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Wrong Foot Forward: T.A. Reveals Huge Inequity in Traffic Safety Spending
Cylists Get Zero, Pedestrians Little

From Transportation Alternatives Magazine, Summer 2000

A copy of the full report is available here.

Read the latest news about this issue.

Transportation Alternatives and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign's new study, The Wrong Foot Forward - 2000, shows that the City and State Departments of Transportation (NYCDOT and NYSDOT) are spending very little to make the streets safer for bicyclists and pedestrians. T.A. scrutinized the hundreds of projects marked for safety spending in NYC from 2000-2004 and found that despite representing 48% of all traffic deaths, walkers and cyclists will receive only 5% of available safety funds from 2000-2004. Transportation officials often claim there is not enough money for large-scale bicycle and pedestrian projects. The Wrong Foot Forward - 2000 again shows what nonsense this is. In fact, there is an enormous amount spent on traffic safety in NYC--it's just not spent to benefit walkers and bicyclists.

Despite representing 48% of traffic deaths, pedestrians will receive only 5% ($14.4 million) of all traffic safety dollars for 2000-2004, itself a decrease of $8.1 million from the previous five-year program.

All the funds for pedestrian safety will come from the NYC DOT, and they will all be spent on restriping old pedestrian crosswalks.

Despite a record number (35) of cyclists killed in 1999, there is no safety money designated for cycling from 2000-2004.

Planned 2000-2004 safety spending per yearly motorist death is $1,505,813, per pedestrian death--$64,977, per cyclist death--$0.

The New York State DOT will spend $272 million on traffic safety in NYC, all of which will go towards highway rebuilding.

NYS DOT is spending $121 million to rebuild the Henry Hudson and Hutchison River Parkways, with an average of six deaths a year on these two roads combined. NYS DOT is spending nothing on dedicated pedestrian and cyclist safety, despite 234 bike and ped deaths last year.

The carnage--234 ped and bike deaths in 1999 alone--will continue until the City and State direct pedestrian and cycling safety funding to where the deaths are. The City needs to pursue federal traffic safety funding more aggressively, and the State should divert a sizable portion of safety money to the City's pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements. Specific steps that the City and State should take include:

  • New York State DOT should establish a $10 million annual pedestrian safety grant program in NYC similar to the traffic calming grant program on Long Island.
  • Reengineer the top 100 dangerous intersections in NYC to be safer and more congenial to walkers and cyclists.
  • Expand the bicycle and pedestrian network programs at the NYC Departments of Transportation and City Planning.
  • Provide significant funding for school-based traffic calming.
  • Improve pedestrian access and safety around public transit.
  • Increase the number of red light cameras in the city to 200 and install "photo radar" on streets throughout the city.

A copy of the full report is available here.

 

Recent Midtown pedestrian accident; Photo by John Kaehny
Recent Midtown pedestrian accident witnessed by T.A. staff members. The vehicle and driver involved are on the left. Paramedics are leaning over the victim, whose spilled coffee cup in the crosswalk marks the approximate point were he was struck. Photo by John Kaehny.
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