58th Street and Roosevelt Avenue (GMaps)
July 29, 2019 By Allie Griffin
The most dangerous intersection for bikers traveling through Queens is at 58th Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Woodside, according to a new study.
The home-search site Localize.city released its study as the city-wide death toll of cyclists following collisions and other traffic incidents climbed to 18 Monday morning.
Twelve cyclists at the Woodside intersection have suffered injuries in the last five years, according to Localize.city’s data scientists. This number ties the intersection the fourteenth most dangerous for cyclists citywide.
The study notes that there are no bike lanes along either Roosevelt Avenue or 58th Street and traffic from Woodside Avenue connects with the intersection. “That adds in a wildcard element that makes traffic unpredictable,” said Localize.city urban planner Sam Sklar.
Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced a $58.4 million plan to improve bike safety throughout the five boroughs. Under his plan called “Green Wave,” the Department of Transportation identified “bike priority districts” where there’s a disproportionate number of cyclist fatalities. The areas in Queens include Jackson Heights, Corona, Elmhurst, Ridgewood, Middle Village and Rego Park among others.
While the plan identifies neighborhoods in need of increased bicycle safety, the DOT has not yet disclosed exact intersections will be included in the 100 most crash prone intersections where the initiative promises to ramp up NYPD enforcement. Localize.city analyzed every intersection across the five boroughs and evaluated the relative safety of each one based on bicycle injuries and fatalities, for a five-year period through 2018.
The top ten intersections with the highest number of cyclist injuries and fatalities are all in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The number one most dangerous is in Chelsea at 6th Avenue and W. 23rd Street, with 21 injuries and was the spot of a cyclist fatality last month.
“Experts and the city already know where the dangerous intersections are and what makes them so unsafe. Our job at Localize.city is to ensure all New Yorkers are informed,” Sklar said. “If you’re thinking about taking up cycling you should know if the intersections and streets near your home are dangerous. If you’re moving and cycling is important to you, we want you to find a home that will be safe to cycle to and from.”
50 Comments
Does anyone realize this is the intersection where a speeding car made a bus take out two restaurants??? The bagels plus and the neighboring little Caesars??? I walked by there yesterday. Both are still in building mode!
I don’t get all the cyclists claiming it’s OK to break the law. Do cars and pedestrians violate safety laws too? Of course.
But do cars and pedestrians ROUTINELY blast through red lights at full speed without concern for those who have the right of way, barely even looking? No. But I watch multiple cyclists do this every single day and am frequently almost hit by them. There is a culture of law breaking and then complaining about everyone else because a critical mass of bikers seem to think being on a bike = you never have to slow down or stop for any reason, rules of the road be damned.
Let’s start and end this by asking drivers what they want in order to make cyclists safer.
Lived a block away for decades. Cyclists coming down the hill on Roosevelt try to neat the light at 58 St. because they want to maintain their momentum. Used to do it myself.
It’s crazy how the politicians are trying to sell bike lanes based on deaths meanwhile pedestrians are following the law and are surviving. Seems like a culture issue with cyclists.
Hey look everyone, I found the one New Yorker who doesn’t jaywalk!
And apparently those hundreds of pedestrians who get killed by cars every year are just fake news. What a relief!
So in a childish way you’re admitting that cyclists break the laws that keep them safe. So you’ll get a bike lane to break more laws? Ha!
Are you the Mike the creep who rode on bike selling weed? And rob ppl homes ? Yea you know it !!
BINGO!
Hey, I too have seen cyclists making unsafe choices, but I’ve seen drivers & pedestrians doing the same.
WNYC & Gothamist did some great reporting on this– & addressed why it’s so much easier to feel anger at cyclists instead of cars, buses, and trucks, which are a lot more dangerous when it comes to fatalities. I’d never bike in this city, but I admire the cyclists who are brave enough to try to make this city more hospitable to biking– which helps alleviate all the noise & air pollution & traffic we all complain about everyday!!!!
https://gothamist.com/2019/07/16/everyone_hates_cyclists.php
Also, everyone telling cyclists to stick to the bike lanes, why not shift your energy & yell instead at one of the SUVs that crowd the bus lanes on Queens Blvd, or the many drivers that double park along Greenpoint Ave? We have become a culture that rolls its eyes when an enormous SUV idles and blocks traffic, or an Uber makes a dangerous UTurn, yet when a cyclist dares to try to get down the same street, we pop off. As someone who grew up in this city, the simple fact is, there are way more cars on the road, more delivery cars and more ride share services, and more trucks for more internet deliveries. I’m not a fan of the implementation of Vision Zero, but something’s gotta change…
Never hit by a car as a pedestrian, been hit by three bicycles all driving illegally. And Gothamist is not a credible source.
I’ve never been hit by a bicycle, riding illegally or not. Have you considered the possibility that either you share the blame more than you want to admit, or that it’s simply bad luck? How about the fact that getting hit by a single car has a very high chance of putting you in the hospital if not killing you?
That said, I am interested in your examples of when Gothamist has lied before.
Who cares if 99% of fatalities were caused by cars? You’ve got an anecdote!
So explain that to me You get hit by the man Open the car door The question is Why are you are too close to car door. Should that man Care about your life More than you Do. For your self We always Tell our kids Look. To. all right look to the left When you crossing the street Even the city Tell to the public Don’t to drink and drive So lucky you you don’t get Hit. Because you never know who is behind the door because you never know who is behind the door So take care of yourself my friend and watch out for yourself so take care of yourself my friend and watch out for yourself No one love you more than yourself
Cyclists: Stick to streets that have bike lanes.
Also motorists: “there shouldn’t be any bike lanes”
And then use the damn bike lanes, in the correct direction and stop for the red lights, etc etc all that boring Traffic Law stuff. The life you save may be your own.
An objective view would see that many, if not most bikers DO use the lanes, stop for red lights and stop signs, and obey the laws. Focusing on the minority who disregard the rules in any situation is easy but inaccurate when trying to categorize the whole group. If all operators of motor vehicles obeyed the laws, this would be a dramatically better place to live. Blaming bicyclists for our traffic woes is lame, a cheap and easy shot.
Been living in Woodside for over 15 years and an avid biker. I went to safety town as a kid and was taught to obey the signs. This intersection is always a nightmare, and it’s mostly impatient cars pushing and pushing their way thru. It’s a very narrow area and wish the town could re-design the area. Also, notice how cars always go too far past the line at the light and need to back up for the buses to squeeze thru?
Here is a clue…there is no bike lane at that intersection so why would you ride your bike there? Take Queens Blvd or 34th Ave, I stick to the bike Lanes as much as possible
Because 58th street goes north and south. It’s one of the few ways to reach other bike lanes, so we have no choice…
Your article is missing the important statistic. How many deaths or accidents per hundred thousand riders are we talking about. As ridership goes up, so will all the things that happen to riders.
“Riders” is more inclusive than “bikers” or “cyclists.” I saw a guy riding an e-scooter yesterday balancing his 3ft. laundry bag on the handlebars. Saw another guy on his scooter carrying case of wine too. Impressive skills, but yeah, there’s going to be more accidents. And not just on bikes.
I don’t have the time to look up the stats right now, but if I recall correctly, the average number of death and injuries has mostly remained the same, while ridership has gone up drastically. Thus significantly lowering the rate per 100k.
If you need more detail than that, the city makes all the stats publicly available. Should be able to do it in a couple of quick Google searches.
I was hit by a man opening a door carelessly at precisely that intersection in Woodside. Broken collarbone, bike damaged. It was the same move the driver of the van that kill the cyclists yesterday in sunset Park. I was lucky enough that there was no car directly behind me, otherwise I’d have been run-over
@Steve..Were you riding in a designated bike lane?..Sounds like you weren’t!!..You claim the man opening the door was careless but accept no accountability for riding in traffic? Alleviate the danger and purchase a Metro Card..The subways and buses will take you anywhere you need to go in NYC…Save the bike riding for a park!
If there’s no bike lane you’re legally REQUIRED to ride in traffic. And it’s illegal to open your door and hit someone. The person who hit him is 100% at fault.
Why would any REASONABLE person choose to ride a bicycle in traffic?.NYC has a very efficient mass transit system and is a much safer alternative! If the cost of a metro card is too expensive then go ahead and jump the turnstile..Your progressive mayor encourages it!
Arvin, there’s traffic EVERYWHERE in NYC. So what do we bikers have as a choice? Everyone knows there’s too many cars on the road. Just look at any major thoroughfare, traffic backed up everywhere. We bikers are actually helping car drivers by not getting in a car and clogging up more roads, think about it
Hey, what happened to those goalposts that were here just a second ago???
Oh I see, they were moved over there.
I dont care for riding bike in NYC. Too dangerous .
Im sure you had a ins claim against car, if it was the other way around and I got hit with a bike medical cost would be from my wallet.
Car owners have insurance
Bikers do not – time to change that .
I’ve been riding my bicycle in the city for over 15 years. In bike lanes and not. I’ve never had an accident or a run in with a car or truck. All it takes is patience, attention and following rules of the road, something too many cars unfortunately do not do.
Why not assume that the car door will be opened very soon? That would save you some nasty painful surprises.
“Four from the door” is a common phrase within the biking community, but the fact is it’s not always possible. Depending how wide the street or lanes are, lots of drivers who see cyclists as sub-human will buzz dangerously close to you or try to intimidate you into moving over. Also not everybody is an expert, and they deserve safer streets too.
If a driver wouldn’t open the door into a truck, they shouldn’t open it into a cyclist. The problem is they’re looking for one and not the other. This takes a big change in thinking, but one fairly easy step towards doing that is to teach drivers the Dutch Reach when opening doors.
It’ll take time, but make it part of the driving test. Make sure cabs and ride-share drivers tell their passengers to use it. It has been shown to work over time.
Do the statistics show if the cyclists are following traffic laws? While this is a busy intersection it has a 4 way traffic light and is pretty safe for cars and pedestrians.
Guess what? Cycling is still dangerous if you have bike lanes. More cyclists will bicycle. More cars will be on the roads with bicycles. And bicycling in a city like New York is inherently dangerous with the unpredictable traffic patterns. Sorry, but Vision Zero is doomed to fail. Not to mention all the pedestrians that get hit by bicyclists who disobey traffic rules.
It’s curious that you think pedestrians getting hit by bicyclists is a “thing that matters,” but not pedestrians hit by cars and trucks who account for 99% of pedestrian deaths.
You can most likely hear a motored vehicle coming!!!!
If it’s dangerous for cyclists why isn’t it dangerous for pedestrians? Maybe because one group doesn’t follow the traffic laws and another group does?
I know all the usual suspects will come out with all the usual the rants about bikers, but the fact is this is a terribly designed intersection—especially when you include 59th Street, which is part of the same mess.
Scares the crap out of me every time I ride through it (I’m lucky and don’t have to do it often). Doesn’t matter how well I’m following the law and riding defensively, and it’s no better for pedestrians. It also doesn’t help that the streets around it are a mess, giving very limited options if you do need to go through that area. A redesign is long overdue.
When will they learn that Bicycles and Motor Vehicles DON’T MIX? The answer is you have to ban one or the other or deaths will continue to increase. There are many reasons but basically it comes down to Societal Priorities. Every timing you eat, wear or services that you use comes to you on a Motor Vehicle, whether it is Electric powered or Internal combustion engine powered. You aren’t calling a “Pedicab” to take you to a Doctors appointment, or going to a restaurant or the theater. I hate Uber and Lyft, but they are facts of life, as is the Trucking Industry.
If you mix Bicycles (unstable single track vehicles at best) and Motorists, personal or Commercial there will be ACCIDENTS, and the Bicyclists will always suffer. What does that tell you? If you like Bicycles as a hobby fine go ride them in the Public Parks, not City Streets. Commercial Delivery Riders are not the ones mostly dying, it’s the recreational Bicyclists that aren’t paying attention that suffer.
I see “Distracted Drivers” and “Distracted Bicyclists” every day, they contribute to the problems. No amount of Legislation pro-Bicycle will stop the carnage, get Bicycles off the streets for their riders own safety. The common denominator in Motor Vehicle vs Bicycle fatalities is the BICYCLE, inherently dangerous compared to the Motor Vehicle.
As you said, cars and bikes don’t mix. Thanks for agreeing we need more bike lanes.
NO we do not need more bike lanes .This is a heavy populated
city . We cannot make
room for bikes on the road . Plse ride ur bikes in park .
Nelly, are you nuts? You don’t sound like you’re from New York City. This city is NOT made for the incredible amount of cars everywhere. This city is built for bikers since A: it’s much easier to get around on a bicycle than a car, B: bikes cost less and don’t pollute, C: it’s healthier and we’re trying to make more room for all the car lovers. This city is finally doing something about the overage of cars in the city, tired of all the traffic, backup and it’s become a big parking lot.
Bicyclists who obey the laws.
They are riding a vehicle in the road so therefore they are to follow the same rules??
I hope not, otherwise you’d look clueless!
Ever take responsibility for your actions and decisions???
Surely you wouldn’t do that, you’re against casually breaking the law!
Or wait, do you only pretend that when someone else is doing it?
Actually, no I have never Jay walked an no I have not gone above 25 in NYC even when the speed limit was 30.