A Quarter Of NYC Cyclists Don't Stop At Red Lights, Study Finds

NEW YORK — They're not seeing red. Roughly a quarter of New York City cyclists blow through red lights at intersections — and even more only pause before continuing their rides, a new study shows.

Some 18 percent of 1,076 cyclists observed at red lights this spring rode straight through an intersection without stopping or pausing, and another 6 percent made turns while the signal was still red, according to the Hunter College study released Wednesday.

Another 25 percent of those bikers paused at the signal but still turned or rode through the intersection while the light was red, researchers found. The remaining 51 percent stopped fully at the red light.

Commercial cyclists such as delivery workers and messengers were more likely than other bikers to blow through lights, the study says. Some 28.9 percent of them ran red signals, compared to the rate of 24 percent for all cyclists, according to the research.

The finding was one of several in the study of cyclist behavior in Manhattan. Student researchers from Hunter observed a total of 4,325 bikers at 46 randomly selected intersections stretching from 14th Street to 86th Street between April 8 and May 1, evaluating their demographics and safety practices.

"The rapid growth of cycling in New York City will yield a lot of positive benefits, including better fitness for riders and a cleaner environment, and most cyclists we observed behaved responsibly," Peter Tuckel, a Hunter College sociology professor who helped direct the study, said in a statement.

Cyclists in the city are required to obey traffic signals except at 50 intersections where they can get a head start along with pedestrians. Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration supports a City Council proposal that would expand that number to more than 3,000.

The Hunter study suggests that city cyclists have gotten better about obeying red lights. In 2014, reporters at the New York Post observed 796 of 1,006 cyclists — or 79 percent — go through red lights at three intersections.

Cycling advocates reportedly argue that going through a red light or stop sign can actually help bikers stay safe by getting out in front of traffic. Some places allow cyclists to yield at stop signs and treat red lights like stop signs, a policy known as an "Idaho stop."

Running red lights isn't the only risk cyclists take on city streets, Hunter researchers found. Nearly 57 percent of bikers don't wear helmets, and more than 30 percent were spotted wearing an electronic device while riding, according to the study.