Three W'burg Blocks Are Among Most Dangerous For NYC Cyclists

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — Three of the city's most dangerous intersections for cyclists are found near where riders are fighting cars and pedestrians to make their way onto the Williamsburg Bridge, a new study found.

The corners of South Fourth and Keap streets, South Third and Havemeyer streets and South 5th and Hooper streets are all among a list of the most dangerous spots for cyclists compiled by data analysts at Localize.city. The 20 intersections on the list witnessed the most pedestrian and cyclist injuries between January 2013 and January 2018.

Unlike in other neighborhoods where pedestrians were more likely to get hurt, most of the 24 people injured in Williamsburg's cluster of dangerous intersections were cyclists.

"16 cyclists were injured over five years within a few blocks of one another," the stud said. "The DOT completed several iterations of safety upgrades around the Williamsburg Bridge, but crashes have continued even after some recent changes."

South Third and Havemeyer saw the most injuries, with seven cyclists and four pedestrians hurt during the five year period. The South Fourth and Keap corner had five injured cyclists and two injured pedestrians and the South 5th and Hooper intersection had two injured pedestrians and four injured cyclists.

Localize analysts said the chaos around the bridge could get worse with the L-train project, which even without the full 15-month shutdown could cause additional bicyclists, buses and others on the bridge during night and weekend closures.

Overall, the study found that the city's most dangerous smaller, one-streets see a crash, on average, every nine months. Brooklyn had the most intersections on the list with eight of the 20 spots, followed by the Bronx and Queens, which each had five intersections and two in Manhattan.

"Over the past five years, nearly 8 percent of pedestrian and cyclist injuries or fatalities caused by traffic crashes occurred in single-lane intersections," Localize.city data scientist Israel Schwartz said. "These intersections can be troublesome to those traversing them on a daily basis."

Here are the 20 most dangerous:

BROOKLYN

• Newkirk Avenue and Argyle Road in Ditmas Park
  • Injured Pedestrians: 4
  • Injured Cyclists: 3
• Newkirk Avenue and Rugby Road
  • Injured Pedestrians: 4
  • Injured Cyclists: 2
• South Fourth and Keap streets in Williamsburg
  • Injured Pedestrians: 2
  • Injured Cyclists: 5
• South Third and Havemeyer streets in Williamsburg
  • Injured Pedestrians: 4
  • Injured Cyclists: 7
• Hooper and South Fifth streets in Williamsburg
  • Injured Pedestrians: 2
  • Injured Cyclists: 4
• Sterling Place and Kingston Avenue in Crown Heights
  • Injured Pedestrians: 5
  • Injured Cyclists: 2
• Lawrence and Willoughby streets in Downtown Brooklyn
  • Injured Pedestrians: 5
  • Injured Cyclists: 2
• Smith and Wycoff streets in Boerum Hill
  • Injured Pedestrians: 2
  • Injured Cyclists: 4

THE BRONX

• East 168th Street and College Avenue in Concourse
  • Injured Pedestrians: 5
  • Injured Cyclists: 3
• Field Place and Creston Avenue in Fordham
  • Injured Pedestrians: 7
• East 196th Street and Valentine Avenue in Fordham
  • Injured Pedestrians: 5
  • Injured Cyclists: 1
• Goble Place and Inwood Avenue in Mt. Eden
  • Injured Pedestrians: 4
  • Injured Cyclists: 2
• East Mosholu Parkway North and Hull Avenue in Norwood
  • Injured Pedestrians: 3
  • Injured Cyclists: 2

MANHATTAN

• Ludlow and Rivington streets in the Lower East Side
  • Injured Pedestrians: 7
  • Injured Cyclists: 4
• Clinton and Rivington streets in the Lower East Side
  • Injured Pedestrians: 5
  • Injured Cyclists: 2

QUEENS

• 37th Avenue and 101st Street in North Corona
  • Injured Pedestrians: 6
  • Injured Cyclists: 1
• 37th Avenue and 99th Street in North Corona
  • Injured Pedestrians: 5
  • Injured Cyclists: 1
• 39th Avenue and 111th Street in North Corona
  • Injured Pedestrians: 5
  • Injured Cyclists: 1
• Woodward and Willoughby avenues in Ridgewood
  • Injured Pedestrians: 1
  • Injured Cyclists: 5
• 89th Avenue and 168th Street in Jamaica
• Injured Pedestrians: 6

Staten Island's one-lane streets were not included in the study as they did not meet Localize.city's analysis threshold.

Read the full Localize.city report here.

Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch