The number of New York City bicycle and pedestrian fatalities increased last year and now account for nearly 2 of every 3 traffic fatalities in the city, according to this month's release of the annual Mayor's Management Report.

Overall, the report highlighted an 8 percent reduction in traffic fatalities for fiscal year 2009 but noted the increase in bicycle and pedestrian fatalities to more than 60 percent of all city traffic deaths, compared to about half in 2005.

The New York bicycle accident lawyers and pedestrian accident attorneys at Queller, Fisher, Washor, Fuchs & Kool, have a long record of fighting for the rights of bicyclists and pedestrians who are seriously injured or killed by negligent drivers in traffic crashes.

Of the 276 traffic deaths reported in the mayor's fiscal 2009 report, 178 pedestrian and bicyclists were killed, compared to 98 motorists.

And, while total traffic crashes decliend from 182,801 in 2007 to 177,909 in fiscal 2009, that is still higher than the number of accidents reported in 2005, 2006 or 2007.

The Mayor's Management Report also reported the city's response to unsafe or inoperable street signs and traffic signals as well as the condition of New York City's bridges.

The amount of time the city took to fix unsafe conditions caused by malfunctioning traffic signals increased slightly to 4.3 hours, compared to 4 hours last year. It took an average of 1.6 days to repair faulty street signs deemed a safety priority.

And almost 60 percent of the city's bridges were in fair condition, while only 40 percent were reported as being in good or very good condition.

The report also noted that the city resurfaced more than 1,000 miles of road and increased to 70 percent the number of streets it considers in good condition.

If you or someone you love has been seriously injured or killed in a traffic accident, or because of a faulty road or faulty traffic signal, the New York personal injury lawyers and wrongful death attorneys at Queller, Fisher, Washor, Fuchs & Kool offer free appointments to discuss your rights. Call (212) 406-1700.