Editorial
Pass streets-design bill
With the number of cyclists killed in New York City on the rise in 2019, it’s
clear something must be done to prevent further tragedy.
Brooklyn’s streets, in particular, are proving to be treacherous for cyclists.
There have been 10 cyclist fatalities so far in 2019 — the same number the city
saw in all of 2018, according to Vision Zero data — eight of which have occurred in
Brooklyn, including three in a four-day span last week.
Activists have laid blame on city offi cials for the lack of dedicated bike lanes
throughout much of Southern Brooklyn, where fi ve of the 10 fatalities occurred.
In addition to the 10 fatalities, Vision Zero data reveals that there have been 993
cyclist injuries across the fi ve boroughs as of April 30.
Our Brooklyn sister paper obtained video from the victim of a hit-and-run in Clinton
Hill last week where a driver struck a cyclist and fl ed. The paper published the
video and sent the clip to the 88th Precinct, which reopened the investigation.
We urge victims of similar incidents to share their stories with their local newspapers
and media outlets. Let us tell your stories so we can help spread the word and
help prevent further tragedy. Every publicized incident will put pressure on local lawmakers
to protect their cycling constituents.
The City Council is hoping to improve road safety with its “Vision Zero Streets
Design Standard” bill, which would formalize a set of safety measures for the Department
of Transportation to consider when renovating city streets. The bill’s proponents
believe it would encourage construction of bike lanes and other traffi c-calming measures
in car-dense neighborhoods.
The street in Clinton Hill where the biker was struck did not have a dedicated bike
lane. The city had removed “sharrows,” shared lane markings that indicate that while
there’s no dedicated bike lane on the street, drivers and bicyclists must share the space.
Sharrows aren’t perfect — they do not offer an explicit lane and cyclists are still at risk
of being struck — but perhaps one might have prevented the cyclist from being struck
in Clinton Hill.
Council Speaker Corey Johnson recently announced a May 30 deadline to vote on
the measure, which is co-sponsored by 14 of the body’s 15 Brooklyn lawmakers. The
only Kings County councilmember not sponsoring the bill is Kalman Yeger (D–Borough
Park), who represents the location where the teen was killed last Wednesday.
Yeger should sponsor the bill, too. Doing so would show a united front among
Brooklyn councilmembers; it would show constituents that the borough will take action
and not wait for the next tragedy to strike. If drivers can stay out of bike lanes, and
cyclists can stay out of the road, then there shouldn’t be any fatalities.
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On Oct. 2, 1986, the Mohandas Gandhi monument was unveiled
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