Statement from Transportation Alternatives After Hit and Run Driver Kills Pedestrian in Manhattan

Canal Street is the most dangerous street in Manhattan. 

In the past five years, drivers have killed three pedestrians on Canal Street. 

NEW YORK — This morning, an SUV driver hit and killed a pedestrian at the intersection of Canal Street and Lafayette Street in Chinatown. The driver did not stop and left the scene. 

Canal Street is the most dangerous street in Manhattan. Over the past five years, drivers have killed three pedestrians, and in the last two years, four bike riders and one pedestrian have been seriously injured on the corridor. Canal Street has been listed as a Vision Zero Priority Corridor since 2015, but no safety upgrades have been made at this intersection. 

While the majority of New Yorkers traveling along Canal Street are pedestrians (64%), cars and trucks take up most of the space. Canal Street also runs through Council District 1, which has some of the highest traffic volumes in the city, the slowest buses, and the worst air pollution despite the fact that 79% of households in this district are car-free, according to Spatial Equity NYC.

In response to these deadly conditions, TA’s Manhattan Activist Committee launched its Fix Canal campaign in 2018. The campaign calls for a comprehensive redesign of the entire street to prioritize safety for everyone. 

Tonight, the Manhattan Activist Committee is hosting a walking audit of Canal Street from the crash site to Seward Park. The walking audit will be joined by Council Member Marte to survey all dangerous conditions along the street. 

Statement from Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris:

“We are devastated and angry to learn that a hit and run driver killed a pedestrian earlier this morning on Canal Street, Manhattan’s own Boulevard of Death. We send our condolences to their family, friends, and community. We also hope that the driver is found and held accountable.”

“City Hall knows that Canal Street is one of the most dangerous in our city, but has refused to fix it across multiple mayoral administrations despite death, serious injury, and repeated calls for a comprehensive redesign by TA and others. Every traffic death and serious injury must be a call to action, and let this be another call to the City to fix Canal Street.”

“New Yorkers are regularly dying on streets the City knows are dangerous – just last week, a driver killed a bike rider on another Vision Zero Priority Corridor. It’s high time for our leaders to put safety first on our streets.”