Transportation Alternatives Statement After Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Delivery Cyclist on E-Bike Brooklyn
“Vision Zero isn’t failing. Mayor de Blasio is failing.”
NEW YORK — Late Saturday night, a hit-and-run driver killed 44-year-old Babacar Dia, a delivery cyclist and father of four young girls, on Linden Boulevard in New Lots, Brooklyn. There have now been at least 193 traffic deaths in 2021, including at least eleven working cyclists killed in 2021, making this year on track to be the deadliest year since Mayor de Blasio took office.
Statement from Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris:
“We send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Babacar Dia, killed by a hit-and-run driver over the weekend while working as a delivery cyclist. Babacar was killed on a corridor that the mayor knows is dangerous — yet Mayor de Blasio has taken no steps to reengineer it for safety.”
“As New Yorkers travel from vigil to vigil during the deadliest year on Mayor de Blasio’s streets, the mayor neglects to take action to save lives. The mayor refuses to scale life-saving programs such as immediately rolling out the Streets Master Plan or increasing the budget for DOT to speed up and expand redesigns of dangerous corridors — not to mention his delay in implementing the Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program.”
“In a year with a record-breaking number of hit-and-runs, Mayor de Blasio’s failure to act sends two clear messages: that human life is less important than a driver’s convenience and that those who kill on our streets will face no consequences.”
“After years of Vision Zero success, traffic violence is tearing apart families at a record pace in 2021, killing innocent New Yorkers from babies to essential workers. But let’s be clear: Vision Zero isn’t failing. Mayor de Blasio is failing.”
“We need Mayor de Blasio to take emergency action to save lives. We need our next mayor to deliver the promise of safe streets by prioritizing people over cars, opening streets to people, and implementing NYC 25x25.”
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