Chelsea Intersection Where Cyclist Died Is NYC's Most Dangerous

CHELSEA, NY — An intersection in Chelsea where a cyclist was recently killed has been named the most dangerous intersection in the city for cyclists, according to a new analysis.

There were 21 reported injuries between 2014 and 2018 at West 23rd Street and Sixth Avenue, according to an analysis by the real estate data website Localize.city. Though Sixth Avenue has a green-painted bike lane protected by a lane of parking, the congested intersection makes cyclists vulnerable, according to Localize.city.

"Twenty-third street is wider than streets parallel to it, and it's the main east-west route for delivery vehicles," said Sam Sklar, an urban planner with Localize. "This multiplies the risks."

"While not reflected in our data from 2014 to 2018, this intersection was the location of a fatal crash between a cyclist and a truck driver just last month," Sklar added, referencing 20-year-old bike messenger Robyn Hightman, who was killed by a truck driver at the Chelsea intersection.

Vision Zero data shows three other cyclists were injured there in the first sixth months of the year.

In July, a Citi Bike rider suffered a head injury after being hit by a taxi at the intersection.

Another man was injured two blocks north at 25th Street in what a source said may have been a hit-and-run.

Hightman was the 13th cyclist to be killed in 2019 on June 24 — up from 10 total in 2018. The 18th cyclist in 2019 died Monday morning after he was forced into traffic when someone opened a parked car door in Sunset Park.

Following a spike in cyclist deaths citywide, Mayor Bill de Blasio recently launched a $58 million bike plan to make more protected bike lanes and increase traffic enforcement. The plan calls for adding 30 miles of protected bike lanes each year — up from the city's current pace of 20 miles.

Another aspect of the plan is to ramp-up enforcement at 100 crash-prone intersections and traffic-calming fixes at another 50. Which intersections will be the focus remains to be seen.

In Manhattan, intersections in the East Village, Lower East Side and Harlem also made Localize.city's list.

See below for the other intersections that Localize.city determined to be the most dangerous:

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