Transportation Alternatives Statement After Pick-Up Truck Driver Kills 66-Year-Old Bike Rider in the Bronx

Traffic violence has killed 205 people this year across New York City and 43 people in the Bronx alone.

Just a few months ago, a driver hit and killed another bike rider on the very same street. 20 cyclists have been killed so far in 2024, including three in the Bronx.

BRONX, NY — On Saturday morning, the driver of a GMC Sierra pick-up truck struck and killed a 66-year-old bike rider at the intersection of Westchester and Commonwealth Avenues in Soundview.

He was the 43rd person to be killed in the Bronx this year — 13% more fatalities than at this point last year — and the third person killed while biking this year in the borough.

Westchester Avenue is a proven dangerous street, and this is the second cyclist killed on the road just this year. Westchester Avenue is designated a Vision Zero Priority Corridor because it is so deadly, and it has been listed as a Priority Corridor since 2015 without any significant improvements. Between 2017 and 2021 along this stretch of Westchester Avenue, almost nine pedestrians were killed or seriously injured per mile of street, making the avenue more dangerous than any street in all of Queens or Staten Island, and more dangerous than every street but two in Brooklyn.

Westchester and Commonwealth Avenues are both eligible to receive speed limits reduced to 20 mph under Sammy’s Law, which would improve safety and could have saved this bike rider’s life.

Statement from Elizabeth Adams, Interim Co-Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives:

“Preventable crashes rob families and friends of their loved ones, and today we join those mourning the latest bike rider killed in traffic violence. We send our deepest condolences to his loved ones.”

“This crash underscores how much work is left to ensure our streets are truly safe for everyone using them. The intersection where he was killed has no protected bike lanes or daylighting; there wasn’t even a painted crosswalk to cross Westchester Avenue. Older New Yorkers particularly benefit from better street infrastructure so they have more time and space to move around safely.”

“The City knew Westchester Avenue was deadly – deadly enough to remain a Vision Zero Priority Corridor for almost a decade – but they never even painted a crosswalk. After a bike rider was killed on this very street just a few months ago, again, the street was left untouched. This weekend’s crash was entirely foreseeable and preventable – and continuing to leave the street dangerous will only invite more pain and loss into the Bronx. It must be redesigned now. New Yorkers deserve better, and we will keep fighting until every street and every intersection is safe.”