Transportation Alternatives Statement After SUV Driver Kills Bike Rider in Sheepshead Bay

Traffic violence has killed 14 people riding bikes so far in 2023 — the most by this point in any year under Vision Zero, and more than double the average since 2014. 

Torres-Hernandez is the 91st person killed by traffic violence in New York City in 2023.

BROOKLYN, NY — On Friday night, the driver of a SUV hit Edgar José Torres-Hernandez while he was biking on the corner of Nostrand Avenue and Avenue R in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. Both streets are Vision Zero priority corridors, but neither has any bicycle infrastructure. 

According to Transportation Alternatives’ bike lane tracker, the city built just 19.2 of the 30 mandated bike lanes in 2022, and has only built 4.6 miles of the legally-mandated 50 miles for 2023.  

Statement from Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris:

"We are heartbroken and angry to learn that Edgar José Torres-Hernandez has died after being hit by an SUV last week, the 14th bike rider to be killed in 2023. This year is, by far, the deadliest year in the Vision Zero-era for bike riders, and it’s only the first day of June. ”

“We demand immediate action from our leaders to keep New Yorkers safe — the City must build the Streets Plan’s legally-mandated 50 miles of bike lanes this year, and Albany must bring Sammy’s Law, legislation to give New York City control of its own speed limits, to a vote in the State Assembly.”