New Yorkers might soon know what explains data like last year’s 18 biking deaths.

The City Council unanimously voted today to require the Department of Transportation to compile data on bike crashes.

Right now, the DOT keeps track of biking fatalities, but no city agencies break down crashes between bikes and vehicles and bikes and pedestrians. The data – required by October -- would be listed by borough and police precinct.

Cycling's more popular in the city lately, with ever-increasing bike lanes, but pedestrians and bikers clash when they crash. Bikers say pedestrians stumble into bike lanes, and pedestrians accuse bikers of riding on sidewalks and other illegal moves. 

“Individuals who bicycle, just like those using other modes of transportation, must follow the rules of the road,” said the bill’s sponsor, Councilwoman Rosie Mendez.

The Council also passed two other traffic-related bills. One would require the DOT to publish a study of all crashes including an injury or death and inspect any location with more than four injuries in five years.

The other bill requires the DOT to explain why it rejects requests for a stop sign or traffic signal.

All three bills now go to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s desk to be signed into law.

Transit advocacy group Transportation Alternatives lauded the legislation.

“With better information, communities can collaborate with government agencies to fix problems like rampant speeding, red-light running and other traffic problems,” director Paul Steely White said.

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By new yorker

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It is not a linear scale, it is logarithmic so a 2 level has 10 times the energy of a 1. No need for conspiracy theories...

By Trossock

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Would an aerial impact of a plane hitting a building that high up register 0.9? That seems very high considering that the entire building falling just doubles that same magnitude. Think about it...

By xlerate

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