The citywide boom in the use of e-bikes, e-scooters and other so-called micromobility devices have coincided with a surge in reports about the dangers involving such vehicles and devices that are not cars, THE CITY reports. According to their analysis of 311 data, complaints of cycles, scooters and even in-line skaters on sidewalks and other pedestrian spaces have jumped from 484 in 2019 to 1,036 last year. This year, 1,082 complaints were made as of Oct. 23 with about half of those coming from Manhattan.
Danger for Pedestrians on Roads and Sidewalks
The 311 data doesn’t categorize complaints by type of device such as e-bikes or
e-scooters. Pedestrians told the publication that they are nervous about walking on sidewalks because they often see bicycles, e-bikes, scooters and mopeds zipping by them. The surge in these complaints has also been accompanied by a Citi Bike expansion and a shift from mass transit to other means of transportation by many New Yorkers.
During this time, enforcement against bikes and micromobility devices on sidewalks has also decreased, according to NYPD statistics reviewed by THE CITY. The data shows that for the first six months of this year, there have been 103 civil summonses and 97 criminal ones relating to illegal biking on the sidewalk, which is down nearly 20% from the same time period in 2019.
However, data also shows that bicycles, e-bikes and other motorized devices are involved in far fewer pedestrian accidents than motor vehicles. There were 76 fatal pedestrian accidents this year (as of Sept. 30) involving motor vehicles while there were two deadly pedestrian collisions involving bicycles.
Need for Bicycle Safety
Delivery bicycles have started using sidewalks because of a serious concern over street safety. Last year, 49% of workers surveyed by researchers at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the Workers Justice Project reported being in a crash while making a delivery. There has been a series of fatal bicycle accidents involving delivery workers this summer.
The city has fallen behind on its promise of installing bike lanes that would make it safer for bicyclists to be on the road. According to Transportation Alternatives’ Protected Bike Lane Tracker, not even one-third of the 30 miles of bike lanes mandated by city law to be in place by the end of this year has been installed. New York City’s Streets Plan requires 250 miles of bike lanes to be in place by 2026.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident or bicycle accident, or if you have lost a loved one in an auto accident caused by a negligent (careless) driver, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you.
Pedestrian accident victims and their families should also remember that they can seek compensation for injuries or losses in collisions even if the victim was not walking in a marked crosswalk and even if the driver involved in collision was not charged. Our law firm recovered the full one million dollar insurance policy for a girl who was not in the crosswalk when a motor vehicle hit her.
For over 51 years, our skilled attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and $2,000,000 in a hit-and-run accident, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole.
We also obtained $295,000 out of a $300,000 insurance policy in compensation for the victim of a bicycle dooring accident (where a car door opens into the path of a bicyclist). Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury, lead poisoning and medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: https://www.thecity.nyc/2022/10/25/23421919/complaints-ebikes-scooters-bicycle-sidewalk-dangerous-safety-pedestrians-311-nypd-city-council-study