More and more New Yorkers are biking every day. From only 170,000 trips in 2005, bicycle ridership in New York City has more than doubled to 450,000 daily cycling trips in 2017. New York City has also seen tremendous growth in bicycle infrastructure with the addition of almost 300 miles in the last five years alone and the introduction of the CitiBike bike-share program.
Unfortunately, even with increased ridership levels and visibility, bicyclists are all too often ignored by motorists who do not understand that they need to share the road. The resulting statistics are both sobering and unacceptable. In 2016 alone, there were more than 4,500 crashes involving bicyclists and motor vehicles Citywide, including 18 fatalities. Bicyclists also get injured due to roadway conditions which, perhaps safe for motor vehicles, are dangerous for those on two wheels.
At Kramer, Dunleavy & Ratchik, PLLC, our attorneys understand that bicyclists have as much of a right to be on the roadway as motorists and have successfully fought to uphold that right in court. We work tirelessly to make sure the victims of bicycle crashes get fairly compensated for their pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and economic loss.