Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Carnage

Where are Cyclists Getting Injured? Wherever There Are More Cars

12:01 AM EDT on July 20, 2020

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

Highway Boondoggles 2023: Salt Lake Shenanigans

Plans for a major freeway expansion based on over-inflated traffic projections are a wrongheaded way to deal with the region’s rapid population growth.

December 3, 2023

Cycle of Rage: Mayor is Failing the Leadership Test on Congestion Pricing

Purely for political and self-serving purposes, Mayor Adams is attacking congestion pricing — and, in doing so, is undermining the implementation of a program that he has long claimed to be a "strong" supporter of.

December 1, 2023

New York City is Down One MTA Board Member as Mayor Fights Congestion Pricing Fee

Sherif Soliman, who was appointed to the board only last year, quietly resigned on Sept. 22, and the mayor won't get a new person on the panel until next year.

December 1, 2023

Friday’s Headlines: A Congestion Alert Day

Like everyone else, we covered congestion pricing. Plus other news.

December 1, 2023

Adams Says He’ll Ban Parking Near 1,000 Intersections Every Year To Make Corners Safer

The city will daylight 1,000 intersections a year. A Brooklyn corner where a boy was killed in a crash is still waiting for the safety upgrades.

December 1, 2023
See all posts