Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycling

A Plea for DOT to Design Bike Lanes With Safer Intersections

This intersection design might have saved Kelly Hurley’s life. Image: Reed Rubey

Last week a turning box truck driver struck Kelly Hurley, 31, as she rode in the First Avenue bike lane at the intersection with 9th Street. Yesterday, Hurley died from the injuries.

The fatal crash has led to renewed calls for DOT to adopt safer intersection designs for protected bike lanes. The intersection of First Avenue and 9th Street has a "mixing zone" treatment, where cyclists and turning drivers are expected to negotiate the same space at the same time. Intersections with mixing zones have higher rates of cyclist injuries than intersections with "split-phase" signals, which give cyclists and turning drivers separate phases.

On Tuesday, the transportation committee of Manhattan Community Board 7 unanimously passed a resolution calling on DOT to eliminate "mixing zone" intersections on Columbus Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue. The resolution calls for designs that maintain more physical separation between cyclists and motor traffic, force drivers to take turns slower, and extend the bike lane's green paint through the intersection.

The concept is similar to the intervention staged by activists using orange cones at First and 9th last week:

Bollards would be placed at intersections to increase physical separation between cyclists and motorists and slow turning drivers. Image: Reed Rubey
Bollards would be placed at intersections to increase physical separation between cyclists and motorists and slow turning drivers. Image: Reed Rubey
Bollards would be placed at intersections to increase physical separation between cyclists and motorists and slow turning drivers. Image: Reed Rubey

By installing bollards all the way through the far side of the crosswalk, motorists would take safer turns, said Reed Rubey, the architect who put together the concept.

"When you do a sharp 90-degree turn, you have a better opportunity to see pedestrians," Rubey told Streetsblog. "Putting cones like that at every mixing zone, actually at every intersection in the city, would probably be the least-expensive and most effective way to save lives."

Rubey and fellow TransAlt volunteer Willow Stelzer hope to bring their concept to the transportation committee of Manhattan CB 3, the district where Hurley was killed, at its meeting next month.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Cyclist: Cop Pulled a Taser During Summons Chase

In a dramatic escalation of the NYPD's criminal crackdown on bike riders, a police officer pulled a stun gun while chasing a cyclist for allegedly running a red light on a regular bike.

May 30, 2025

Albany Pols Seize the Helm(et)

Helmet laws remain controversial — they're the "common-sense" approach pushed by lawmakers who ignore that studies show they don't improve safety.

May 30, 2025

Tisch Reveals Real Reason for Her E-Bike Crackdown: E-Bike Licensing

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch doubles down on her cycling criminalization campaign, saying e-bike licensing is the only other option.

May 30, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: A ‘Critical’ Moment Edition

Cyclists will protest against the NYPD's bike crackdown with a Critical Mass ride to City Hall on Friday. Plus more news.

May 30, 2025

Eyes on the Street: Astoria’s Big Beautiful 31st Avenue Bike Boulevard

Streetsblog paid a visit to New York City's widest on-street protected bike lane ever, which is up and running in Astoria.

May 30, 2025
See all posts