Image Credit: New York City Department of Transportation
On January 15, 2025, New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced a new Vision Zero equity report revealing that predominantly lower-income neighborhoods that received street redesigns saw the largest declines in traffic deaths. Vision Zero began in 2014 to improve street safety through data driven initiatives.
The new report shows several findings. While communities of all incomes experienced declines in pedestrian fatalities and all traffic fatalities. Low-income neighborhoods received more Street Improvement Project installations per mile, the lowest income neighborhoods experienced the greatest decline in pedestrian fatalities on average: -34 percent. While neighborhoods of all races experienced declines in traffic fatalities among pedestrians on average.
Neighborhoods where roughly eighty percent of the community comprised of Asian, Black, and/or Hispanic residents saw the sharpest declines of safety accidents, with -26 percent for all fatalities and -32 percent for pedestrian fatalities.
The report was revealed in the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx, where the Department of Transportation completed three street redesigns in 2024. The redesigns aimed to improve safe connections to public transportation and build a connected network of 13.9 miles of bike lanes (with four of those miles being protected bike lanes).
The following redesigns have been completed: on Rosedale Avenue parking-protected bike lanes were installed from Story Avenue to Watson Avenue, new pedestrian islands and crosswalks were implemented. On Soundview Avenue parking-protected bike lanes between Lafayette Avenue and Gildersleeve Avenue and “hardening” intersection corners were installed. “Hardening” intersection corners reduce the speed of turning vehicles and separate travel directions. On Lafayette Avenue the old bike lanes were upgraded to parking-protected bike lanes and new bike lanes were added.
To read the report in full, click here.
New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said, “Every community deserves safe streets. Since the start of Vision Zero, NYC DOT has focused on ensuring our life-saving redesigns reach every corner of the five boroughs. This administration has doubled down on this commitment, delivering more and more projects in underserved communities to better protect New Yorkers and their loved ones on our streets—whether they’re walking, biking, or in a vehicle.”
By: Chelsea Ramjeawan (Chelsea is the CityLaw intern and a New York Law School student, Class of 2025.)