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

Where are Cyclists Getting Injured? Wherever There Are More Cars

Car drivers are moving around in their 3,000-pound steel cages again and, as a result, cyclists injuries were up 7 percent last month, according to NYPD statistics.

The 506 injuries to bike riders citywide between June 14 and July 12, versus 473 over the same period last year, shows what happens when car traffic increases: there are more cycling injuries, which, like car traffic, have been down by double-digits for most of the year.

The borough-by-borough numbers show an uncanny link between driving and cyclist injuries:

    • The overall increase was the worst in The Bronx, where injuries to cyclists struck by vehicles were up 41 percent last month — which makes complete (and horrifying) sense, given that the total vehicle miles traveled in the borough were up 38 percent over the same period.
    • In Queens, cyclist injuries were up 13 percent last month — and VMTs were up 23 percent.
    • In Staten Island, cyclist injuries were up 22 percent — and VMTs were up 50 percent.
    • In Brooklyn, injuries are up only 1 percent — but also as a result of more driving (VMTs were up 15 percent).
    • And in Manhattan, cyclist injuries are down 7 percent — but total miles driven was also down 3.5 percent.
Here it is in chart form.
Here it is in chart form.
Here it is in chart form.

The number of injuries last month also follows another disturbing pattern: there are more injuries in areas with poor bike infrastructure.

In The Bronx, six of the borough's 12 precincts account for 71 percent of the 86 cyclist injuries that occurred last month.

The borough has very little bike infrastructure — and almost none on roadways in the precincts in question: 48th, 45th, 46th, 49th, 40th and 52nd.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Friday’s Headlines: Hotoween Edition

The unseasonably warm weather reminds us that it's foolish that the city turned outdoor dining into an April to November thing. Plus other news.

November 1, 2024

FDNY Truck Driver Fatally Strikes Bronx Delivery Worker — 22nd Cyclist Killed this Year

A cyclist was killed by an FDNY truck responding to an emergency in Park Slope.

October 31, 2024

Shalloween: Cars Are Haunting our Trick-or-Treaters, But DOT Protects Only a Few

This one-day respite from killing machines is only a reminder of the horrors haunting our streets the rest of the year.

October 31, 2024

Opinion: Lack of Regional Leadership Prevents Progress on Unified Metro NYC Rail

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut must create a new regional rail entity before Amtrak spends $18 billion on Penn Station.

Thursday’s Headlines: Lawyers Against Bike Lanes Edition

Mayoral candidate Jim Walden has no regrets about his past fighting the Prospect Park West bike lane. Plus more news.

October 31, 2024
See all posts