Survey Finds New Yorkers Anxious About Congestion and Safety

Following a three day period that saw three pedestrian fatalities in Brooklyn — preceded by two cyclist deaths in Manhattan one week earlier — the Citizens Committee for New York City has released its annual “Speak Out New York” survey, citing pedestrian safety as one of two top concerns of city residents.

The number one issue for New Yorkers, according to the survey, is traffic congestion. This is not surprising, since gridlocked streets often beget irresponsible and unsafe behavior by motorists, ranging from the outwardly aggressive (speeding whenever one has the opportunity) to more accepted but no less deadly transgressions (double parking, “trying to catch the light”). As AMNY reports:

But the chance to deal with New Yorkers top gripe … may have
been lost after the Bloomberg administration’s congestion pricing plan
was killed by the state legislature in Albany.

Not that it ultimately would have mattered, but pedestrian and cyclist safety were undersold as a benefit of congestion pricing. Here’s hoping the next big traffic initiative, whatever it may be, emphasizes safer streets as one of its primary goals.

Tranportation Alternatives’ CrashStat shows the history of pedestrian- and cyclist-involved collisions, in blue and red, respectively, at Joralemon and Adams Streets