Man Struck in East Elmhurst Was 17th Cyclist Killed by NYC Driver This Year
Update: According to NYPD collision location data, the crash occurred on Grand Central Parkway near LaGuardia Airport. H/t to reader Jules.
A man hit while riding a bike in East Elmhurst yesterday was the 17th cyclist killed by a New York City driver in 2016. NYPD filed no charges.
According to NYPD, the victim was in the left shoulder of eastbound Grand Central Parkway at around 1 a.m. Monday when an eastbound motorist traveling in the left lane hit him with a Mazda minivan.
The preliminary NYPD crash report said the cyclist “veered into the left lane,” a department spokesperson told Streetsblog. NYPD had no details on the driver’s speed.
It’s not clear exactly where the collision happened. The NYPD public information office said the victim was struck in the vicinity of 111th Street, which runs parallel to Grand Central Parkway for roughly two dozen blocks. Police also said the crash occurred in the 115th Precinct, where 111th Street runs for about six blocks from Roosevelt Avenue to Astoria Boulevard, two blocks to the west of the parkway.
The victim died at the scene, according to police. His name had not been released as of this morning, pending family notification.
The driver’s name was withheld. NYPD normally shields the identities of drivers who kill people unless charges are filed.
DOT has allowed Assembly Member Francisco Moya to block the installation of a protected bike lane on 111th Street. If there was an obvious bike route on 111th, maybe people would be less likely to end up biking on this stretch of the Grand Central Parkway.
Motorists killed 11 cyclists through the first eight months of last year, and 14 total in 2015, according to city crash data.
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