Transportation advocates say 2024 is one of the deadliest years for Queens streets in the Vision Zero era after five people were killed by cars over the weekend.
Traffic deaths are 43% higher than average in Queens this year and on track to tie as the deadliest year in the borough, according to data collected and analyzed by street safety group Transportation Alternatives. Citywide, traffic deaths are 17% higher than average this year.
“Five people being killed in a single weekend should be completely unacceptable for everyone in city government,” Elizabeth Adams, deputy executive director for Transportation Alternatives, said in a phone interview. “We have the tools to change it, and to throw our hands up is callous and cruel.”
Transportation Alternatives tracks injuries and fatalities from cars by compiling press reports, which it says is faster and often more accurate than official data from the city. The NYPD recorded the following incidents this weekend:
- An SUV killed a 5-year-old boy who crossed mid-street while leaving the Poppenhusen Playground.
- A NYPD vehicle killed a 22-year-old man crossing the Van Wyck Expressway.
- A hit-and-run driver killed two men riding a moped.
- An overturned driver killed one person on the Grand Central Parkway.
The Department of Transportation didn’t dispute the deaths, but only has records from earlier this month. It said it was grieving with the families of those who died.
“Traffic fatalities are preventable,” spokesperson Vincent Barone wrote in an email. “This administration is using every available tool to implement transformative street safety projects that reduce speeding, improve visibility, and provide more protected space for cyclists and pedestrians.”
In a city where heavy and fast cars perpetually interact within inches of comparatively fragile pedestrians and cyclists, Adams said the city is failing to meet its legal obligations to make streets safer under a 2019 law requiring the construction of more…
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