NYC unveils new plan for bike safety

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - New York City officials have announced a new $58.4M safety initiative that will increasing the miles of protected bike lanes, redesign intersections to make them safer and increase police enforcement at the 100 worst crash intersections.

The plan, called “Green Wave: A Plan for Cycling in New York City” is aiming to take on the sudden spike in cyclist deaths this year. Seventeen cyclists have been killed across New York City in 2019, compared to just 10 in all of 2018. 

“The sharp increase in fatalities, which tragically have run contrary to the progress we had made in  Vision Zero over the past 5 years,” said Polly Trottenberg, commissioner of the Department of Transportation.

Of the city’s 1,240 miles of bike lanes in the city, only 480 are protected. The plan would increase that number by 30 miles each year. It would also build 75 miles of bicycle infrastructure in 10 Bicycle Priority Districts by 2022, convene a Truck Safety Task Force to leverage partnerships between public and private sector stakeholders and redesign 50 intersections to make cyclists more visible to turning motorists. 

More information on the Green Wave plan can be found here.