This Is The Most Dangerous Neighborhood For Cyclists

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — Williamsburg, home to the Triangle Of Death and a bunch of commuters preparing to pedal to work during the L train shutdown, is the most dangerous neighborhood for New York City cyclists, according to a new study.

Crashes have left nine people dead and 1,408 injured in the area, putting it at the top of a list of 12 neighborhoods where cyclists are more likely to to be hurt, according to Localize.city, a website that analyses city data on the hyperlocal level.

Localize analysts identified particularly unsafe “clusters” where crashes are most frequent. Clusters in Williamsburg accounted for 704 cyclist injuries, 704 pedestrian injuries and nine deaths between 2013 and 2018, analysts found.

Roads leading to the Williamsburg Bridge and the so-called “Triangle of Death,” where Meeker, Union and Metropolitan avenues meet, were responsible for a high number of crashes, the study found.

“Access to the bridge is confusing and dangerous, and as a result cyclists and pedestrians have suffered dozens of injuries and one fatality near the bridge entrance since 2013,” said Localize.city urban planner Andrew Lassiter.

“With the L train shutdown looming in 2019, the number of pedestrians, drivers, and cyclists trying to use the bridge will only go up.”

But the study also noted that Vision Zero — Mayor Bill de Blasio’s initiative to improve traffic safety — has made an impact in Williamsburg, where the number of crashes injuring or killing pedestrians and cyclists dropped 5 percent between 2013 and 2017.

And transit officials plan have more safety upgrades in store for the Williamsburg Bridge entry ramps before the L train tunnel closes down in April 2019.

“New bike lanes and pedestrian safety improvements on streets leading to the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn should help relieve some of the crunch,” Lassiter said.

Still, neighborhood saw nearly 300 crashes involving cyclists and pedestrians, more than any other neighborhood, in 2017, analysts said.

And Williamsburg far outpaced its competitors for the number of cyclists injured between January, 2013, and January 2018.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Cyclists injured: 704
Pedestrians injured: 704
Killed: 9

Lower East Side, Manhattan
Cyclists injured: 515
Pedestrians injured: 826
Killed: 10

Corona, Queens
Cyclists injured: 332
Pedestrians injured: 455
Killed: 9

Downtown Brooklyn
Cyclists injured: 256
Pedestrians injured: 492
Killed: 6

Jackson Heights, Queens
Cyclists injured: 240

Pedestrians injured: 499

Killed: 9

Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
Cyclists injured: 206
Pedestrians injured: 421
Killed: 3

University Heights, The Bronx
Cyclists injured: 167
Pedestrians injured: 891
Killed: 8

Ridgewood, Queens
Cyclists injured: 98
Pedestrians injured: 237
Killed: 3

Flushing, Queens
Cyclists injured: 91
Pedestrians injured: 571
Killed: 12

Jamaica, Queens
Cyclists injured: 46
Pedestrians injured: 351
Killed: 4

Stapleton, Staten Island
Cyclists injured: 21
Pedestrians injured: 71
Killed: 0

St. George, Staten Island
Cyclists injured: 20
Pedestrians injured: 123
Killed: 0

To take a look at the complete report, visit Localize.city.

Photo courtesy of Drew Angerer/Getty Images