Public Health
Streetsblog Basics
A “Vision Zero” for New York?
On Tuesday the Bloomberg administration announced record low traffic deaths from 2000 to 2007, and claimed, if not in so many words, that city streets are safer than ever. But the numbers, included on a chart that accompanied this media release, also indicated that 23 cyclists died in 2007. That would make last year -- according to the data released Tuesday, at least -- the deadliest for riders in the eight year period shown.
February 1, 2008
City Numbers Show Highest Cyclist Death Toll in Eight Years
Traffic fatalities in 2007 were at their lowest level since the city began keeping records almost 100 years ago, according to data released today by the Bloomberg administration. However, while the number of pedestrian fatalities last year dropped sharply percentage-wise from 2006, down to roughly one death every two-and-a-half days, cyclist fatalities were up, and pedestrian and cyclist deaths combined accounted for 58.6 percent of the 271 total traffic deaths, the highest such percentage in the past eight years.
January 29, 2008
Ghost Bikes Memorial Ride Marks Another Year of Loss
Grief, solidarity and resolve brought out two hundred New York cyclists yesterday for the third annual Ghost Bikes Memorial Ride, to commemorate cyclists killed by motor vehicle drivers last year.
January 7, 2008
Is Barack Obama the Livable Streets Candidate?
Barack Obama is a long-time cyclist (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
January 2, 2008
January 3rd: The Wrongdoer is Brought to Justice
"The wrongdoer is brought to justice because his act has disturbed and gravely endangered the community as a whole, and not because damage has been done to individuals who are entitled to reparation. It is the body politic itself that stands in need of being repaired, and it is the general public order that has been thrown out of gear and must be restored." -- Hannah Arendt
December 21, 2007
The One Carbon Tax That Couldn’t
Assembly Member Richard Brodsky, archenemy of Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan, is urging the mayor to seek a carbon tax instead. So he said, following Monday's meeting of the Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission, as reported by Streetsblog and confirmed by at least one other observer.
December 20, 2007
City Pedestrian Crossings Are Discriminatory by Design
Even the sprightliest city pedestrian sometimes has to hustle across the street to beat a short walk signal. In a new report, Transportation Alternatives examines what it's like for New York's elderly to face flashing lights, wide crossings and unyielding motorists.
December 17, 2007
What Makes a Place Walkable?
Bikes at Work has an interesting database that uses census numbers to show how many people walk to their jobs in cities, towns and villages across the US. A quick search for the highest walk-to-work locations for towns with over 1000 people yields the following results:
December 14, 2007
Driving: Teenage America’s Deadliest Preventable Epidemic
Automobile crashes are the number one killer of teenagers in the United States, with nearly 6,000 deaths a year for the past decade, and more than 300,000 injuries annually. Yet millions of parents continue to let their kids drive unsupervised, many of them counting on God and government to keep them safe.
December 12, 2007