Over 220 New Yorkers Sign Pledge to Sue the City if Hit and Injured Along Bedford Avenue
Mayor Adams is moving forward with ripping up street safety improvements on Bedford Avenue despite warnings from his own DOT: “The City risks legal liability for knowingly reducing safety on a Vision Zero priority corridor.”
On the northernmost four blocks of the Bedford Avenue safety improvements, injuries have nearly halved.
On the entire stretch of the new protected bike lane, pedestrian injuries have fallen 38% and all injuries have fallen 12%.
BROOKLYN — Today, over 220 New Yorkers pledged to sue the Adams administration if they or a loved one is hit on Bedford Avenue in Bed-Stuy. Mayor Adams is moving forward with his plan to rip up street safety improvements on the corridor despite their proven record of success; on the northernmost four blocks of the Bedford Avenue safety improvements, injuries have nearly halved.
These New Yorkers are pledging to “to pursue all legal remedies against the City and Mayor Adams if you or your family member(s) are injured or killed on Bedford Avenue following the removal of safety improvements.”
The Adams administration knows that Bedford Avenue is a dangerous street. Last year, two pedestrians were hit and killed on the avenue, and as DOT acknowledged in Exhibit B from R. H. et al v. City of New York et al: removal of any of the above listed elements will make Bedford Avenue, a Vision Zero priority corridor, less safe. The redesign implemented in October 2024 has resulted in an overall reduction of injuries of 47% according to DOT data. Reverting to the old, dangerous design — one that placed Bedford Avenue in the top 10% of most dangerous streets in Brooklyn — would dramatically increase the danger for people riding bicycles as well as everyone else using the street. DOT acknowledges the potential legal liability, stating, “The City risks legal liability for knowingly reducing safety on a Vision Zero priority corridor.”
“As DOT submitted in court – ‘removing the protected bike lane won’t remove cyclists — it will only make the street less safe.’ Mayor Adams is moving forward anyway, in a remarkably shortsighted move that will lead to more crashes and serious injuries and open up the City for lawsuits from every New Yorker who is hit on Bedford,” said Ben Furnas, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. “Today, we’re pledging: if you rip up these safety improvements, and we’re injured, we will sue. We don’t want any more vigils on Bedford Avenue. It’s not too late — Mayor Adams can still back down, choose safety, keep the bike lane, and save the City from spending millions on legal payouts. While the mayor’s busy playing politics with people’s lives, we will continue to fight to ensure every New Yorker can get home safely.”
These lawsuits are extremely expensive for New York City. In fiscal year 2023, the city paid out $173.7 million in personal injury motor vehicle claim settlements, a 23% increase from the previous year. Personal injury settlements totaled $653.9 million for claims filed between fiscal year 2012 and fiscal year 2021.
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