Queens community leader Pat Dolan was killed by the driver of a Nissan sedan as she crossed the street last night. Dolan served on Queens Community Board 8, and she was walking to a transportation meeting when she was struck.
According to the NYPD, Dolan was crossing Hillside Avenue southbound at 198th Street when she was struck by the driver, who was traveling east. The NYPD said that "there was no criminality" on the part of the driver, who remained at the scene, but the police could provide no information about whether Dolan was in a crosswalk or had the right of way, or whether the driver was speeding.
Dolan was president of the Queens Civic Congress, and in the wake of her death tributes have been pouring in from across the city. "Pat dedicated her life to Queens," said Borough President Helen Marshall. Said Comptroller John Liu, "Her leadership and infectious spirit will be sorely missed, and I stand together with my fellow residents of Queens to mourn her untimely death." Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer announced that he was dedicating his transportation conference this Friday in Dolan's memory.
Dolan had made improving transportation access for car-free Queens residents part of her life's work, reported the Queens Times-Ledger. As director of Queens Connection, she organized transportation for senior centers and advocated for better public transit across the borough. "Dolan did not drive and took public transportation to every one of the countless meetings she attended all around the borough," the paper wrote.
"Pat’s tireless commitment to a safer, more livable community earned her the respect of all who knew her," said Transportation Alternatives executive director Paul Steely White. "During her tenure as its leader, the Queens Civic Congress addressed community transportation concerns, like speeding, reckless driving and dangerous conditions for walkers. Her absence will be felt in the many lives she touched in her own community and beyond."
If you would like to discuss the case and traffic safety in the neighborhood with local police, the next meeting of the 103rd Precinct is December 13 at 7:00 p.m. and the next meeting of the 107th Precinct is this Tuesday, November 22, at 8:00 p.m.
