What We Learned From 2019's Spike in Cyclist Deaths

Here are the stories of the cyclists we lost [View this email in your browser]( 2019 Was an Extremely Deadly Year for NYC Cyclists. Here Are Their Stories. Plus: The MTA board officially approved the plan to add 500 cops to the transit system. Undocumented immigrants in New York (and soon likely New Jersey) can now get drivers licenses. And one more raccoon sighting for 2019. By [James Ramsay](mailto:james@wnyc.org?subject=We%20the%20Commuters) Scott Heins/Gothamist Yesterday morning, a school bus driver taking 14 kids to the American Museum of Natural History [hit a 50-year-old cyclist]( at 5th Avenue and East 96th Street. The cyclist was rushed to Mt. Sinai hospital, and pronounced dead shortly after. This marked the 29th cyclist death on New York City streets this year. By the end of June, more cyclists had already died in 2019 than in all of 2018. In July, a thousand New Yorkers [staged a die-in]( in Washington Square Park to demand safer streets, and [Mayor Bill de Blasio]( pledged to launch a "major enforcement action" targeted at reckless drivers. Still, more cyclists continued to die — 2019's death toll is now as high as it's been since 2000. Over the course of the last month, Gothamist sought to honor [the individual lives that make up these stats](. By speaking with family and friends of those who died, we learned about New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds, who chose to ride bikes for nearly every reason, from a way to relax the mind to a way to make a living. I asked reporter Emma Whitford, who led the project, to share some of what she took way from the process. [See our infographic of cyclists who died in city streets this year](. JR: Going into this assignment, you knew a lot of the facts already from news items or police reports. What did you end up learning that most surprised you? EW: It was really interesting to learn how various people are channeling their grief. The benefit of a story like this is, you're not just talking to the friends and family in the days right after a death. Over the course of the year, some people have jumped into advocacy for safer streets, though not all. Others have decided to channel their energy into philanthropy for the arts, or scholarships for yoga instructors. I also learned that these deaths have had varying impacts on how friends and family of the victims feel about biking. For example, some teenage friends of Mario Valenzuela, who died in Astoria this fall, are now afraid to ride their bikes. But another person I spoke with doubled down and started biking more after her girlfriend was killed. She explained that she felt drawn to her bike. And I knew going into this that cycling fatalities affect a really diverse cross-section of New Yorkers. But it was amazing to encounter so many languages on my reporting trips: Spanish, Bengali, Russian. JR: One really tragic element that jumped out at me was the fact that two different people — one food delivery worker, and one messenger — died during their first ever shift. How much does our economy rely on people who bike for a living, and is that something that gets overlooked when we talk about bike safety? EW: Dr. Do Jun Lee, who studies the conditions of food delivery cycling in New York City, [cites research]( that there are many more food delivery cyclists, like Mohammed Abdullah, in New York City than there are bike messengers like Robyn Hightman. Bike messengers peaked in the 1980s at 5,000. By contrast, there were 50,000 food delivery cyclists in 2012, a number that's likely grown as GrubHub [continues to grow](. I've personally noticed a lot [more reporting]( in recent years about the dangers that food delivery cyclists face on the job. That said, working on this piece showed me that New Yorkers who die while delivering food on a bicycle seldom get the humanizing treatment in the press that recreational riders do. I interviewed some of Mohammed Abdullah's friends, who are also food delivery riders, and they consider the job to be quite dangerous. One of them said he would frequently ride on to the sidewalk to avoid large cars — which is obviously something that annoys a lot of pedestrians in New York City. But it was helpful to get the perspective of young men who work anywhere from 30 to 70 hours a week delivering food on an e-bike. Friends and roommates of Mohammed Abdullah (Scott Heins/Gothamist) JR: This list of cyclists is about as diverse as you can imagine, in terms of age, background, and cycling experience, but geography is a bit of a different story. What patterns stand out when you look at where these fatal crashes happened? EW: Of the 27 cyclist deaths involving a vehicle (before Wednesday's fatal crash on the Upper East Side), 18 took place in Brooklyn. Within Brooklyn, three took place on Third Avenue, and two on Coney Island Avenue. In both instances, the Mayor's office responded by announcing new or accelerated street redesigns. But the plans don’t involve protected bike lanes on the actual avenues where the crashes took place. Throughout my reporting, victims' friends and family called for a much larger network of protected bike lanes. (In Queens, two fatal crashes occurred on Borden Avenue; local City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer [has proposed]( a protected bike lane for Borden.) JR: Each death is a tragedy, and 29 fatalities is horrific. In a larger context, though, is it accurate to say that the city has actually gotten less safe for cycling? EW: One thing we know for sure is that the number of cycling trips per year in New York City has increased substantially since 2000: from 54.8 million trips to 178.8 million trips. Comparing fatalities and injuries to trips, the Department of Transportation shows that cycling is [much less risky]( than it was 20 years ago. I also think the mayor’s Vision Zero plan, which aims to bring traffic deaths to zero by 2024, has helped advocates pressure him to speed up his implementation of bike lanes across the city. That said, this year's stats suggests that more drastic measures are needed if the city hopes to meet that 2024 goal. The Best and the Worst of This Decade in NYC Transit Runs With Scissors/[Flickr]( This December, the advocacy group Straphangers Campaign beefed up its annual list of highs and lows in mass transit by covering the entire 2010s. Here's your Top 3 from each category, starting with the best: 1. Congestion pricing: Albany finally passed congestion pricing in 2019, and it's expected to raise tens of billions of dollars in much needed revenue for capital projects. The surcharges on certain drivers in Manhattan will go into effect in 2021. 2. Fast Forward: In 2018, New York City Transit released this highly ambitious plan to repair and modernize transit service. It includes efforts to resignal the subway system on an expedited timeline, redesign the city’s bus network, and equip 70 additional subway stations with elevators and ramps. 3. Fair Fares: New York City is now funding half-priced MetroCards for low-income New Yorkers, with the full program opening for enrollment in 2020. And for the 3 worst things to happen in transit this decade: 1. Fare increases: Fares went up five times during the 2010s. At the beginning of the decade, the MTA’s base fare was $2.25; today it's $2.75. A monthly unlimited MetroCard cost $89 in 2010; now it's $127. Setting aside pre-tax benefits that some New Yorkers qualify for, monthly MetroCard holders spent $456 more in 2019 than they would have in 2010. 2. Superstorm Sandy: The storm decommissioned several subway lines and flooded stations back in 2012. It has cost almost $5 billion to "fix and fortify" the MTA’s transit system in the years since. 3. Service cuts: In 2010, while facing a $750 million operating shortfall, the MTA eliminated two subway lines, dozens of bus routes, and reduced service throughout the system. While some service has since been restored (like the W line), the MTA faces a steep operating deficit in coming years, which could mean more cuts yet again. [See the entire list here](. This Week's News From Gothamist and WNYC Gothamist The MTA board on Wednesday officially approved Gov. Cuomo's plan to add 500 police officers to the transit system. The decision, which was included in the vote for the MTA's $17 billion overall operating budget, did not get "yes" votes from three board members appointed by Mayor de Blasio. And three local House Democrats wrote a letter to the governor this week [arguing this would have the effect of "punishing the poor."]( Contrary to Cuomo's claims about a "dramatic increase" in subway crime, there's little evidence that the transit system is becoming more dangerous. Half of 8th Avenue between 38th and 45th Streets in Manhattan has now been reserved for pedestrians and cyclists. Non-motorists, who make up 85 percent of the area's road users, were previously squeezed into less than a third of the street space. This corridor had long been [a nightmare for pedestrians and bikers]( with one death and a total of 220 total injuries seen between 2013 and 2017. The city is running a new Vision Zero ad targeted at truck- and SUV-driving men, a group overwhelming responsible for traffic fatalities. The "Was it Worth It?" campaign, which shows images of devastated male drivers after presumably hitting someone, includes [billboards in English, Spanish, and Chinese](. Radio ads will also run on some Spanish, English, and Haitian Creole stations. A subway train covered in graffiti top-to-bottom, end-to-end, was spotted running in Bushwick last weekend. Painted trains usually get cleaned before they leave the station, so it's rare to see one operating. The art on this train was [a tribute to two New York City graffiti legends]( Matthew "ZEXOR" Rodriguez and Lonny "PHASE2" Woods, who both died last week. What Else We're Reading DMVs in New York City saw lines around the block on Monday, the first day undocumented immigrants could apply for driver's licenses. The new statewide law, which expands the types forms of ID you can use to get your license, has been met with resistance from county clerks in conservative upstate areas. ([The New York Times]( ...And in New Jersey, a bill allowing undocumented immigrants to apply for driver's licenses is awaiting Gov. Phil Murphy's signature. The bill passed by the state Senate and Assembly this week does not cover commercial driver's licenses. Proponents argue that changing the requirements for licenses could lower the cost of auto insurance in New Jersey, since most undocumented immigrants are driving without insurance and registration. ([NJ.com]( A bill before the New York City Council would legalize the e-bikes favored by food delivery workers and cap their speeds at 20 mph. There's a separate bill to legalize all e-bikes at the state level, but it appears unlikely that Gov. Cuomo will sign it before it expires at the end of the year. City Council Member Rafael Espinal's measure would bypass Albany and allow the use of throttle-assist e-bikes in the five boroughs. ([Streetsblog]( The MTA says it loses nearly $40 million a year because of scammers who break subway card vending machines and then sell swipes. Pat Warren, the MTA's chief safety officer, says that by cracking down on MetroCard scammers, the agency expects to save $50 million a year. As with other policing increases around fare evasion, there's concern among many that this will criminalize poverty and disproportionately target black and brown New Yorkers. ([AM New York]( Holiday travel can be stressful. This holiday-themed Classical Commute playlist from WQXR is the opposite of stressful. And you can [stream it for free on Spotify](. One More Nevins Street Raccoon Sighting to Cap the Year [raccoon] Amy Jacobus It's been a banner year for subway trash pandas. Raccoon-caused train delays more than doubled from 2018 to 2019, according to [The City](. There was that raccoon at 14th Street that the police [trapped in a garbage can](. And at the Nevins Street stop in Brooklyn last month, [a raccoon escaped]( after wreaking havoc on the 4 line. Then, this Tuesday night, [another raccoon]( (or maybe the same one who escaped) appeared at Nevins Street during the evening commute. Someone on the train reportedly offered to give the raccoon a snack, which is a bad idea. It would be cool, though, if someone with photoshop skills would put 2020 New Years Eve glasses on this animal and send it wethecommuters@wnyc.org. Weekend Service Changes: Night of December 20th – Early Morning on December 23rd This is a partial list of major service disruptions scheduled for the weekend. For a complete list of the MTA's Weekender updates, [check here](. Saturday and Sunday during the day, train service between Utica Av and New Lots Av in Brooklyn will be replaced by free shuttle buses. Saturday and Sunday, Woodlawn-bound trains will skip 183 St, Fordham Rd, Kingsbridge Rd and Bedford Pk Blvd in the Bronx. Pelham Bay Park-bound trains will run express from 3 Av-138 St to Parkchester in the Bronx. train service between Euclid Av, Brooklyn and Lefferts Blvd, Queens will be replaced by free shuttle buses. Norwood-bound trains will skip 170 St, 174-175 Sts and 182-183 Sts in the Bronx and Bay 50 St, 25, 20, 18 Avs, 79, 71, 55, 50 Sts and Fort Hamilton Pkwy in Brooklyn. On Saturday and Sunday, train service between Brighton Beach and Stillwell Av will be replaced by free shuttle buses. Manhattan-bound trains will skip 53 St, 45 St, 25 St, Prospect Av, 4 Av-9 St and Union St in Brooklyn. train service between Chambers St and Broad St in Manhattan will be replaced by the and trains at nearby stations. [Check here]( for complete details about the Long Island Rail Road. For NJ Transit, [check here]( for the latest service advisories. Upcoming Meetings and Events Friday, January 10th Transportation and Seniors in NYC: A Lower East Side Local Voices Event Seward Park Library — 2:00 p.m. [More info, RSVP]( Tuesday, January 21st Joint Metro-North & LIRR Committee Meeting — 8:30 a.m. NYC Transit / MTA Bus Committee Meeting — 10:00 a.m. Thursday, January 23rd MTA Board Meeting — 10:00 a.m. Registration for two-minute public speaking slots opens 15 minutes before the start time for official MTA committee meetings. To speak before an MTA board meeting, you must register 30 minutes early. All meetings are held in the MTA's Board Room at 2 Broadway, on the 20th Floor. James Ramsay will be out next week for the holiday and won't be sending a We The Commuters newsletter. See you in 2020! (Photo by Amy Pearl) Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential transportation coverage and more. 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