Pedestrian traffic fatalities

As Citi Bike trips in New York have grown, national pedestrian fatalities have also grown, a correlation of 0.985 that captures the fundamental tension of urban transportation: more alternative transit (bikes) coincides with more danger for the most basic form of transit (walking). The bike is shared, the road is not, and the chart records both with the New York efficiency of a coefficient that does not have time for your questions.

Citi Bike trips grew from about 6 million in 2013 to over 30 million by 2022. Pedestrian fatalities grew from about 4,735 to over 7,500 nationally. Both are urban density metrics: more bikes because cities are investing in cycling, more pedestrian deaths because those same cities have not redesigned roads for the complexity of mixed-mode traffic. The correlation captures a genuine urban planning tension—adding bikes to roads without reducing car dominance creates conflicts for everyone on foot.

Ten years of Citi Bike and pedestrian deaths is a correlation that contains an uncomfortable urban planning truth: adding bikes to roads that were designed for cars makes those roads more complex, and pedestrians absorb the consequences. The bike rides, the pedestrian crosses, and the road was not designed for both at the same time.