The effectiveness of New York City’s Vision Zero program continues to be debated in the wake of a post-pandemic spike in accidents and fatalities. (see for e.g. https://gothamist.com/news/vision-zero-sputters-nyc-traffic-deaths-reach-highest-level-de-blasio-era) Some changes in policies and infrastructure have clearly been effective overall in reducing accidents. Those are usually the basic ones that stem from common sense rather than overcomplicated ivory tower urban policy planning. The fancier and more intricate the devices and strategies, the less effective they seem to be in improving the flow of traffic around the city and keeping pedestrians and nonmotorized travelers safe. Bike lanes and traffic-free locations for pedestrians are obviously good but creating no traffic zones in the middle of high-transit routes, boondoggling the roads, causing traffic congestion and resultant pollution, and frustrated motorists, is counterproductive and leads to major problems, including accidents.
Installing boulders around the city for traffic calming (without security aspects) is costly, foolish, and potentially dangerous. Spending millions of our money on complicated lane configurations often does more harm than good. Dedicated bus lanes are theoretically a good idea except when they cause a diversion of traffic to side streets that were not configured for mass traffic, creating congested and dangerous gridlock for local communities, including children who play on those side streets. Common sense and an effort to equally accommodate every species of urban traffic, including pedestrians, trucks, and private vehicles, that keep our city moving, supplied and accessible do more than trendy tinkering and throwing our money around. Certainly, all biker, e-bike, scooter, and skateboard users should wear helmets. If you are in need and cannot afford to buy one, the city has decided to give helmets away at designated times and places over the next few weeks. Take a look!
Free contactless helmet fitting and distribution schedule NYC – https://www1.nyc.gov/site/visionzero/events/index.page
Queens – Jul 17, 11am to 2:30pm Velodrome on Booth Memorial Ave.,
Bronx – Jul 24, 11am to 2:30pm 450 St. Ann’s Ave., Bronx
Manhattan – Jul 31, 11am to 2:30pm East End Ave. & 84th St.,
Brooklyn – Aug 7, 12pm to 3:30pm 225 Nevins St., Brooklyn
Bronx – Aug 14, 11am to 2:30pm Middletown Rd. & Stadium Ave.,
Manhattan – Aug 21, 11am to 2:30pm West 94th Street and Columbus Avenue,
Brooklyn – Aug 29, 11am to 2:30pm 18th Avenue and 19th Avenue,
Queens – Sep 19, 12pm to 3:30pm 213-10 92nd Ave., Queens Village
If you are interested in traffic statistics and viewing the listed dangerous corridors and intersections around the city, take a look here:
Green wave safety Plan (2019) — https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/bike-safety-plan.pdf
Borough by borough safety plans with data on accidents — https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/vz-2019-update-city-hall.pdf
Cool maps – provides an interactive map of accidents and fatalities — https://coolmaps.esri.com/Dashboards/VisionZero/