Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Streetsblog

Badly Repaired Road Implicated in Crash that Killed a Senior Cyclist in Elmhurst

The cyclist may have hit this road defect, which Google photographed in October. Photo: Google

This one is on the city.

A Queens cyclist died after getting knocked off his bike after he hit a rough patch of badly repaired road on a residential street in Elmhurst late on Thursday night.

According to the NYPD, the cyclist, Lin Wen-Chiang, was riding westbound on one-block-long 40th Drive when he "rode over a rode obstruction," toppled from his bike, struck his head and died.

Archival photos of the crash site show that at least through October 2021, a large patch of roadway was, indeed, damaged by city workers or an outside contractor working under the authority of the city sometime after October, 2019:

Before (October, 2019) and after (October, 2021). Photos: Google (Note, lighter patch in photo on the left is due to covering over Google's street name labeling.)
Before (October, 2019) and after (October, 2021). Photos: Google
Before (October, 2019) and after (October, 2021). Photos: Google (Note, lighter patch in photo on the left is due to covering over Google's street name labeling.)

Wen-Chiang is the third cyclist to die on New York City streets this year, part of an excessively bloody first two months of the Adams administration. Through Feb. 24, at least 35 people have died on the roads, up from 25 over the same period last year — and last year was the most deadly for road violence in the entire de Blasio administration.

The vast majority of the dead this year are pedestrians, with 20 killed so far this year, up from 15 over the same period last year.

Chart: DOT
Chart: DOT
Chart: DOT

This is a breaking story and will be updated shortly.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

The Streetsblog Angle: The 70th Street Bike Lane Is In the Epstein Files!

Somewhere, maybe, Woody Allen finally regrets opposing that bike lane.

January 30, 2026

The Mamdani Effect: Three Delivery Apps Must Pay $5M In Minimum Pay Settlement

A new era: Mayor Mamdani's worker protection department announces new enforcement against UberEats, HungryPanda, and Fantuan for not complying with the minimum pay law.

January 30, 2026

Friday Video: Should We Stop Calling Them ‘Low-Traffic Neighborhoods’?

Is it time for London's game-changing urban design concept to get a rebrand?

January 30, 2026

Ten Years of Placard Abuse: The Criminal Practice that Mamdani Must End

Placard corruption has drowned New York City in illegally parked cars for more than a decade. Mayor Mamdani must end it for good.

January 30, 2026

Data Analysis: Super Speeders and Red Light Violators Are Less Likely to Get NYPD Tickets

Drivers caught most often by speed and red light cameras are at the receiving end of comparatively little NYPD enforcement.

January 30, 2026
See all posts