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Safety should be the #1 priority. Improving Bicycling Safety in New York City. LIN, Ming LaGCC 07312004. Why are Walking and Bicycling less important then Driving?. Automobiles.
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Safety should be the #1 priority Improving Bicycling Safety in New York City LIN, Ming LaGCC 07312004
Why are Walking and Bicycling less important then Driving? Ming
Automobiles • Answer: Because bicyclists are an easily forgotten minority in an age when most people equate transportation with automobiles. Ming
The New York City traffic laws : • “Driving bikes on sidewalks is prohibited unless sign allows or wheels are less than 26 inches in diameter and rider under 14 years of age.” • See Administrative Code 19-176 (passed in 2002). Ming
Health & Fitness Ming
Quality of Life Ming
Environment & Energy Ming
Economy Ming
Why don’t more people partake of the benefits of biking? • People feel Unsafe • People fear Road Rage • People fear getting Tickets Ming
800 US Cyclists Die Every Year • In the US, there are 85 million bicycle riders. 800 bicyclists die every year, and about 540,000 bicyclists visit emergency rooms with injuries every year. Motor vehicles are involved in 90-92 per cent of bicyclist deaths and 12 per cent of injuries on the roads. Sixty percent of bicycle deaths in 2000 occurred on major roads, and 32 percent occurred on local roads. Ming
The Human Bowling Alley • For example, Queens Boulevard is a neighborhood street, not a highway, but more than 300 pedestrians have been killed and 5000 seriously injured in the past 30 years on the highway-like street called “the human bowling alley”. • (T.A. Magazine, “Queens Boulevard is a neighborhood street, not a highway”) Ming
Crash Types and Causes by Cars • Human Error by Motorist: 20% • Bicyclists / Pedestrian Error: 30% • Alcohol: Factor in 1/3 of Fatalities • Speed: Significant Factor • Roadway Design: Data is Limited • Youth and Seniors are at Risk • Source: Brustman / NYBC 1999 Ming
General Problems • Neglect by Planners, Engineers and Educators • Road Rage • Mass Car Ownership • Congestion • Heels and Wheels Conflict Ming
Road Rage Ming
Proposal for reforming the 2002 bicycle laws: Operating a bicycle on the sidewalk is permitted: • When the sidewalk is not used by people; • When the sidewalk is crossed by a private road or driveway; • When traveling on a one-way road; • When overtaking and passing vehicles in the road; • When necessity or emergency mandates the use of sidewalks. Ming
How to Help: Please contact your city representative and city council-person asking for their support for the reforms. You can offer this slide show to them to demonstrate proper bicycle operation and how reforming the law will improve safety. Ming
Voice is Power Ming
Contact Information: • Mr. John Liu • Chairperson of the Council's Transportation Committee • District Office Address: • 135-27 38th Avenue, (Suite 388), • Flushing, New York, 11354 • District Office Phone No.: (718) 888-8747 • Fax Phone No.: (718) 888-0331 • Email: liu@council.nyc.ny.us Ming