Make New York roads safer for pedestrians, bicyclists

On March 24, 2026, a 14-year-old set out on his bicycle along Route 25A in Miller Place — and never came home. A truck turning into a farm merged into his path. He fell and was run over by its rear tires.

Between 2018 and 2023, crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists were the leading cause of accidental death among Long Islanders ages 5 to 19. Across New York State, motor vehicle collisions kill an average of 312 pedestrians and 36 cyclists every year and generate more than 16,000 emergency department visits.

These numbers are not improving. But the solutions exist — and the evidence behind them is unambiguous.

Protected bike trails and greenways physically separate people from cars. Not painted lines. Not shared shoulders. Separated corridors where the conflict between a truck and a teenager on a bicycle simply cannot occur. Cities with protected bike lanes had 44% fewer deaths and 50% fewer serious injuries than average American streets. A 40% reduction in a leading cause of injury and death is a breakthrough.

New Yorkers understand this. When the state Department of Transportation surveyed residents on their transportation priorities, safe places to walk and bike ranked second — just behind fast, reliable transit. Parks & Trails New York’s forthcoming statewide poll confirms that nearly three-quarters of New York voters support expanding New York’s network of connected greenways.

New York has begun to respond. The state completed the 750-mile Empire State Trail in 2020 and set a zero-fatalities goal in its Transportation Master Plan 2050. New York City released its Greater Greenways Plan last year. Suffolk County secured and matched a federal grant to build the first 10 miles of the Long Island Greenway.

The public health case extends beyond crash prevention. Separated greenways increase use and that leads to improved aerobic fitness, a well-established predictor of good health.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, a strong proponent of open space and trails, recently signed legislation to permanently preserve the Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway Trail on the North Shore — to great applause. She has the opportunity to do even more to give New Yorkers the safe trails and greenways they want: Luckily, Parks and Trails New York has identified 1,200 miles statewide that are ready for funding.

One of the longest trails is the Long Island Greenway, a 200-mile extension of the Empire State Trail. The Greenway will stretch from Manhattan all the way to Montauk, creating a continuous protected corridor across the full length of Long Island. The first 10 miles are set to break ground between Bethpage State Park and Edgewood Oak Brush Plains Preserve this winter directly addressing the safety crisis facing the region’s children and families. The Greenway will also intersect with two existing North-South trails: the Long Island Greenbelt Trail and the Nassau-Suffolk Greenbelt Trail.

Another important project is the QueensWay, which will convert 3.5 miles of abandoned railway in Queens into a dedicated walking and biking corridor, serving 245,000 residents within a mile of its path. Upstate, the River Rock Connector Trail in Buffalo will transform an unused freight rail corridor and surrounding streets into a 5.1-mile shared-use trail.

While moving the needle on projects like these inevitably takes time, we hope that the governor will fully fund the completion of the Long Island Greenway. Another priority is the establishment of a dedicated fund for greenways and trails across the state.

New York can become a national model for pedestrian and cyclist safety. The family on Route 25A cannot get their son back. But the next teenager on a bike on Long Island deserves a safer road. We have the tools to build it. What we need now is the financial commitment.

This guest essay reflects the views of Tamar Renaud, associate vice president, New York State director at the Trust for Public Land.