Transportation Alternatives Statement in Response to Deaths of Cyclist in East New York and Pedestrian in the Bronx

On Saturday, 58-year-old Sonia Sotomayor was struck and killed while crossing the street at Southern Boulevard and East 180th Street in the Bronx; and 22-year-old food delivery worker Juan Tiu-Caxaj died a week after being struck while biking on November 7th at Fulton Street and Autumn Avenue in East New York. 

Statement of Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris:

“Two people died this weekend from preventable crashes on New York City streets. To date in 2020, at least 22 cyclists and 82 pedestrians have been killed. With more than 210 people killed in traffic violence so far, 2020 is projected to have the most traffic deaths of any year during Mayor de Blasio’s time in office.

Both deadly crashes occurred in parts of the city neglected during Mayor de Blasio’s tenure and Vision Zero program. While the location in East New York is a Vision Zero Priority Area, the area lacks the type of protected bike lane infrastructure that has been proven to save lives elsewhere in the city. And while eight of the 22 cyclist fatalities this year occurred in the Bronx—the most of any borough, only three percent of the city’s total protected bike lane mileage is in the Bronx, compared to about 50 percent in Manhattan. 

Rather than fight to save human lives and reverse two years of growing deaths from traffic violence, the mayor has slashed the budgets for life-saving programs like Vision Zero, the Green Wave Plan and delayed the roll-out of the Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program and the Streets Master Plan. Instead of doing more to save lives, Mayor de Blasio is doing less.

The New York City Department of Transportation is capable of delivering safe streets, but without mayoral leadership that prioritizes human life over the convenience of drivers, New Yorkers will continue to die from traffic violence.”