Transportation Alternatives Statement After Pickup Truck Driver Kills E-Bike Rider in Unprotected Painted Bike Lane in Queens
“Vision Zero isn’t failing. Mayor de Blasio is failing.”
This painted bike lane on Honeywell Street is so regularly abused that a large dumpster is seen parked in the middle of it on Google Street View.
NEW YORK — On Monday morning, a driver of a pickup truck killed Thomas Panto, a 32-year-old Corona resident who was riding an e-bike in Long Island City. There have now been at least 206 traffic deaths in 2021, including at least 16 cyclists killed. This year is on track to be the deadliest year since Mayor de Blasio took office.
Statement from Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris:
“As Mayor de Blasio completes his term in office, he leaves behind more than 1,800 people dead on his streets and countless family members, friends and communities devastated for life in preventable traffic crashes. Now, during the deadliest year of his tenure, another New Yorker was killed riding an e-bike in Long Island City. We are heartbroken and send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Thomas Panto.”
“In New York City, the act of getting around by bicycle should not be an invitation for injury or death, especially as New York City has the proven tools to save lives including permanent traffic calming infrastructure like protected bike lanes – a cornerstone of Vision Zero. However, in a moment when New York City should be scaling its success across all corners of this city, Mayor de Blasio has decided to retreat. He has cut funding to life saving programs, failed to advance critical initiatives on time, and lost sight of his goal of having no New Yorkers killed in traffic crashes by 2024.”
“Thomas Panto was killed on Honeywell Street in Long Island City, Queens, a street with a painted, unprotected bike lane. It is like every painted, unprotected bike lane in New York City: a parking lot or travel lane, regularly abused by drivers, so much so that even Google Street View shows a dumpster parked there. At best, painted bike lanes are useless, but at worst, they are a reckless invitation from the City of New York to its residents, inviting New Yorkers to ride a bike while failing to adequately protect them.”
”Make no mistake, Vision Zero isn’t failing, Mayor de Blasio is failing.”
“New Yorkers need new leadership willing to prioritize saving human life over inconveniencing a few drivers. We need leaders who, in the face of tragedy, increase funding and support for life saving solutions like street redesign, lower speed limits, and safer spaces for people to walk and bike. New Yorkers need leaders who will give our streets back to people and deliver NYC 25x25, a plan to repurpose 25% of street space from cars to better uses by 2025.”
“Today, another family will forever be devastated. This is the result of Mayor de Blasio’s failure of leadership in New York City. At a time when we should be traveling from groundbreaking to groundbreaking for life saving projects, our mayor forces us to travel from vigil to vigil for dead New Yorkers.”
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