A 29-year-old cyclist was killed by a driver in Marine Park, Brooklyn on Sunday night.
According to police, the victim was crossing Avenue U near East 33rd Street when he was struck by the 20-year-old driver of a Toyota Highlander at around 8:00 p.m. The cyclist was found in the roadway with severe head trauma. He was rushed to New York Community Hospital in Midwood, where he was pronounced dead.
The driver remained on the scene, and was not charged. Police have not yet released the victim's name.
Sunday's fatal crash marks the eighth cyclist killed on New York City streets this year, and the fourth to be killed while riding in South Brooklyn. The city is on pace to see a significant uptick in cyclist deaths, following last year's record-low of ten cyclist fatalities.
In a statement, the advocacy group Bike South Brooklyn! said that the concentration of fatalities is an "entirely predictable result of the city government and local officials abandoning people on bikes here and never taking serious measures to improve the bike network or cycling safety."
Brian Hedden, a member of the group, went further, placing blame for the increase in deaths in the area on Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Department of Transportation, the local community boards, and Councilmember Justin Brannan. He noted that there are no plans to add any new bike lanes in South Brooklyn this year, after Brannan intervened to stop a four-block stretch of lanes that was poised to be installed as part of a road diet on 86th Street between Shore Road and 3rd Avenue. Councilmember Brannan says the DOT "surprised us" with the plan, and that he is holding out for a more permanent solution that will address the issue of drag racing in the area.
"[They] are all saying that they flat out don't care about people who bike in southern Brooklyn," Hedden told Gothamist.
Last week, safe streets advocates rallied outside City Hall to demand passage of the Vision Zero Street Design Standard Bill, which would require the DOT to develop a checklist of safety-enhancing street design changes for every new street design project, and provide an explanation whenever certain items on the checklist are not implemented. Despite near unanimous support in the City Council, Mayor de Blasio has not come out in support of the bill. On Friday, he told WNYC's Brian Lehrer that he has "concerns about some of the specifics," which he would not elaborate on.
"Vision Zero is working, but it’s been a tough few months," the mayor added.
In a separate incident this weekend, a cyclist was hit by a driver on Dean Street and Brooklyn Avenue in Crown Heights. He was removed to a hospital in serious condition after suffering head trauma, according to police, who did not have updates on his condition as of Monday afternoon. The driver remained on the scene and was not charged.
