Despite Mayor’s Vision Zero Efforts, NYC Traffic Deaths Spiked in 2021

By Yehudit Garmaise

Mayor Bill De Blasio, with his Vision Zero policy, had promised zero traffic fatalities by 2024, however, he leaves office tomorrow as New York City recorded the highest yearly traffic death toll since his two terms began.

While in 2013, the year before Mayor de Blasio took office, 293 New Yorkers died in car crashes, as of Dec. 26, 2021, 266 people had been killed on New York City streets, the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) reported: showing only a 9.2% reduction in traffic fatalities.

While traffic fatalities have been increasing steadily since 2020, when dangerous speeding increased after the pandemic mostly cleared the streets, city officials pointed to other reasons for the continued rise in pedestrian and traffic deaths in 2021. 

Two-thirds of motorcycle victims were unlicensed, for instance, and almost twice as many drivers committed hit-and-runs in 2021, compared with the past three years.

Three-fifths of pedestrian-killing crashes involved drivers who either fled the scene, did not have valid licenses, or had prior convictions or license suspensions, Barone said.

In 2021, New York has recorded the deaths on the city’s streets of 120 pedestrians, 19 cyclists, 50 motorcyclists, 61 motor vehicle occupants, and 14 users of other modes of transportation, such as e-scooters.

 In addition to repeatedly encouraging New Yorkers stop driving and instead bicycle, walk, and use public transportation as ways to eliminate traffic and congestion in the city, the mayor has made considerable efforts to improve traffic and pedestrian safety in New York City.

Throughout his eight years in office, the mayor has completed 811 street improvements, such as adding 67.8 miles of new bus lanes, launched the city’s first-ever busways, added 1,800 speed cameras, and 161.7 miles of protected bike lanes, DOT First Deputy Press Secretary Vincent Barone told BoroPark24. 

On Sept. 14, for instance, a new two-way protected bike lane opened on the Brooklyn Bridge, which immediately saw a stunning 88% increase in cyclists, when compared with number of cyclists who traversed the bridge in October 2020.

 “We have reclaimed space from cars to make cycling over the Brooklyn Bridge safer and easier, while making the pedestrian experience better than ever: and it has been a great success,” said DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman. “I couldn’t be more thrilled to see people flock to this critical connection in our bike lane network. If you haven’t yet, I encourage everyone to try the new lane and embrace cycling as a sustainable and healthy way to get around our great city.”

Mayor-elect Eric Adams has said he will continue to build 300 more miles of protected bike lanes.

In addition, Mayor de Blasio has repeatedly called on the state to allow the city’s speed cameras, which are currently only legally allowed to operate from 6 am to 10pm, to be used 24/7 to eliminate traffic deaths. 

“It’s been a challenging year, and we mourn every life lost on the streets,” City Hall spokesman Mitch Schwartz said. “But this mayor presided over seven of the eight safest years on record because he made structural changes.

“From record installations of bus lanes and bike lanes, to the largest speed camera program in North America, to reduced speed limits on dozens of miles of major corridors, we’ve made important changes to keep New Yorkers safe.”