car Culture

Gov. Cuomo loves cars. Can he do what it takes to rein them in, as the new climate-change bill requires? Photo: Governor's office

By Julie Tighe | Jun 25, 2019

Transportation is the number-one source of greenhouse-gas emissions in New York State, and the number-one offender is the internal-combustion engine. It will be a huge challenge, but we need to reduce the use of cars.

[Read more]

A cop in the bike lane near where Robyn Hightman was killed. Photo: Dan Miller

Wednesday’s Headlines: Tone-Deaf De Blasio Edition

By Streetsblog | Jun 26, 2019

Cops cracked down on cyclists — one day after a cyclist was killed by a truck driver. Plus all the other news of the day, just by clicking the headline above.

Council Member Antonio Reynoso wants the city to create exclusive commercial waste zones to help curb greenhouse gas emissions. Photo: Antonio Reynoso.

This post is supported by

Reform of Rogue Sanitation Companies Will Save Lives — And the Planet

By Julianne Cuba | Jun 25, 2019 | 24 Comments

A new report to be issued today by the Transform Don’t Trash NYC coalition bolsters Brooklyn Council Member Antonio Reynoso's call to create exclusive zones where only a single trash company could operate and put an end to the current free-for-all of up to 50 private carters picking up trash in each neighborhood.

Cyclists at the scene of Robyn Hightman's death.

Tuesday’s Headlines: Another Cyclist Killed Edition

By Streetsblog | Jun 25, 2019 | 5 Comments

Today's news roundup includes news of the 12th cyclist killed in 2019, plus all the stories from Monday. Click the headline above to get up to date.

Drivers — they'll drive in anything that isn't barricade-protected.

This post is supported by

In Case You Need a Reminder: This is How Drivers Treat Bike Lanes

By Gersh Kuntzman | Jun 24, 2019 | 15 Comments

The latest example popped up on Reddit — and shows again how painted bike lanes are, essentially, meaningless stripes that drivers drive over or park on.

A cyclist was killed on Sixth Avenue on Monday morning. Photo: Julianne Cuba

UPDATED: Cyclist Killed on Sixth Avenue by Hit-And-Run Trucker

By Julianne Cuba | Jun 24, 2019 | 99 Comments

The driver eventually returned to the scene, but was let go with a consoling pat on the shoulder from the NYPD.

This post is supported by

Pedestrian Struck and Killed in Flushing — No Tickets Issued

By Gersh Kuntzman | Jun 24, 2019 | 4 Comments

A Flushing driver killed a pedestrian on Saturday, this time on dangerous Main Street, where disorder and chaos rule.

Monday’s Headlines: Museum of the City of New York Edition

By Streetsblog | Jun 24, 2019 | 22 Comments

You'll notice the Museum of the City of New York logo on Streetsblog posts this week to promote this Thursday's panel discussion, "Whose Streets? Reclaiming NYC for Cyclists," which will be moderated by our editor, Gersh Kuntzman, and feature bike activists Helen Ho and Judi Desire, Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez and Adam Mansky of Transportation Alternatives. It'll be a spirited discussion, with audience questions, so get your tickets now by clicking here. Use the promo code BIKE1 to save $2. Plus the rest of the headlines.

An officer from the 19th Precinct checks on the so-called protected bike lane Friday afternoon. Photo: Julianne Cuba.

This post is supported by

NYPD Forced to Protect DOT’s Second Avenue ‘Protected Bike Lane’

By Julianne Cuba | Jun 24, 2019 | 16 Comments

Police in the 19th Precinct are being hailed for setting up physical barriers in the Upper East Side bike lane in order to protect bikers from speeding cars.