Pedestrian Deaths Climb in 2021, after Five-Year Decline

    The administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio credits his Vision Zero program with five straight years of declining pedestrian deaths, however, in 2021, those numbers have once again begun to climb.

     As of last week, the number of pedestrians who have passed away in New York City from traffic-related accidents, is 41, which is up significantly from the 26 pedestrians who died from Jan. 1 to April 28 in 2020.

     Although pedestrian deaths in the city have increased 58% so far this year, last year, which in total had 99 pedestrian fatalities, was the lowest number of such deaths since the city began to keep records on traffic deaths in 1910.

     In 2018, 31 pedestrians were killed in the same four-month period, and in 2019, 24 pedestrians were killed during that time, according to city Department of Transportation (DOT) data.

     In 2014, Mayor de Blasio launched Vision Zero with the goal of eliminating pedestrian fatalities completely by upgrading features of traffic safety, such as: re-timed traffic signals, protected bike lanes, additional bus lanes, and new signage. The city also decreased speeds limit to 25 mph on most streets.

     While some bikers love the city’s new 28.6 miles new protected bike lanes, which feature physical barriers that protect bikers from traffic, other New Yorkers complain that the bike lanes cause more traffic congestion, inconvenience, and confusion on the streets.

     “We will continue expanding our proven street safety programs and work speed cameras and automated enforcement, where authorized by law,” a DOT spokeswoman told The New York Post. “We will also work with NYPD on targeting enforcement to crash-prone areas.”

Photo by:  Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office.