Council Member Won discusses infrastructure and recent fatalities
Julie Won says micromobility is affordable and eco-friendly but infrastructure has not kept up, and lists recent tragic fatalities including two on the Queensborough Bridge.
Thank you so much, Chair Abreu Epstein, for convening this hearing.
And one of the most affordable, eco-friendly, and convenient ways to travel through New York City is riding a bike or micromobility device.
As New Yorkers turn to micromobility to get from point A to point B, our infrastructure simply has not kept up to pace.
This summer, we experienced tragic fatalities, making this more urgent now than ever.
Francis Delvehi, 39 years old, Dimitro Stenchanko, 35 years old, tragically died in a head-on collision in the bike lane on the Queensborough Bridge.
And you know that this is just one out of many accidents and crashes that we have had on this bridge.
One week later, Gabriel Natko of Bensonhurst was killed on Center Street after coming off the Brooklyn Bridge bike lane, not so far from where we are sitting right now.
And he was only 17 years old and was on his way to meet a career counselor and apply for summer jobs.
Less than two weeks ago, another 15-year-old, Daria...
Sir Cove was killed in East 14th Street and First Avenue.
A truck turning right struck the electric city bike.
She was riding with a friend.
And earlier this week, a 50-year-old woman was killed while cycling on the 34th Street Midtown.
So far, 20 cyclists have been killed.
That doubled from this point last year.
And we know that vehicles, automated vehicles, cars, are actually the most...
highest leading cause of death in this city.
And we want to make sure that all of our streets are safe for cyclists, pedestrians, and also micromobility riders.