In the heart of Manhattan's Chinatown lies Canal Street, one of the most dangerous streets in the City. The six lane, two way street is one of only a handful of crosstown streets that span allows passage through the width of Manhattan. Going straight from the Holland Tunnel to the Manhattan Bridge, it is a frequent route for delivery drivers and commuters heading to Brooklyn from New Jersey and vice versa.
Because of it's enormous amounts of traffic, and extraordinarily wide crossings — by Manhattan standards anyway — Canal Street has one of the highest pedestrian death levels of the entire City. According to the City's traffic safety open data tool Vision Zero, there are dozens of people injured and killed every year on Canal Street.
This time lapse video, uploaded by YouTuber Jani Samuli sheds a little light on Canal Street traffic. With cars inching their way forward, we witness violations of blocking the box, illegal passing, speeding, failing to yield to pedestrians, illegal right turns and more. Don't be fooled by the pleasant music overlaid on the video, Canal Street is a dangerous beast.
Matt Coneybeare
Editor in Chief
Matt enjoys exploring the City's with his partner and son. He is an avid marathon runner, and spends most of his time eating, running, and working on cool stuff.
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