Statement: Two Cyclists Killed in the South Bronx this Week

Pair of Fatal Crashes Took Place Less Than 24 Hours--and a Half-Mile--Apart 

Statement of Transportation Alternatives' Executive Director Danny Harris:

“Two men were killed while cycling in the Bronx this week. On Wednesday evening, 24-year-old food delivery worker Ivan Morales was killed by the driver of a Lexus sedan at East 138th Street and Willis Avenue in Mott Haven.  

On Thursday evening, less than a half-mile from the crash where Morales was killed, 38-year-old Jose Luis Estudillo Garcia died after he was struck by the driver of a Freightliner truck on Park Avenue near East 138th Street. Early reports suggest Garcia may have been attempting to navigate around an illegally double-parked truck. 

Morales and Garcia are the fifth and sixth cyclists killed on New York City streets this year. Of the six fatal crashes involving cyclists to date in 2020, all have involved male drivers, and five of the six involved a large vehicle, like a truck, bus or SUV. 

Compared to Manhattan and Brooklyn, the Bronx has seen comparatively little investment in safe cycling infrastructure, and the Bronx saw a 62 percent increase in cyclist injuries during the first quarter of 2020 compared to the same time last year, just as injuries were on the decline in the other four boroughs.

New York cannot continue to be a city where cycling infrastructure is installed slowly over years in a piecemeal fashion, and mostly in predominantly wealthy, white neighborhoods. As our city begins to recover from a pandemic, Mayor de Blasio and the Department of Transportation need to prioritize the rapid construction of a protected and connected bike network that serves the five boroughs. Transportation Alternatives stands ready to support.”