Originally Posted by
oldnslow2
"Suffolk County on Long Island was ranked worst for cyclists. The magazine said the county consistently ranks among the most dangerous places in the entire country to ride a bike."
I'm actually surprised by this. Suffolk has a great deal more quiet and relatively traffic free roads then Nassau, being a much larger county with about the same population, which would make you think it's safer to ride.
Then I read yet another Newsday article yesterday of a cyclist killed in Suffolk. It happened at 10:15 in the evening and it would not surprise me if the cyclist had no lights and was riding against traffic, which is seemingly the norm for any cyclist hit riding after dusk. This seemingly happens much more often in Suffolk then Nassau and I've no understanding as to why.
But as well, there have been 3 or 4 instances in the past 2 years or so, where a cyclist was killed in daylight, riding on the shoulder, and who have been so-called experienced cycling "enthusiasts" and were simple run over by an inattentive motorist.
I think it's the combination of all these accidents that made the statistics "pop-out" as it where and I actually think there are far more accidents in NYC where cyclists get killed then in the suburbs. I think NYC got it's "#1" rating due to the efforts to get bike lanes and paths installed, as well as the CitiBike program, not because it's statistically safer to ride there, which it's not.