Statement: "A Reminder of the Enormous Responsibility That Comes with Driving a Car in NYC"

Statement of Transportation Alternatives Senior Director of Advocacy Thomas DeVito in response to the 19th person killed while biking in New York to date this year:

"On Sunday, 52-year-old Jose Alzorriz was killed while riding a bicycle on Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn. He is the nineteenth person to be killed while biking on New York City streets to date in 2019, compared to 10 in all of 2018, and at least the thirteenth in Brooklyn. Transportation Alternatives sends their sympathy to Alzorriz' family. 

Coney Island Avenue is a hostile environment, especially for those not in a vehicle. Designed to move cars as quickly as possible, this street is incompatible with Vision Zero. That’s why we’re calling on the City Council -- including Council Member Kalman Yeger, in whose district this tragic crash occurred -- to unite behind Speaker Corey Johnson’s Streets Master Plan bill, which would accelerate the schedule of redesigning deadly corridors like Coney Island Avenue. All City Council members, but particularly those in Brooklyn given the devastating concentration of deadly crashes in the borough, should unite and push for passage as soon as possible. 

When drivers speed and run red lights, the potential for a tragedy is far greater than when a pedestrian or a cyclist disobeys a traffic signal. This horrific crash should serve as a reminder of the enormous responsibility that comes with driving a multi-ton motorized vehicle in New York City.”