The city’s Vision Zero efforts seem to have stalled.
Though widely known as the epitome of a dense, pedestrian-friendly city, New York City saw pedestrian deaths rise in 2024, reports Lola Fadulu for The New York Times. “In 2024 there was a nearly 18 percent surge in pedestrian deaths, which jumped to 119 through Dec. 30 from 101 during the same time period in 2023. The city said that the 2023 figure was the lowest in 115 years of recorded data, and that 2024 was on track to be the fifth lowest in that time.”
According to Sarah Kaufman, the director of the Rudin Center for Transportation at New York University, the city’s progress on its Vision Zero goals can’t be reached “without major renovations of public space.”
Experts point to the growing size of vehicles and the rise of e-scooters, e-bikes, and other motorized devices as two of the reasons for the rise in fatalities — and two strong indicators that more fundamental changes to the city’s streetscape are necessary. “Danny Pearlstein, the policy and communications director for Riders Alliance, a transit advocacy organization, said the city needed to more rapidly deploy solutions, such as bus lanes; curb extensions; raised crosswalks; concrete dividers that narrow driving lanes and make it harder to take wide turns; and other ‘three-dimensional obstacles.’”
FULL STORY: Walkable' New York City became deadlier for pedestrians in 2024
Portland Traffic Deaths Surpass 2022 Number
This year, 69 people have died in traffic crashes in Portland, Oregon, nearly twice as many as in 2018, when the city began its Vision Zero program.
NYC Sees 127 Traffic Deaths in First Half of 2024
The number is the highest since the city pledged to end traffic deaths through Vision Zero policies a decade ago.
Report: Racial Gap in Traffic Deaths Persists
Communities of color have significantly higher rates of traffic fatalities, according to federal research.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
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San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.
Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.
In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
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