According to the latest analysis by a traffic safety advocacy organization, there are 118 intersections in New York City that have caused at least 5 deaths or serious injuries in the past four years, making them the most dangerous hotspots for pedestrian and bicycle accidents citywide. Experts are calling on the city government and city council to expedite legislation and promote more proactive measures to improve traffic safety to prevent tragedies from reoccurring.
Multiple traffic data analyses since 2022 have classified a total of 118 intersections across different administrative districts in New York City as “high fatality” or “high injury” locations. Several media outlets have pointed out that these intersections generally share common features: high traffic volume, frequent turns, long pedestrian crossing distances, obstructed sightlines, multiple lane merges, inadequate pedestrian signal timing, unauthorized parking near crosswalks, and limited driver visibility.
Accidents in busy sections of Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn are particularly concentrated. The most dangerous traffic intersections in each administrative district are as follows:
Manhattan: West 120th Street and Lenox Avenue
Queens: Northern Boulevard and 48th Street
Brooklyn: Flatbush Avenue and H Avenue
Bronx: Bruckner Boulevard and St. Ann’s Avenue
Staten Island: Hunton Street and Richmond Road
The traffic safety organization believes that the city government’s improvement efforts are significantly lagging behind the demand. Advocates point out that without enhancing sightlines, reducing crossing distances, adjusting signal timings, and other improvement measures, “these intersections will continue to be deadly.”
Several experts mentioned in reports that while the city government has initiated improvement projects, progress has been slow. “When an intersection has experienced multiple fatal or serious injury accidents, we should not wait years for improvements; these tragedies are entirely preventable.”
Advocates for traffic reform are urging the city council to pass new legislation aimed at enhancing pedestrian safety, including:
– Daylighting intersections: prohibiting parking near crosswalks to increase visibility for drivers
– Installing leading pedestrian intervals: allowing pedestrians to cross a few seconds before vehicles
– Narrowing intersection widths and adding pedestrian islands
– Implementing traffic calming designs and road reconfigurations
Studies show that implementing a ban on parking near crosswalks at all intersections can significantly reduce the risk of vehicles turning left and hitting pedestrians, making it one of the most cost-effective safety measures.
The Department of Transportation has responded by acknowledging these 118 high-risk intersections and stating that they will continue to adjust engineering and design priorities based on data. However, advocates emphasize that current policies are still insufficient to prevent the next fatal accident, urging the city government to undertake reforms with a sense of urgency: “Preventing deaths is not a technical problem, but a matter of political will.”