The Daily Q: Which NYC neighborhood is the most dangerous for pedestrians?

Posted April 23, 2012 By Alice Brennan

New York City pedestrians are constantly making the death dash across busy city streets, dodging cars, buses and bikes. Standing on the sidewalk is sometimes not much safer. In a three-car accident near Times Square on Saturday night, a Jaguar rear-ended a Chevy Impala, which in turn plowed into a yellow cab. The Jaguar flew up onto the sidewalk, hitting several pedestrians.

Densely packed Times Square clearly has its hazards, but is it the worst place a pedestrian might tread? We want to know: Which New York City neighborhood is the most dangerous for pedestrians?

If you have information or insight to share, write us, tweet @thenyworld or comment below.

What we found

It’s a good idea to stay “Off Broadway.” Saturday’s accident is just one of many in that same area.

Famous for its creativity and life, Broadway is unfortunately now also regaled with the dubious crown of “Most Dangerous Street in New York” for pedestrians.

Out of a citywide total of 446 pedestrian deaths between 2007 and 2009, 18 occurred along Broadway, mostly on the Upper West Side. The Tri-State Transportation Campaign ranked Broadway the second most dangerous road in New York State.

Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn didn’t rate much better, coming fifth on the list, with eight pedestrian deaths in that three year time period. Borough by borough, the study found that Brooklyn was the most dangerous for pedestrians, with 152 deaths in three years, followed by Manhattan with 109 deaths, then Queens, Bronx and Staten Island.

Transportation Alternatives, which runs crashstat.org, an interactive map of accidents, also compiled a list of the most dangerous intersections for pedestrians and cyclists in New York, using data from the New York State Department of Transportation.

Stay away from the corner of Park Avenue and East 33rd Street, because 173 pedestrians were injured there between 2007 and 2009. Likewise Utica Avenue and Eastern Parkway don’t offer much safety for the Sunday stroller — six people died on that corner, and 140 were hurt. The next six dangerous corners are in Manhattan mostly around Midtown, 34th and 42nd streets.

New York has one of the worst pedestrian safety records in the country. Over half of the traffic deaths in the city are of people who had been walking or standing on the street. Aside from the human cost, traffic crashes also cost the city $4.29 billion every year. The city government launched a number of pedestrian safety initiatives in 2010 and continues to work on improved signaling, surface maintenance and public awareness.

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<h1>The Daily Q: Which NYC neighborhood is the most dangerous for pedestrians?</h1><a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.thenewyorkworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/dailyQ2-01.jpg');" href="http://www.thenewyorkworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/dailyQ2-01.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-2600" title="dailyQ2-01" src="http://www.thenewyorkworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/dailyQ2-01.jpg" alt="" width="105" height="105" /></a>New York City pedestrians are constantly making the death dash across busy city streets, dodging cars, buses and bikes. Standing on the sidewalk is sometimes not much safer. In a three-car accident near Times Square on Saturday night, a Jaguar rear-ended a Chevy Impala, which in turn plowed into a yellow cab. The Jaguar flew up onto the sidewalk, hitting several pedestrians.
Densely packed Times Square clearly has its hazards, but is it the worst place a pedestrian might tread? We want to know: Which New York City neighborhood is the most dangerous for pedestrians?
If you have information or insight to share, <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/mailto/nyworld@thenewyorkworld.com');" href="mailto:nyworld@thenewyorkworld.com">write us</a>, tweet @thenyworld or comment below.
<h3>What we found</h3>
It’s a good idea to stay “Off Broadway.” Saturday’s accident is just one of many in that same area.
Famous for its creativity and life, Broadway is unfortunately now also regaled with the dubious crown of “Most Dangerous Street in New York” for pedestrians.
Out of a citywide total of 446 pedestrian deaths between 2007 and 2009, 18 occurred along Broadway, mostly on the Upper West Side. The Tri-State Transportation Campaign ranked Broadway the <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.tstc.org/reports/danger11/Most_Dangerous_Roads_2011.pdf');" href=" http://www.tstc.org/reports/danger11/Most_Dangerous_Roads_2011.pdf">second most dangerous road</a> in New York State. 
 
Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn didn’t rate much better, coming fifth on the list, with eight pedestrian deaths in that three year time period. Borough by borough, the study found that Brooklyn was the most dangerous for pedestrians, with 152 deaths in three years, followed by Manhattan with 109 deaths, then Queens, Bronx and Staten Island.
Transportation Alternatives, which runs <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.crashstat.org');" href="http://www.crashstat.org">crashstat.org</a>, an interactive map of accidents, also compiled a list of the <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/crashstat.org/sites/default/files/dangerous/Top%20Ten%20Intersections%20CITYWIDE.pdf');" href="http://crashstat.org/sites/default/files/dangerous/Top%20Ten%20Intersections%20CITYWIDE.pdf">most dangerous intersections</a> for pedestrians and cyclists in New York, using data from the New York State Department of Transportation.
Stay away from the corner of Park Avenue and East 33rd Street, because 173 pedestrians were injured there between 2007 and 2009. Likewise Utica Avenue and Eastern Parkway don’t offer much safety for the Sunday stroller — six people died on that corner, and 140 were hurt. The next six dangerous corners are in Manhattan mostly around Midtown, 34th and 42nd streets.
New York has one of the worst pedestrian safety records in the country. Over half of the traffic deaths in the city are of people who had been walking or standing on the street. Aside from the human cost, traffic crashes also cost the city $4.29 billion every year. The city government launched a number of pedestrian safety initiatives in 2010 and <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/nyc_ped_countdown_signal_map.pdf');" href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/nyc_ped_countdown_signal_map.pdf">continues to work</a> on improved signaling, surface maintenance and public awareness.

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