Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets Analyze Data From First 10 Years of Vision Zero
Traffic fatalities were 16% lower in the last ten years compared to the decade preceding Vision Zero – a difference of more than 450 lives.
Pedestrian fatalities fell 29% from 2014 to 2023.
Since the launch of Vision Zero, fatalities in majority-white community boards have fallen 4% — while increasing 15% in majority-BIPOC community boards and 30% in majority-Latino community boards.
2023 was the deadliest year under Vision Zero for bike riders – and 41% more cyclists were killed in the second five years of the Vision Zero era than the first five.
After 10 years of Vision Zero, Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets analyzed the City of New York’s own traffic fatality data to show trends, gaps, and successes from the first decade of the program.
Vision Zero has saved hundreds of lives: pedestrian fatalities fell 29% from 2014 to 2023 and fatalities were 16% lower during the decade of Vision Zero than the decade before its implementation. But, as more and bigger cars and trucks come to New York City – as they have over the past decade – the “safe systems approach” that underlies Vision Zero grows ever more important and essential to save lives on our streets.
At the same time, New York City hasn’t reached Vision Zero. When the program was launched a decade ago, traffic crashes killed 259 New Yorkers in the first year of the program. In 2023, traffic crashes killed the exact same number of New Yorkers – 259. Over the past decade, 2,412 New Yorkers have been killed in traffic violence. 2023 was especially deadly for bike riders – the deadliest year since 1999 – as more New Yorkers turn to bikes as our protected infrastructure lags.
“Vision Zero is a critical program to save lives and improve New York City, but to be successful and save lives, our leaders need to implement this program with the financial resources, political backing, and urgency it needs,” said Danny Harris, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. “Vision Zero isn’t just a slogan, but a call to action: we must design streets that keep New Yorkers safe. We fought to bring this lifesaving program to New York City and we will keep fighting until we’ve hit Vision Zero – not Vision 259 – and everyone in all five boroughs can walk, bike, drive, and take transit without fear of death or serious injury.”
“My son was killed when he was biking down Queens Boulevard over ten years ago. Since his death, I've fought for safer streets all across New York, and Queens Boulevard has been fundamentally transformed to truly serve everyone,” said Lizi Rahman, a founding member of Families for Safe Streets. “The success of the Queens Boulevard redesign shows that Vision Zero is possible with the right policies, but we need to do so much more across New York City. We must redesign every dangerous street. Our leaders must refocus on what we know works, and take steps today so no one else has to join Families for Safe Streets.”
Key takeaways from the first decade of Vision Zero:
Vision Zero works when we invest in it citywide. Traffic fatalities were 16% lower in the last ten years compared to the decade preceding Vision Zero – a difference of more than 450 lives. This is undoubtedly due to Vision Zero transformations across New York City, from redesigned streets to speed safety cameras to lower speed limits. By reducing traffic deaths, New York City has saved New Yorkers $8.3 billion over the past ten years, from wage and productivity losses, medical expenses, administrative expenses, motor-vehicle damage, employers’ uninsured costs, and value of lost quality of life.
Pedestrians are significantly safer than a decade ago. Citywide safety efforts, including a lowered speed limit, the installation of more than 2,000 speed safety cameras, and increasing the number of leading pedestrian intervals (LPIs) – which give pedestrians and bike riders a 3-7 second head start at stop lights to increase their visibility – has been essential to this improvement. Before Vision Zero, New York City had only 250 LPIs, and now there are almost 6,000 in the five boroughs with more installed every day. LPIs have been shown to decrease pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries by 34%.
While whiter, wealthier communities have safer streets than ten years ago, lower-income communities and communities of color have experienced an increase in traffic violence. When comparing the first five years of Vision Zero versus the second half of Vision Zero, it’s clear the program has not been fully or effectively implemented in neighborhoods of color and with lower incomes. While community boards with majority-white populations experienced a 4% decrease in traffic fatalities, community boards with majority-Black populations saw a 13% increase in traffic fatalities, and community boards with majority-Latino populations had a 30% increase in traffic fatalities. The top 10 community boards with the highest percentage of residents of color saw a 20% increase in traffic fatalities. This doesn’t mean Vision Zero doesn’t work, but the opposite: it only works as well as it’s implemented and prioritized. Vision Zero can make every neighborhood safer, but it must be fully and effectively implemented everywhere.
New York City’s bicycle infrastructure has not kept up with the rise in biking. As more and more New Yorkers are choosing to bike, New York is not building enough protected bike lanes. Nearly 100% of bike riders killed during the first decade of Vision Zero were killed on a street with no protected bicycle infrastructure.
Motorist fatalities are continuing to skyrocket. Motorist fatalities are up 23% citywide, and have increased significantly in community boards that are home to more people of color or low income New Yorkers. In the first five years of Vision Zero compared to the latter five, community boards with a majority-white population saw a 1% decrease in motorist fatalities, but majority-Black districts saw a 33% increase and majority-Latino districts saw an 81% increase.
The vast majority of pedestrians killed in traffic crashes are killed by cars. Since the onset of Vision Zero, drivers of cars, trucks, and other large vehicles have caused over 99% of pedestrian fatalities. The rise of SUVs and larger vehicles has had deadly consequences for the most vulnerable people on our streets. SUVs were the most lethal vehicles on our roads – in 2023, SUVs killed 70 people in total, 43 of whom were walking or riding bikes, and nearly two in three pedestrians killed in the past decade were killed by SUVs, trucks, or other large vehicles. From 2016 through 2020, the most recent data available, SUV registrations jumped 21% in New York City.
New Yorkers are being killed on streets the City knows are dangerous. The top 1% of New York City’s most dangerous streets were responsible for 269 deaths in the 2014-2023 period, representing 11% of the city’s total fatalities. Despite the deadly nature of these 22 streets, many of these roads remain unchanged. Per borough, the most dangerous streets are:
E. 138th Street in the Bronx (7.1 fatalities per mile, 12 deaths)
Graham Avenue in Brooklyn (5.8 fatalities per mile, 9 deaths)
Canal Street in Manhattan (6 fatalities per mile, 9 deaths)
Woodhaven Boulevard in Queens (4.4 fatalities per mile, 18 deaths)
Bay Street in Staten Island (3.1 fatalities per mile, 9 deaths)
Transportation Alternatives mapped every fatality between 2014 and the end of 2023 to create the only accurate map of Vision Zero fatalities. Check it out.
Queens Community Board 4 saw the largest rise in fatalities per capita of any Community Board during Vision Zero. Queens Community Board 4 – represented by Robert Holden, Francisco Moya, and Shekar Krishnan, in City Council – experienced a 125% increase in fatalities per 10,000 residents. It was one of three community boards – along with Brooklyn CB 14 and Manhattan CB 9 – to see fatality rates at least double from the first to second half of Vision Zero. The Queens Boulevard redesign is one of Vision Zero’s greatest success stories – and while it runs through Queens CB 4, redesigns like this one must be expanded throughout the community board, borough, and city to save lives. Queens CB 4 touches seven Vision Zero priority corridors and overlaps with an area identified for investments by the City – a Tier 1 Priority Investment Area – but no investments were made during the first two years of the Streets Plan. All community boards listed above are majority people of color based on U.S. Census data.
What elected officials are saying:
“Making our streets safer for all New Yorkers is essential to saving lives and must remain a priority,” said New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. “At the 10-year mark of Vision Zero in New York City, it’s promising that there has been an overall decrease in traffic and pedestrian fatalities. However, inequities persist in communities of color, which are still experiencing high rates of traffic violence. The latest data analysis underscores the importance of the Council’s continued efforts with all stakeholders to improve street safety in every community.”
“While we should celebrate an overall decrease in traffic and pedestrian fatalities over the last decade, it is deeply concerning that communities of color are experiencing fatalities at higher rates,” said New York City Council Majority Whip Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, Chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. “I’m further alarmed by the fact that 2023 was the deadliest year for cyclists in this century. I appreciate the efforts of advocates and my partners in government to put an end to traffic violence, and in the coming legislative term, I look forward to ensuring the city makes comprehensive investments in street infrastructure as we work to realize Vision Zero.”
“A decade of Vision Zero in New York City has proved that designing for people over cars works to slow speeds, revitalize public spaces, and save lives. However, consistently high fatalities in the city’s communities of color and among cyclists, combined with new challenges posed by oversized vehicles and reckless driving, demand a more ambitious approach. We must redouble our efforts to further curb traffic fatalities and serious injuries in New York City if we ever hope to truly achieve Vision Zero," said Comptroller Brad Lander.
“We are grateful to Transportation Alternatives for consistently monitoring the progress of Vision Zero since its implementation a decade ago and for highlighting the challenges that persist,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “While we can applaud the decrease in traffic and pedestrian violence, one incident is one too many. We will continue to work collectively with the New York City Department of Transportation, the Administration, and transit advocates to identify the challenges that persist, particularly in communities of color, and continue to advocate for cyclist safety initiatives that will keep our streets safe for all New Yorkers.”
“We know significant, life-saving achievements have been made in the last ten years of Vision Zero, and we should be immensely proud of those milestones,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “But even so, there is still much work to be done to ensure traffic safety in all our communities. It’s clear that more investment is needed to make our streets safer for all who use them in whichever way they use them, especially in our communities that have historically been disinvested in.”
“Vision Zero has saved hundreds of lives, but the City must double down on its investment in safe streets infrastructure in communities of color, where traffic fatalities are on the rise. The past decade has taught us that traffic violence is preventable, and equity must be at the center of Vision Zero policies and street improvements,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. “May this be the decade we lose not a single pedestrian, cyclist, or motorist to traffic violence – anywhere in the city.”
State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal said, “Ten years ago, New York City set an ambitious goal to lower traffic fatalities and make our streets safer for pedestrians. It is encouraging that in the decade since we started Vision Zero pedestrian fatalities decreased by 29% and that over the last ten years traffic fatalities decreased by 16%, compared to the previous ten. While it’s important to celebrate these victories, we also have to acknowledge how much work still needs to be done. 259 New Yorkers were killed in traffic crashes in 2023, the same number that were killed in traffic crashes the year Vision Zero launched. Additionally, 2023 was the deadliest year of the past decade for bikers, motorcycle fatalities are continuing to rise, and communities of color and low-income communities are not seeing the same kinds of decreases in traffic violence that wealthy white communities are. That’s why we need to pass bills like Sammy’s Law (S.2422), the Vehicle Safety Standards Act (S.1952) , and the Crash Victims Bill of Rights (S6278). These common sense laws will make a world of difference to New Yorkers by allowing the City to set slower speed limits to protect our kids, ensuring that new vehicles sold in New York State have safety features that are proven to reduce the chances of a crash, and empowering victims that are hit to hold reckless drivers accountable in court. I’m looking forward to passing this legislation in the Senate, which will help Vision Zero get closer to its final goal of ending traffic-related deaths in New York City.”
"This data makes it clear: when we build streets for people, we save people's lives," said State Senator Andrew Gounardes. "We should be proud of the progress we've made. But there's so much more we need to do, especially when it comes to ensuring communities of color have the safe streets they deserve. Whether it be expanding red light cameras, installing speed limiters in the cars of consistently reckless drivers, or designing better streets, we know what works. Now's the time to get it done."
"It's clear that we must continue to do the work to improve the safety of our streets and get through to motorists that this is a major matter of public safety", said Senator Roxanne J. Persaud. "Although pedestrians are significantly safer than a decade ago, the data shows that we have not achieved Vision Zero and that our low-income communities have experienced an increase in traffic violence."
“Vision Zero must mean traffic safety for all New Yorkers. It is inexcusable that as traffic fatalities have thankfully fallen in whiter, wealthier parts of our city, they have increased in our majority Black and Brown neighborhoods. The fight for street safety is a fight for racial and economic justice: Mayor Adams must implement Vision Zero with the investment and backing necessary to ensure that safe streets become a reality for all New Yorkers,” said Assemblymember Zohran K. Mamdani.
“I applaud Transportation Alternatives and Families For Safe Streets for their analysis of Vision Zero, and their advocacy for all of us. This 10 year review demonstrates an encouraging reduction in some roadway dangers, but also highlights how much more needs to be done to ensure equity for all communities. I am proud to have sponsored measures like red light cameras and speed safety cameras with the support of dedicated groups like Transportation Alternatives and Families For Safe Streets. We all must redouble our efforts to make streets safer for all New Yorkers,” said Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick.
“Today we commemorate the 10th anniversary of Vision Zero, a movement to eliminate traffic fatalities in our city. Since its inception, traffic deaths have decreased significantly. I am happy to say that Governor Hochul included Sammy’s Law A7266, a bill I am co-sponsoring to allow NYC to determine its own speed limits, in her proposed budget- we must make sure this makes it into the final budget. However, there is certainly more work to be done. Today is an opportunity to celebrate our successes while also renewing our commitment to safe transportation for everyone. Pursuant to this vision, my bill A1416 would authorize a 5-mile-per-hour speed limit on Open Streets in NYC to ensure the safety of everyone,” said Assemblymember Harvey Epstein.
"Vision Zero continues to make a positive impact on street safety, decreasing both the rate of traffic and pedestrian fatalities since its inception. It is also reported that traffic fatalities have increased significantly for majority-Latino communities. The urgency of Vision Zero persists into its tenth year and therefore we must continue to do everything we can to protect New Yorkers from creating more protected bike lanes, to holding drivers accountable, and curb dieting. Thank you Transportation Alternatives for your continued leadership and advocacy on this issue. I look forward to our continued partnership to build more safety infrastructure in Council District 18 and citywide,” said New York City Council Majority Leader Amanda Farías.
“For ten years, Vision Zero has served as a vital call to action for our City: No more traffic deaths. And in its decade-long existence, the campaign has proven successful, driving down traffic and pedestrian fatalities by the hundreds. Looking back, however, it’s clear that there remains serious work to be done to guarantee the full success of Vision Zero and ensure that our City remains committed to fulfilling its stated mission,” said Council Member Crystal Hudson. “I remain resolute in my support of Vision Zero and will continue to work so that cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers alike can use our shared public space without fear of injury or death.”
“After ten years of data, it's clear that Vision Zero saves lives — but there's much more work to do to protect New Yorkers from deadly traffic violence. We know what needs to be done to save lives and call on the Adams Administration and Department of Transportation to swiftly implement proven solutions, especially a network of truly protected bike lanes,” said Council Member Lincoln Restler.
What advocates are saying:
“The data on the past decade of vision is simultaneously disappointing and hopeful. Vision Zero's positive impact on certain communities is inspiring, but its failure to protect our communities of color is reprehensible. We know which tactics work to protect pedestrians and cyclists from harm; what we need from our elected leaders now is the political courage to do what is right rather than what is politically expedient. Thank you to our partners at Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets for continuing to shine a light on the incredibly damaging consequences of building roads for cars instead of communities,” said Tiffany-Ann Taylor, Vice President, Transportation, Regional Plan Association.
“The future of New York City will be shaped by the strength of our micro-mobility infrastructure," said Ligia Guallpa, Executive Director at Worker’s Justice Project. "Deliveristas have played a pivotal role in establishing a new multimillion-dollar industry that is heavily dependent on urban mobility. As more people opt for alternative modes of transportation — whether for work or leisure — Vision Zero offers a blueprint that prioritizes street safety and calls for urgent investments to enhance the City's biking infrastructure. As essential workers and integral members of the community, Deliveristas are dedicated to making streets safer for all."
"Vision Zero’s principles clearly work," said Sara Lind, Co-Executive Director at Open Plans. "But we’re failing to apply them unflinchingly and equitably. In the last years, City leaders have implemented projects slowly and piecemeal, creating unjust imbalances in who is safe and who gets to enjoy livable communities. And too many local leaders block life-saving street improvements out of loyalty to a vocal minority or a general lack of vision. We’re sacrificing hundreds of lives each year to the status quo -- but these numbers prove that Vision Zero’s promise is within reach. Our leaders should view this data as proof that they can save lives and forever change New York City, if they act with urgency and commit to pursuing Vision Zero now, for everyone."
Note: Transportation Alternatives’ Vision Zero Quarterly Reports have often featured Council District data as opposed to Community Board data. This report, which analyzes 10 years of data, uses Community Boards because they have remained static during the past decade, while Council District lines have shifted.
