The number of people killed walking on city streets has fallen 30% in the past two years, city officials said Wednesday.
So far this year, 86 pedestrians have been killed by vehicles — a significant decrease from the last year of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration, when 124 people had been killed at this point in 2013. It is also about a 15% drop from last year, when 101 pedestrians had been killed.
Overall traffic deaths are down 17% this year, from 199 at this point last year to 165 this year. Almost a thousand fewer pedestrians have been injured by vehicles.
Mayor Bill de Blasio launched Vision Zero, a plan to end all traffic deaths citywide, in the first year of his administration.
The city’s work so far has included lowering the speed limit to 25 mph, adding hundreds of new speed cameras, and redesigning the dangerous Queens Boulevard. The city’s DOT said in a City Council hearing that it plans to relocate 30 of its red light cameras.
Despite the plunge in traffic deaths, there have been some setbacks — such as four pedestrians killed by cyclists in 2014, according to new data. The four deaths were equal to all the cyclist on pedestrian deaths between 2006 and 2013. There have not been any this year.
