Pump the brakes!
That’s the message from city Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on Tuesday, a day after a taxi driver mowed down a cyclist and critically injured a pair of tourists outside a Manhattan bagel shop.
The gruesome crash — which injured six people, including a woman visiting town from Ohio whose leg was severed — happened after a yellow cabbie made a left turn onto Broadway from W. 29th St. at 12:55 p.m. on Monday and rammed straight into a cyclist in a bike lane. Police said the driver slowed down after running over the man on the bike — but then sped up, jumped the curb and pinned two women against a wall.
The horrific scene left street safety advocates demanding swift redesigns to Broadway that could better protect pedestrians and cyclists.
Rodriguez declined to point to any infrastructure changes planned for the busy thoroughfare, and put the onus on drivers to be more careful behind the wheel.
“The message is: Drivers slow down when you drive and especially when you make a left turn,” said Rodriguez. “There’s an epidemic of reckless drivers in the whole nation. Those numbers are moving up higher, especially after COVID.”
Rodriguez said the cause of the crash remains under investigation. Some bystanders who witnessed the horror said the cabbie claimed his brakes malfunctioned. The passenger who was in the back of the taxi was overheard by bystanders Monday saying he was confused about why his driver didn’t stop before he hit the cyclist. The cabbie declined to take questions at his home Tuesday.
Paperwork filed by police after the accident says the bicyclist blew a red light, collided with the cab, flew off his bike and was dragged by the taxi. He was severely injured and his arm was mangled, authorities said.
Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy organization, urged city officials to eliminate car traffic along most of Broadway as a way to save lives and improve the quality of life on the street. The group pointed to a move in 2021 under former Mayor Bill de Blasio to include parts of Broadway in the city’s “open streets” program that restricts car traffic during some hours of the day.
“A car-free Broadway would have prevented this heinous crash,” said the organization’s executive director, Danny Harris. “Whether it’s building truly protected bike lanes, cracking down on reckless drivers, or building car-free streets, New York City has the tools to keep our streets safe. But when elected leaders hold back these tools or lack the political will to get these done, the consequences on our streets are horrific.”
Transportation Department officials are in the process of redesigning areas of Broadway between Union Square and Columbus Circle by narrowing the space used by cars, installing pedestrian plazas and setting up loading zones to prevent trucks from double parking.
With Harry Parker and Ellen Moynihan
