Bicycle Deaths in New York City Are at a 23-Year High

[Tom@WashDC]

Why Bicycle Deaths in New York City Are at a 23-Year High

Of the 30 cyclists who died in 2023, most were riding e-bikes.

www.nytimes.com

Most of the 30 cyclists who died in 2023 were riding electric bikes...

Nearly a third of the e-bike riders who died crashed or fell without any apparent interference from a vehicle or pedestrian...

Most of the cyclists who died in 2023 collided with automobiles in areas without bike infrastructure, regardless of the type of bike they were riding...

 

[FiremarshallDave]

I've been to the Island many times and it is the last place I would want to ride a bike. I wouldn't want to drive a car there either. In my recollection of Manhattan every other vehicle is a Taxi. E bikes make it easier for people to ride and will attract a percentage of riders who are older and have diminished skills and balance. When fuel prices double and inflation is outpacing wages, people will return to bicycles to help ends meet. Children will ride again as parents have more issues filling a gas tank and paying to park. When the government handed out the stimulus checks, e bike imports shot up as supply chains improved. Your statement above contradicts itself in some ways. They died when colliding with vehicles ...but without any apparent interference from a vehicle or pedestrian? I bet it was an Orange Haired Dog. Be careful of statistics, you know what they say.... New York won't have any money for Bicycle infrastructure for some time according to Mayor Adams. He has a housing problem with his new "visitors". Breaking News... border crossings are down as polls show it is hurting someones numbers...but 300,000 people received free flights into the country in recent weeks... the Daily Mail announces.

 

[PDoz]

So 30 new Yorkers died whilst cycling, and 10 did it all by themself? ( how many heart attacks?)

Meanwhile, gun related deaths were over a thousand. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/firearm_mortality/firearm.htm

OK, there might be a subset of cycling AND gun related deaths, so what have we learnt today, children?

 

[Tom@WashDC]

So 30 new Yorkers died whilst cycling, and 10 did it all by themself? ( how many heart attacks?)

Nope, only "a third of e-bike riders" that died, not all cyclists.

Your statement above contradicts itself in some ways. They died when colliding with vehicles

Nope, that is a subset of all cyclists.

 

[Tom@WashDC]

Your statement above contradicts itself in some ways. ...but without any apparent interference from a vehicle or pedestrian?

Nope, that is a subset of e-bikers.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Not just New Yawk, it also is happening in, of all places, the Netherlands:

What's gone wrong with road safety in the Netherlands ?

The elephant at the cross-roads: It's not cyclists who are killing more cyclists than before, but more and larger cars such as this one whic...

www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com

So cycling deaths are at an all-time high there as well and trending upwards.

 

[Tom@WashDC]

Your statement above contradicts itself in some ways.

Nope, those are not "my" statements. Those are direct quotes from the article. The article was shared for informational purposes with no comment from me.

 

[Tom@WashDC]

When I went to NY City (Theater District) in October 2023, I was surpised to see so many ebikes on the road and in bike lanes, mostly delivery drivers. I never felt in danger from automobiles while crossing the street, but the ebikers as a whole seemed very reckless, with little regard for pedestrians or traffic rules.

 

[Chibbie]

When I went to NY City (Theater District) in October 2023, I was surpised to see so many ebikes on the road and in bike lanes, mostly delivery drivers. I never felt in danger from automobiles while crossing the street, but the ebikers as a whole seemed very reckless, with little regard for pedestrians or traffic rules.

I was there around that same time after not having been to NYC since pre-pandemic. A lot more bike lanes and a lot more e-bikes now. But I actually found that my impressions differed greatly depending upon the area I was in (I was only in Manhattan, not the other boroughs; and I was riding my Brompton, not my ebike). In the Theater District and other equivalent areas - midtown, etc. - my impression was the same as yours: the bike lanes were sufficiently plentiful that I didn’t feel particularly in danger from cars while riding (at least no more so than in other cities, and in many ways, less so), but the massive number of reckless e-bikers riding way too fast was a constant danger, whether in bike lanes or just crossing the street on foot. I almost got clipped more than once in a bike lane because I was *only* pedaling at around 12-15mph (which is actually pretty fast in a congested area) while the e-bikers coming up behind me wanted to go 25-30MPH. And they weren’t all delivery workers: a lot of them were teenagers, college bros, etc. But in many other areas during that same visit - the West Village, Greenwich Village, Upper West Side, Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea, and the Hudson Yards area - the bike lanes were still sufficiently plentiful and there were far few reckless bikers using them (or potentially plowing me down while walking on the sidewalk).

I also happened to be in DC a few weeks later. Didn’t have my bike with me so no impressions on how it is riding in the bike lanes; but there were massively more e-bikers (and e-scooter riders) riding (a) on the sidewalks and (b) doing so way too fast than in any other city I’ve ever been to, including NYC. Granted, I was only in Northwest DC, so maybe things are different in the other quadrants. But I was in pretty much every neighborhood throughout NW on that trip - from the Capitol up through Woodley Park and all points in-between, and it was pretty much the same everywhere. (Don’t get me wrong: I love DC and I used to live there; just reporting my observations.)

 

[Tom@WashDC]

Yeah I ride mostly around the monuments and DC city center. Ebikes haven't been too bad. Lots of scooters though. Those peeps are crazy! Riding double with no knee/elbow pads or helments.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

it also is happening in, of all places, the Netherlands:

Old guys bought e-bikes but no cyclist (except athletes) wears a helmet in the Netherlands...

 

[Chargeride]

Quite clearly they fell off avoiding all that steam coming out of grids, people pulling escape ladders down, cops throwing doughnut boxes out of the car window and neon wearing rollerskaters going backwards holding giant pizzas.

 

[CanNik]

MORON parents are even giving children illegal over powered e bikes, NO training NO helmets, 1. He could have KILLED a pedestrian, 2. His luck was in NO cars

 

[Gionnirocket]

MORON parents are even giving children illegal over powered e bikes, NO training NO helmets, 1. He could have KILLED a pedestrian, 2. His luck was in NO cars

Darwin @ work.
Too many on the planet anyway.

 

[None]

I've been commuting between Hoboken, Manhattan and Brooklyn on bicycles since 2013.
Traffic pattern for cyclists have changed drastically better for cyclists since.
The pace in the city is different from most anywhere else, even for walkers, let along cyclist or motorists.
As one of the most densely populated city with tourists among them, it's fascinating how casualties are not higher.
Time to time, I have closed calls myself on the bike, but being used to the pace of the city, I manage to avoid death
by hopping onto the sidewalk or any place there is to avoid impact.
I rather hit a 200 lb. pedestrian than a 4000 lb. car. either way I take my chances, but I think the prior gives my better odds.