Report Reveals Brooklyn Street With Most Bike Accidents
As some of you may know, this month is National Bike Month. Bouroughwide, we’re celebrating both the widespread and personal benefits of biking, but also acknowledging that in our only somewhat bike-friendly city, people who take to streets on two wheels are always putting themselves at risk.
Yesterday, Atlantic City Lab and MIT’s You Are Here published an eye-opening interactive map that shows exactly which streets in every borough have been the sites of bike accidents. Here in Brooklyn, it’s Bedford Avenue.
Using data compiled between August 2011 and February 2014, City Lab found that of the 3,735 reported bike accidents in Brooklyn, 145–or 3.9 percent–occurred on Bedford Avenue. Another 89 crashes occurred on North Brooklyn’s Broadway and 80 crashes happened along Atlantic Avenue. Fulton Street, 18th Avenue and Avenue U followed closely behind. In all instances, the bicyclist involved was injured.
Outside Brooklyn, Manhattan saw 2,653 crashes, most of them occurring on 2nd Avenue (189), their own Broadway (174), and 5th Avenue (139). In Queens, the majority of the 3,599 accidents in that borough happened on 164th Street (59), Francis Lewis Boulevard (47), and 108th Street (44). The Bronx and Staten Island were the sites of 630 and 94 accidents, respectively.
Still, the super-populous, hyperactive Brooklyn led the city in crashes, which makes it even more apparent that we need Vision Zero here–badly. In the meantime, wear a helmet, look both ways and avoid running red lights if you can!
For a more detailed look at the report and to see data about your corner of the city, head to You Are Here, where you can explore the map by city, location and street.
Follow Nikita Richardson on Twitter @nikitarbk