Statement: Another Cyclist Killed On Christmas, Another Fatality On Brooklyn’s Deadly Third Avenue

2020 has second highest number of cyclist deaths since 1999

Second cyclist killed on Third Avenue this year

BROOKLYN - Early on Christmas morning, a cyclist on an ebike was killed on Third Avenue and 24th Street underneath the Gowanus Expressway in Brooklyn. The victim was 33-year-old Alejandro Santos, and initial reports indicate that he crashed into an unoccupied truck parked outside of a car dealership. The victim is at least the 26th person to be killed riding a bicycle in New York City this year.

Statement from Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris:

“Third Avenue is a death trap and Mayor de Blasio needs to do more to save lives.”

“In the months since a driver killed nurse Clara Kang on Third Avenue after her hospital shift, Mayor de Blasio has not made the street safer. In the year since drivers killed four New Yorkers on Third Avenue, Mayor de Blasio has not made the street safer.”

“Just yesterday, Mayor de Blasio said that we need a ‘call to arms’ to rapidly expand Vision Zero. But we can’t wait. The City should have made this and other dangerous streets safer months ago. We need action and not words from Mayor de Blasio to stop the carnage on our streets now.”

“Mayor de Blasio has one year left to fulfill the promises he made when he launched Vision Zero at the start of his administration. He has one year left to turn back the tide of rising traffic violence. He can start by restoring funding to Vision Zero and other life saving programs like the Green Wave Plan, Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program, and Streets Master Plan.”

“We all know Third Avenue is a death trap. It’s time for Mayor de Blasio to recognize this too, and take immediate action to save lives.”