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NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - The disturbing trend of bicyclists getting killed and hurt on the streets of New York continues to worsen. Two cyclists were killed on Tuesday and another one is clinging to life after being struck by a car in Queens on Wednesday.
A Nissan Rogue hit a 28-year-old cyclist around 12:30 a.m. on Woodhaven Boulevard near Jamaica Avenue, police said. The cyclist was rushed to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition. The driver stayed on scene and was not charged.
On Tuesday, a 38-year-old driving a tow truck crashed into Alex Cordero, 17, on his bike in the Port Richmond section of Staten Island, police said. Officers found Cordero lying on the roadway. He had suffered severe trauma, police said.
The driver remained at the scene. No charges were filed.
Later Tuesday, a box truck struck a 58-year-old cyclist in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead shortly after, the NYPD said.
Police didn't make any arrests.
So far in 2019, 17 cyclists have been killed. That is a huge spike from the seven killed over the same period in 2018.
Thomas DeVito of the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives called this a "Vision Zero emergency." He pointed out that the vast majority of the deaths this year happened on streets excluded from Vision Zero changes. And most were killed on streets that completely lack bike lanes or markings. He said Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration must immediately expand the network of protected bike lanes.
The mayor said that the recent developments are "disturbing" and that his administration is working on an emergency action plan, could be made public on Thursday.
This week, the City Council passed a bill that will let bike riders follow pedestrian walk signs rather than traffic lights at intersections. Biking advocates touted the legislation as a step in the right direction.