Transportation Alternatives Statement After Driver of Box Truck Kills Woman Biking in Gowanus, Brooklyn, on Dangerous Street
She is the second woman on a bike killed in five days.
BROOKLYN, NY — On Tuesday morning, the driver of a box truck struck and killed a woman riding a Citi Bike on Ninth Street at Second Avenue in Gowanus, Brooklyn. This deadly crash occurred within 12 hours of another Brooklyn cyclist who was critically injured by a turning van in Williamsburg and within five days of the death of 62-year-old Tamara Chuchi Kao, who was also killed riding a Citi Bike in Queens by the driver of a truck.
At the location of this crash, the design of Ninth Street creates dangerous conditions for bike riders. Ninth Street goes from one car lane and one paint-only bike lane to a turn lane and a shared car/bike lane — prioritizing car volume over people. This forces vehicles to merge into the bike lane, which leads to deadly outcomes as occurred today.
This is the fourth fatality within a half mile of this location since 2017 — two pedestrians, one motorist, and one bike rider have died. In the past two years, seven bike riders have been injured on the short stretch of Ninth Avenue between Smith Street and Third Avenue.
Statement from Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris:
“Traffic violence is a public health crisis that needs urgent action. We are heartbroken to hear about another person killed on a bike by a truck driver on our roads — the second in less than a week. We send our deepest condolences to her loved ones.”
“While more and more New Yorkers are riding bikes, the City of New York has a duty to keep bike riders safe. These deaths are the tragic and predictable outcome of failing to protect people on bikes, including the City falling short on the legal requirements of the NYC Streets Plan. Mayor Adams and Commissioner Rodriguez must bring proven street safety redesigns to every neighborhood of New York City without delay. No one should fear death or injury on our roads.”
Additional information on background:
Research shows that women are significantly more likely to bike, more so than men, when there are protected bike lanes.
Of people injured while riding bikes in December 2022, the most common collision was being sideswiped from behind.
Only one-sixth of all protected bike lane mileage is in Brooklyn. More than 80% of on-street bike lanes are painted lanes or sharrows.
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