Transportation Alternatives “New Boulevards of Death” List of the 50 Most Dangerous Streets in New York City, Quarter-Mile from Over 2,300 Schools
The Manhattan Bridge Death Trap
After another horrific fatal crash on Canal Street and the Bowery Thursday that left one man dead and his daughter hospitalized with a fractured spine, advocates are again demanding that the City work to slow cars coming off the Manhattan Bridge into bustling Chinatown.
At 10:20 a.m. on a busy morning last week, a flatbed truck, precariously stacked with towers of wooden pallets about one story high, came flying off the Manhattan Bridge down its northeast exit lane and jumped the curb outside a Buddhist temple on Canal Street.
As it sped down the sidewalk, a moving stack of pallets struck pedestrians Tin Jung Ye, 77, and his daughter Yong Wong, 52, sending them flying into another pedestrian, 71. Without stopping, the Chevrolet truck then dropped back onto Canal and into the Bowery, where it continued a block up the road, sideswiping a van and glancing off a box truck before rolling to a stop by Hester Street. Ye, a retired bank cleaner, died, leaving his wife a widow after 50 years of marriage. Their daughter, Wong, was hospitalized in critical condition. The truck driver passed a breathalyzer test at the scene and told cops his brakes had failed coming off the bridge, the NYPD said. An investigation found the truck had barely any brake fluid due to a leak, and he’s been given summonses for the issues with his truck, but not hit with criminal charges.
Transportation Alternatives published a report naming Canal Street as the 10th most dangerous major street in New York City, based on traffic fatalities and serious injuries mapped between 2022 and 2025, with a rate of 18.3 fatalities or serious injuries per mile.
“Canal was on that list as a ‘Boulevard of Death’ in Manhattan, and then of course this crash happened that same morning,” Alexa Sledge, Transportation Alternatives’ senior director of strategy and communications, told Hell Gate.
“There’s been one person killed on Canal every year for the last seven years, and of course, there were two New Yorkers killed at this exact intersection last year,” Sledge added. “I was absolutely horrified to learn this happened again, but also angry that this is happening year after year after year, and we really haven’t seen the changes that we need to prevent it from happening again next year.”
Transportation Alternatives, Families for Safe Streets Statements After Truck Driver Hits and Kills 15-Year-Old on a Citi Bike
“This is the 13th child killed in traffic so far this year in New York City, more than twice as many children than were killed by this point last year. 141 children have been killed in the Vision Zero era, a pledge to end traffic fatalities that was sparked by the death of a 12-year-old boy….
“NEW YORK — Last night, at the intersection of 14th Street and First Avenue, a truck driver hit a Citi Bike, injuring one 16-year-old rider and killing a 15-year-old rider. The riders were crossing First Avenue with the right-of-way to turn onto the protected bike lane heading north when the truck driver turned into them.
The 15-year-old girl killed by the truck driver was the 19th bike rider killed so far this year, up 19% from average and up 58% from this point last year. Nine people have been killed while riding their bikes in Manhattan this year, more than at this point in any year since Vision Zero began, and more than double the average.
There is no bike infrastructure on 14th Street. Bike riders wishing to turn right onto First Avenue from 14th Street must first cross four lanes of traffic — with the current street design, even if bike riders and drivers both wish to turn right, the driver is directed to turn right against potential bikes. Simple but effective infrastructure solutions like turn calming, signal re-timing, and more bike infrastructure can transform a deadly intersection into a safe one, here and across the neighborhood.
Statement from Ben Furnas, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives:
“Our thoughts are with the family of this young, 15-year-old New Yorker, who was suddenly killed by a truck driver last night, and our hope is with the 16-year-old who is currently fighting for her life in the hospital. Both girls deserved better. New York should be a city where young people are safe while navigating the city by bike and can experience the joy and freedom that comes from cycling.
“It’s every bike rider’s nightmare: you’re traveling straight with the right of way, when suddenly, a car or truck turns right directly into you. It doesn’t matter if you have the right of way, or you’re wearing a helmet, or you’re doing everything right. When we design intersections that force bike riders to cross four lanes of traffic, all the while doing so little to slow down that same traffic or calm their turns, tragedies like this happen.
“We’re counting on the City of New York to fix this chaotic intersection to make it safe for New Yorkers who are walking, biking, riding, or driving, no matter if they’re going straight or turning right. That means turn calming, protected bike infrastructure, and a protected bike intersection to prevent crashes and tragedies like this from ever happening again.”