Bicycle Safety
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The Three Big Bicyclist Fatality Clusters
It was noted on the Brian Lehrer show this morning that the City's Bicyclist Fatality and Injury Report (PDF file) identifies three specific locations or "clusters" where bicycle fatalities were unusually common between 1996 and 2005. A "cluster" is defined as "three or more fatalities within 1,000 feet." The three densest clusters were found on the east side of Manhattan north of Midtown, Park Slope in Brooklyn and Hunts Point in the Bronx. From page 11 of the report:
September 14, 2006
U.K. Study Finds Wearing a Bike Helmet May be More Dangerous
We are certainly still going to be wearing our helmets when we ride bikes on New York City streets, but here is an interesting study by Dr. Ian Walker a "traffic psychologist" from Bath University in Great Britain. Walker found that motorists drove more safely and carefully when passing cyclists who were not wearing helmets. These findings are similar to some of the ideas put forward by David Engwicht in his book, "Mental Speed Bumps: The Smarter Way to Tame Traffic," a very interesting read if you haven't already picked it up.
September 14, 2006
Digging in: How Many Crashes Are Due to “Bicycle Factors?”
Charles Komanoff at Right of Way has churned out an initial analysis of the City's bicycle injury and fatality study. Here is his take:
September 14, 2006
Rally for a Livable Houston Street
(Photo by Will Sherman of Transportation Alternatives)
August 31, 2006
The New York Times Comes Correct… Almost
On Monday Streetsblog wrote that the New York Times had under-reported the number of New York City bicycle fatalities in 2005. A correction appeared in the Times today:
August 18, 2006
New York Times Under-Reports Cyclist Fatalities
The New York Times printed an error in the news brief reporting the death of Darren Lewis, the 20-year-old bike messenger killed by a truck in Midtown on Thursday. The Times reported that twelve cyclists were killed in New York City last year. According to the NYPD, 24 cyclists were killed on the city's streets in 2005, twice as many as the Times claims.
August 14, 2006
Comments Section Highlights
JK's comment in Another Very Bad Week to Ride a Bike in NYC:
August 11, 2006
Another Very Bad Week to Ride a Bike in NYC
In the wake of this morning's Midtown bike fatality, a correspondent reports:
August 10, 2006
Trucker Kills Cyclist on Ninth Avenue and 29th Street
A cyclist riding a red mountain bike was killed on Ninth Avenue and 29th Street at about 10 am this morning. The cyclist, a courier working for Urban Express, was traveling southbound in the right lane of 9th Ave. A 10-wheel truck carrying construction materials was driving in the lane to his left. At 29th Street, with the light green and both vehicles moving, the trucker made a right turn, directly into the path of the cyclist. With no no safety plating to prevent the cyclist from falling beneath the wheels of the truck, he was crushed and killed. Witnesses describe the crash as "horrific." Couriers at the scene say that the cyclist's name was Darrell.
August 10, 2006