Transportation Alternatives Statement in Response to Cyclist Killed on Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx

On Thursday afternoon, a man riding a bicycle on Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx died after being struck by a tractor trailer.

Statement of Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris:

“Another person has been killed while riding a bicycle on New York City streets. To date in 2020, at least 21 cyclists have been killed, and eight of them in the Bronx—the most of any borough. At least 200 people have been killed in traffic violence in New York City this year. 

Only three percent of the city’s total protected bike lane mileage is in the Bronx, compared to about 50 percent in Manhattan. This crash took place on a particularly hostile stretch of Bruckner Boulevard, just a block west of where a protected bike lane turns north toward the Willis Avenue Bridge entrance. This corridor is a truck route, and precisely the type of street that requires complete, dedicated bike infrastructure which separates people on bikes from multi-ton tractor trailers.  

This has been a particularly deadly year in the Bronx, and not just for cyclists. In 2019, there were 28 traffic deaths in the Bronx, while in 2020, we have now seen at least 46. This year, 22 percent of all fatal New York City traffic crashes happened in the Bronx, compared to 13 percent in 2019. 

2020 is projected to have the most traffic deaths of any year during Mayor de Blasio’s time in office. However, rather than fight to save human lives, the mayor has slashed the budgets for life-saving programs like Vision Zero and the Green Wave Plan, and he delayed the rollout of the Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program and the Streets Master Plan. We know the New York City Department of Transportation is capable of delivering safe streets, but without support from the mayor, New York City will continue to prioritize the convenience of drivers over human life.

In response to the rise in traffic violence this year, Families for Safe Streets and Transportation Alternatives will be hosting a rally on Sunday, November 15 at City Hall Park in coordination with the international World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.”