Oscar Reyes arrives in a hurry to make a food delivery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. And even though the streets are slippery, he must hurry.
-What are the dangers that you face?
“There are always dangers here, every day. Here the snow, the rain, always the danger from cars. There have always been accidents here,” Reyes said.
The NY City Department of Transportation has indicated that speed is one of the main factors in accidents. According to figures given by this entity, thirty cyclists lost their lives in 2023 and it has been the deadliest year since 1999.
The report highlights that despite the fact that food delivery people are the most visible or numerous in the city, only one delivery person died in 2023.
“It is complicated. And working in the snow is even more complicated. It is still not one of the cars that do not respect cyclists, they do not respect the colleagues who do this work, which makes it even more dangerous,” said Antonio Solís, from Deliveristas Unidos. .
According to data from the Department of Transportation, seriously injured people in bicycle accidents also increased last year.
A total of 395 cyclists suffered severe injuries, 79 of them riding electric bicycles. Fifty more cyclists than in 2022, according to an analysis by the NY Times.
Most of the thirty cyclists who died in collisions with cars occurred in areas where there is no infrastructure for bicycles or bike lanes.
“We have to deal with applications that pressure the worker to deliver faster. We have to deal with the weather, which is very complicated. Here in New York there is snow, rain falls, it is cold. It is even more complicated,” Solis added.
Eleven of the cyclists who died in 2023 collided with trucks, four with cars and seven collided with infrastructure or fell.
For their part, the Deliveristas Unidos give classes to their members to avoid accidents.
“Or using different methods of communication where the worker understands the importance of filming in New York City responsibly. But somehow there is still that pressure from the company that tells you to deliver the food quickly or you will be punished.” “said William Leonardo Medina, organizer, DeliveristasUunidos.
The electric bicycles of the food delivery people reach up to 25 miles per hour and in their desire to arrive quickly, as they say, is when their lives are at risk.
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2024-03-06 01:10:00
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