Non-White NYC Communities Left Behind In Vision Zero's 10 Years: Study

NEW YORK CITY — Vision Zero's 10 years have resoundingly helped make streets safer for New Yorkers — if they happen to live in predominantly white communities.

Or at least one takeaway from a new Transportation Alternatives study that delves into traffic safety data from the past decade under Vision Zero, a sweeping program designed to reach a goal of zero traffic deaths.

Traffic fatalities were 16 percent lower during 10 years under Vision Zero than the decade before, a difference of 450 lives, the study found.

But this success hasn't been evenly spread across the city.

"While whiter, wealthier communities have safer streets than ten years ago, lower-income communities and communities of color have experienced an increase in traffic violence," the study states.

Community boards that serve majority-white populations saw traffic deaths fall 4 percent, when comparing the first five years of Vision Zero to the last five, the study found.

Majority-Black and majority Latino community board areas respectively saw 13 percent and 30 percent increases in traffic deaths during the same span, according to the study.

The study argues this shows Vision Zero works, but only when its suite of safety efforts — such as bike lanes, speed cameras and more — are set up everywhere in the city.

The city, despite strides, still hasn't reached Vision Zero, the study states.

Traffic crashes killed the same number — 259 — of New Yorkers in 2023 as Vision Zero's first year, the study found.

And while pedestrian deaths have steadily declined, other fatalities are up, according to the study.

Bike riders in particular have seen streets become more dangerous — last year was the deadliest year under Vision Zero for cyclists, the study found. Nearly 100 percent of bike riders killed were on streets without protected bicycle infrastructure, according to the study.

"Vision Zero isn't just a slogan, but a call to action: we must design streets that keep New Yorkers safe," said Danny Harris, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, in a statement.

"We fought to bring this lifesaving program to New York City and we will keep fighting until we've hit Vision Zero – not Vision 259 – and everyone in all five boroughs can walk, bike, drive, and take transit without fear of death or serious injury."

Read the full study here.