BUFFALO, N.Y. — According to data provided by the New York State Department of Transportation and compiled by GoBike Buffalo, pedestrian and cyclist deaths have increased every year for the last four years.
The DOT collects crash data for every vehicle incident that gets reported to police. GoBike compiled data from Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, and Niagara counties between 2018 and 2023.
In the four counties where data was collected, there were 14 pedestrian and cyclists deaths in 2020.
That figure climbed to 26 in 2021, and continued to 31 in 2022.
In 2023, there were 40 pedestrian and cyclists deaths in those four counties of Western New York, and 111 in total.
"These are alarming numbers," said Kevin Heffernan, communications director at GoBike Buffalo.
The number of pedestrians and cyclists injured by vehicles is substantial as well.
- 2020 — 436 injured
- 2021 — 435 injured
- 2022 — 499 injured
- 2023 — 473 injured
Overall, 1,954 pedestrians or cyclists were injured in that four-year span.
"I'm really not looking forward to April 2025 when we get all the numbers in from 2024 and populate that map all over again," Heffernan said. "The rise in crashes of all types, car to car, car to building and people, it's just awful to see."
While GoBike focuses much of their advocacy on cycling issues, for them, safer streets for pedestrians is also a goal.
"We especially want to think about children here, right when you make safe streets for children, they become safe for everyone," Heffernan said. "We're still mourning the loss of two children in Tonawanda and the city of Buffalo. We have a system that doesn't allow kids to make a single mistake, and we should be building one that accommodates their mistakes and doesn't kill them for it."
The cause of the increase in pedestrian and cyclists injuries and deaths is multi-faceted, according to GoBike.
Heavier vehicles, higher vehicles, speeding, distracted driving, and perceived lack of enforcement all play a role, Heffernan said.
"We need the police involved," Heffernan said. "We need them to pull people over for speeding, to scare people out of speeding in the first place."
According to Buffalo's open data portal, Buffalo Police have issued 143 speeding tickets so far in 2024.
Since July 2020, as far back as Buffalo's open data portal tracks, 1,038 speeding tickets have been issued.
"They have to be this effective partner in the beginning, and then design can be this permanent solution that automatically curbs this behavior."