WILLIAMSBURG, Brooklyn, N.Y. — Cycling advocates and local politicians gathered Monday, March 4, 2019, to hold a vigil in honor of a 25-year-old female bike messenger from Brooklyn who died in a collision with a tanker truck according to Metro U.S. New York. The tanker driver drove away from the site of the crash. The […]
WILLIAMSBURG, Brooklyn, N.Y. — Cycling advocates and local politicians gathered Monday, March 4, 2019, to hold a vigil in honor of a 25-year-old female bike messenger from Brooklyn who died in a collision with a tanker truck according to Metro U.S. New York. The tanker driver drove away from the site of the crash. The crash reportedly occurred at 11:35 pm on Thursday, February 28, 2019. The 25-year-old female cyclist was the fifth bicycle rider in New York City to die in 2019 in a traffic collision. There was no information whether the truck driver was charged, but police say that they have identified a person whom they will interview in their investigation.
Activists for the betterment of the NYC transit system lamented the location of the fatal crash as one that is incredibly dangerous and one deserving of attention. The NYPD reported that the accident scene was on Broadway, between Marcy Avenue and Rodney Streets. Locals say that this area is widely known for terrible accidents and is very dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians alike.
Frustration is building among those folks who travel through this area because they believe the City should redesign the road, but nothing has been done. The locale was not part of the initial Vision Zero plan. The Metro reported that a spokesperson from the Department of Transportation said that the agency would carefully examine the area to determine whether a change is needed.
Meanwhile, NYPD officers launched a 72-hour crackdown on Broadway in Williamsburg to prevent further tragedy. Police issues 33 summonses. Police issued a summons to one bicycle rider, and motorists received the other 32. Still, some cyclists believe that they are wrongfully targeted, and the blame should lie at the feet of careless motorists. Cycling advocates told the Metro that when police institute a crackdown, it is usually the bike riders who are targeted rather than “reckless drivers.”