Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycling

Houston Street: Bike Boulevard of Death?

2:03 PM EDT on June 26, 2006

bike_death.jpgNew York 1 reports that a cyclist was killed this morning around 9:40 am while making a right turn from LaGuardia Place to West Houston Street. "Witnesses say the bike rider was trying to squeeze between a truck and a van."

The crash took place near an ongoing $25 million DOT street construction project which, incidentally, is narrowing the median on parts of Houston Street, replacing refuge areas for pedestrians with left-turn bays for cars, and doing nothing to make the street safer or more accessible to cyclists.

Gothamist provides a brief recap of last summer's bike fatalities on and around Houston Street and suggests that we might begin calling it the "Bike Boulevard of Death." Gothamist's comments section has erupted in what has become an all too frequent and predictable post-bike-crash online screaming match between commenters who blame the victim and those who argue that New York City needs to do more to help people commute safely by bike.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Friday’s Headlines: Yes He Said Yes He Will Yes Edition

That headline above is a reference to the last line of James Joyce's Ulysses, which we won't pretend to have read. But we have that ... and other news.

September 22, 2023

Madness: Port Authority Will Spend $8M to ‘Study’ Widening Outerbridge Crossing

Will this $8.3 million find out anything we don't know about induced demand?

September 22, 2023

Study: How Low-Income People Really Use Micromobility

Shared bikes and scooters are meeting low-income people's basic mobility needs — but they're not being subsidized like it.

September 22, 2023

School Bus Driver Hits Cyclist, Injures 3, On Major Brooklyn School Bike Route

The crash happened on the route of the weekly Bergen bike bus.

September 21, 2023

City of Yes Yes Yes! Adams Calls for Elimination of Parking Mandates on ALL New Housing

Mayor Adams today announced the historic end to one of the city’s most antiquated — and despised — zoning laws requiring the construction of parking with every new development.

September 21, 2023
See all posts