NYC Pedestrian Deaths Rose in 2024

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.’”