Transportation Alternatives Statement After Traffic Violence Kills Bike Rider in Mott Haven and E-Scooter Rider in Borough Park

112 traffic deaths citywide in 2022, a 29 percent increase from 2018 — the safest year of the Vision Zero era

2022 is deadliest year in Bronx since launch of Vision Zero 

NEW YORK CITY — Early Thursday morning, a driver killed 26-year-old e-bike rider Victoriano Angeles in Mott Haven in the Bronx, along a known dangerous Vision Zero priority corridor. On Thursday afternoon the driver of a USPS tractor-trailer killed a 57-year-old woman on an e-scooter in Borough Park, in an area so dangerous it shares overlapping priority distinctions: a Vision Zero priority area; a Safe Streets for Seniors priority area; and a bike priority district known for high rates of cyclist fatalities. These deaths come after a horrific weekend when traffic violence seriously injured at least four children and killed three people including a grandmother in Bedford-Stuyvesant and an elderly unhoused man in East New York.

This year, crashes have killed 20 people using micromobility devices, such as bicycles, scooters, and mopeds. Six of these crashes have been in the Bronx and nine in Brooklyn. 112 people have been killed walking, riding, and driving in New York City so far this year, up 29 percent from 2018, the safest year in Vision Zero’s history.

So far in 2022, the Bronx is having its most dangerous year since the launch of Vision Zero, with 28 people killed in crashes, 47 percent higher than the Vision Zero-era average and 22 percent higher than at this point last year.  In Brooklyn, this June has been the most dangerous for people using micromobility devices since the launch of Vision Zero, with four deaths in only one month.

Statement from Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris:

“Drivers killed two more New Yorkers today. We are heartbroken and outraged that a man on an e-bike in the Bronx and a woman on a scooter in Sunset Park are not going home to their families because of preventable traffic violence. We send their families and friends our deepest condolences.

“The status quo on our streets is not working. Getting around without a car should not end in a death sentence.”

“We need immediate government action to prevent more preventable traffic deaths in New York City. Most importantly, Mayor Adams must move more quickly to implement the NYC Streets Plan and expand traffic calming infrastructure proven to slow drivers, increase visibility, and make walking and biking safe. These investments must be prioritized along the most-dangerous corridors and in areas that have not received equitable investments in safe streets.”

“Vision Zero cannot just be a slogan. Lives are at stake and we need those in power to take every possible step now to prevent further acts of carnage on our streets.” 

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