NYC’s 12 most dangerous areas for cyclists, pedestrians: report

Localize.city, the website that aims to provide holistic neighborhood information to buyers and renters before they move, has now published a report that identifies the city’s 12 most dangerous areas for pedestrians and cyclists.

One of the worst areas is near Williamsburg Bridge, particularly on the south side. Localize.city analysts looked at data between January 1, 2013 and 2018 and found that while the number of crashes had reduced marginally over the last five years, this area still witnessed 300 crashes last year.

Another major area of concern is located close by, at the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Wyckoff Street, which sits under elevated train tracks, in Ridgewood. In the five years of data that Localize.city looked at, 98 cyclists were injured, 237 pedestrians, and 3 people were killed. Just last year, crashes under the M train tracks area increased by 35 percent.

In the Bronx, the border between University Heights and Fordham, around the recently rezoned Jerome Avenue, is particularly dangerous for pedestrians with 891 injuries reported between 2013 and 2018. Last year, there were 230 crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists in the area, which is up from the 200 crashes average this area maintained for the five years prior to that.

For their analysis, Localize.city weighed one, two, and multi-street lanes differently so that the final results weren’t biased against areas with more traffic. They then identified the biggest clusters of buildings that were located within 500 feet of the city’s most dangerous intersection—you can see maps of these on their website.

Another pattern Localize.city identified is that intersections near bridges and train tracks were some of the worst spots for accidents particularly due to limited visibility for vehicles and pedestrians alike.

Localize.city notes that Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero program has improved things significantly in the last few years, and that injuries are likely to reduce in the coming years as more improvements-related to this program come to fruition. Head on over to Localize.city to see their full analysis and other areas to be wary of in the city.