“Thanks to Mayor Adams, Brooklyn Just Got More Dangerous”; Adams Administration Begins Ripping Out Safety Improvements on Bedford Avenue
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%.
In a court document, DOT acknowledged: “The City risks legal liability for knowingly reducing safety on a Vision Zero priority corridor.”
More than 550 bike riders have pledged to sue the City if they’re hit or injured on Bedford.
NEW YORK — Last night, the Adams administration began ripping out the Bedford Avenue safety improvements. The Adams administration’s move is an unprecedented effort to make a safe street more dangerous. Construction vehicles were seen around 11 p.m. last night.
This marks the conclusion of a month-and-a-half long legal battle. On June 17, Transportation Alternatives and a Brooklyn family, represented by Peter Beadle, J.D., sued the Adams administration to stop it from removing the Bedford Avenue safety improvements. On June 18, a judge issued a temporary restraining order against the City. On July 1, the TRO was extended until the judge’s decision. On July 9, the judge lifted the TRO and allowed the Adams administration to proceed with its plans to rip out the safety improvements. Destruction was scheduled to begin July 15, but was halted when Beadle filed a last-minute appeal, and an appellate judge granted a second temporary restraining order. But on Monday, a four-judge appellate panel denied the motion for an injunction and lifted the TRO once more, allowing the Adams administration to move forward with its plan to rip out life-saving street redesigns on Bedford Avenue.
During the case, the opposition filed Exhibit B, DOT’s own report stating that removing the protected bike lane would open the City to liability by making Bedford Avenue less safe. DOT’s presentation states that, “Between DeKalb and Flushing overall injuries are down 47%.” This is far above the average benefit typically seen from such designs (15%), and highlights just how dangerous Bedford Avenue was before the recent redesign. DOT acknowledges that “Removing the protected bike lane (PBL) won’t remove cyclists—it will only make the street less safe.” DOT’s presentation also warns that, should the Adams administration succeed in ripping out the safety improvements, “The City risks legal liability for knowingly reducing safety on a Vision Zero priority corridor.”
In response, over 550 bike riders have signed a pledge to sue the City if they’re hit or injured on Bedford Avenue.
Since Eric Adams took office, 83 cyclists have been killed and 1457 seriously injured.
Statement from Ben Furnas, Executive Director at Transportation Alternatives:
“Thanks to Mayor Adams, Brooklyn just got more dangerous. By reverting a safer street to a more dangerous one, Mayor Adams has made a blatantly self-interested decision, putting New Yorkers at increased risk of injury or death for the sake of his own political prospects.
“Today, there are people living in our city who will, one day, have their lives permanently, irrevocably changed on Bedford Avenue. Maybe a mother, who could have been protected by a pedestrian island, will be hit by a reckless driver. Maybe an older New Yorker, who would have been safe in a protected bike lane, will be hit by a truck while riding their bike. Because we know what happens on Bedford when it looks the way it did: people die. That’s why we fight for a safe Bedford Avenue — and that fight doesn’t begin or end today.
“We’re disappointed by the mayor’s giant step backward. We imagine a city where no one is hit, injured, or killed just trying to go home — the mayor is working to build streets that do the opposite. Instead of bringing us together and leading, Mayor Adams has chosen division, deception, and danger.”
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