Cyclists performed a “die-in” in front of City Hall as they protested a spike in biker and pedestrian deaths.
Photo by Dean Moses
Street safety advocates took a stand by lying down outside City Hall Wednesday night for a “die-in,” demanding that the city do more to stop a recent spike in deadly collisions that resulted in bicyclist and pedestrian deaths.
Advocacy groups Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets are calling on the city to provide a safety plan, protecting New Yorkers from reckless drivers. Carrying signs naming those who have died after being struck by vehicles and lugging their pedal bikes along with them, they charge that enough is enough.
Four people were killed in hit-and-run collisions in the span of five days, three of whom were riding their bikes at the time. The deaths occurred across three of the five boroughs.
Two people were killed on Aug. 18 alone. In one incident, 51-year-old Angelo Camara, a father of five, was killed in the Bronx when a BMW sped through a red light and caused a chain-reaction collision. That same day, 29-year-old Paulina Tee Choc was struck and killed by a pickup truck as she rode through Brooklyn.
On Aug. 20, 40-year-old Mamadou Diallo was riding his bike in Brooklyn when he was killed by a BMW driver, who also fled the scene. Most recently, 22-year-old Destiny Murrell was hit and killed by a driver as she crossed the street in the West Village on Aug. 23.
Mary Beth Kelly said she watched her husband collapse after he was struck in 2006.
“I never dreamed that it would take 20 years, and I’d still be standing here asking for the same things. We’ve come a long way. We’ve lowered the speed limit, but not far enough,” Kelly said. “We’re having a die-in today because we are trying to do what we can to honor and remember those people who unwillingly gave up their lives because we do not have a city that is safe enough for people to just walk and bike in.”
As one man played bagpipes, the group lay in front of City Hall, hoping their pleas would be heard.
