December 9, 2015
Most Dangerous Intersections in Manhattan: West 42nd Street and 8th Avenue
By Jonathan Damashek
Posted in
Go to the main Pedestrian Accidents pageWith a population of 1.6 million, which doubles on the weekends, and an estimated 50,000+ vehicles, space in Manhattan is limited and conflicts between the two are sure to arise. Last week, in the first article of this new series on dangerous intersections in Manhattan we featured the intersection of 125th Street and Lexington Avenue, one of the most deadly intersections for children.
Our dangerous intersection this week is the intersection of 42nd Street and 8th Avenue which had 11 collisions last year. This intersection is in close proximity to three subway entrances, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and Times Square which leads to severe pedestrian congestion. The limited sidewalk and crosswalk space leads to sidewalk overcrowding which puts pedestrians at risk.
In 2009, a cyclist was traveling northbound on 8th Ave when he was struck by a delivery van which was backing out from the curb. EMTs and Police were on the scene for 30 minutes before taking the man to the hospital.
According to crashstat.org, there have been 200 injuries and 3 deaths involving pedestrians at the intersection since 1995, with 29 of them being in the last 3 years.
On 6th Avenue and 42nd Street in 2012, a speeding Jaguar stuck a parked Chevy Impala causing the vehicle to bounce off a taxi and onto the sidewalk where it struck 6 pedestrians. 10 people were injured in the collision, 5 of which were taken to Bellevue Hospital.
The Department of Transportation has deemed this dangerous intersection a priority area and has proposed the following actions to reduce the number of pedestrian fatalities: increasing pedestrian space by widening the sidewalks, increase signal time for pedestrians during evening peak hours, and limiting truck delivery hours to off peak hours. However even with these changes pedestrians should remain cautious of this intersection.