Public Health

There's an old saying: "There's lies, damn lies and then there's statistics". But it's not the data that lie, if properly collected, it's how you interpret the data that matters.

New York City Department of Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden speaking at today's event in Central Park announcing a major new bicycle safety initiative. Behind him, from left to right, are Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall, and NYPD Chief of Transportation Michael Scagnelli. No Mayor Bloomberg but, hey, three commissioners and a police chief ain't bad.

As part of today's big announcement on bike safety improvements, the City is committing to undertaking the following actions. From the City's press release:

One of the most interesting developments to emerge from today's big announcement on bike safety is the idea that bicycling is now being treated by city government as a public health issue. This is from the City's press release:

Car-Free Sunday on the Grand ConcourseA Clarence Eckerson, Jr. StreetfilmRunning time: 3:58 - 12.35 MB, QuickTime

In the wake of this morning's Midtown bike fatality, a correspondent reports:

A cyclist riding a red mountain bike was killed on Ninth Avenue and 29th Street at about 10 am this morning. The cyclist, a courier working for Urban Express, was traveling southbound in the right lane of 9th Ave. A 10-wheel truck carrying construction materials was driving in the lane to his left. At 29th Street, with the light green and both vehicles moving, the trucker made a right turn, directly into the path of the cyclist. With no no safety plating to prevent the cyclist from falling beneath the wheels of the truck, he was crushed and killed. Witnesses describe the crash as "horrific." Couriers at the scene say that the cyclist's name was Darrell.

You are welcome to come and see how this is done.

Ozone Alert in New York City: We warn children, the elderly and people with heart and lung conditions to keep off of city streets until air quality has improved. We suggest that motorists might use mass transit.