E-bike rider critically injured after being side-swiped by a SUV

An 18 year old man was critically injured in an e-bike accident in the Bronx, NYC. The accident occurred on Saturday morning on Schley Avenue near the Throggs Neck Houses NYCHA complex. The young man who was was riding his e-bike on the sidewalk changed paths and moved onto the roadway when he got side-swiped by the SUV.  He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition where he is still struggling for his life. The driver stayed at the scene of the accident. He was questioned by the police and was not charged. (reads more in AMNY)

Micro-mobility device users need to be better protected in the Bronx

While the police do not suspect any criminality, the accident  clearly highlights that infrastructures protecting cyclists and pedestrians alike are still missing in the Bronx, especially in family housing areas where it is expected that young people are riding their bikes around.  Compared to Manhattan and Queens where 75% of the protected bike lanes are installed in the city, only 6% of the bike lanes are installed in the Bronx, even though an equal percentage of residents use micro-mobility devices in every borough. Every New Yorker should be equally protected while they ride their bike, e-bike or e-scooter.

Accidents resulting in fatalities and serious injuries are spiking in the Bronx

A few days before, on Wednesday, Bernice Schwartz, a 99 year old pedestrians was struck and killed by another SUV in the Bronx (see Transportation Alternative article).  Fatal crashes have been spiking in the Bronx since the beginning of the year. According to recent numbers published by Transportations Alternatives, traffic fatalities in the Bronx for the first six months of the year are at their highest since 2014, when Vision Zero started, with 28 people killed in traffic violence compared to 14 in 2014.

See Transportation Alternatives Press Release