Study: Delivery Workers Are the Safest Cyclists on NYC Roads

A new study from Hunter College reveals that delivery workers are the safest cyclists in New York City, reports Sophia Lebowitz in Streetsblog USA.

From Streetsblog: 

The Hunter College study examined 155 intersections during a three week period in late 2025, when a team of 56 researchers observed individuals using anything that’s not a car to get around: bikes, e-bikes, mopeds and scooters. The researchers looked at the type of vehicles they used and how street design affected their behavior.

The study found that 58 percent of recreational and commuter riders ran a red light during the study period. “By contrast, 55 percent of delivery workers waited entirely for the light to turn green, 27 percent stopped to ensure they were safe and continued, and only 18 percent blew through red lights at speed.”

According to researcher Prof. Mike Owen Benediktsson, “It does stand to reason that deliveristas would be more cautious in their riding. They have more at stake, and they're professionals, they're getting a lot more hours engaged in micromobility riding. And I'm sure that they don't relish the idea of getting into an accident and losing their means of making a living.”

The study found that a lack of bike infrastructure correlates to more cyclists on the sidewalk, “strong evidence” that riders use sidewalks when they feel unsafe in the road. According to Benediktsson, “the feeling of having a formal space in the roadway that belongs to you, is what may explain our finding that people are more law-abiding generally when they're in protected lanes.”