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Three July pedestrian deaths in the Bronx spark calls for safer streets
By
Gwynne Hogan
Published Jul 7, 2022
Modified Jul 7, 2022
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By
Gwynne Hogan
Published Jul 7, 2022
Modified Jul 7, 2022
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Two cyclists and a pedestrian were killed on Bronx streets in the last week, sparking calls for greater action from city officials to protect residents of the borough as pedestrian fatalities spike citywide.
According to the group Transportation Alternatives, traffic fatalities in the Bronx were up 58 percent from the average during the years Vision Zero has been in effect, and up 131 percent since 2019 — the safest years for Bronx streets during that time. So far this year, 30 New Yorkers were killed on Bronx streets, the group said, up from a low of 13 people killed in 2019.
“Urgent investment is needed in the Bronx to combat the crisis of traffic violence and save lives. We can’t afford to wait any longer,” said Transportation Alternatives executive director Danny Harris. “These investments must be equitable and prioritized in historically under-resourced communities.”
The killings escalated in recent days with the hit and run death of a woman in her thirties who was crossing West Farms Road on July 1st; during another incident on July 3rd in Soundview, a Jeep driver turned left and rammed into 21-year-old cyclist Christian Castelan before fleeing the scene; and on July 6th, the driver of an Infiniti sedan collided with an e-bicycle delivery worker Jose Angel Victoriano at the intersection of Grand Concourse and East 149th Street.
A funeral service was planned for Sunday for Victoriano and two other delivery workers killed on city streets in recent days.
Transportation Alternatives pointed to data indicating just six percent of the city’s protected bike lanes are in the borough, compared to 75 percent located in Manhattan and Queens. Both of the Bronx cyclists who were killed were riding on streets without protected bike lanes.
Mayor Eric Adams pledged $900 million in this year’s fiscal budget to go towards funding his “Streets Master Plan” which would dramatically scale up the creation of protected bus and bike lanes across the city.
"The [city Department of Transportation] is developing critical new bike and bus projects in the borough to support efficient and sustainable travel options while improving safety for all road users,” said Vin Barone, an agency spokesperson, pointing to projects like the Fordham Area Bike Network, which will add around 30 miles of bike lanes to three Bronx. neighborhoods.
Citywide there were 115 traffic fatalities so far this year, a 25 percent increase from 2018, the safest year under Vision Zero, according to Transportation Alternatives.
This story has been updated with additional information.
Tagged
Pedestrian Deaths
vision zero
eric adams
Gwynne Hogan
Gwynne Hogan is a former Gothamist reporter.
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