Video shows minivan crashing into cyclist in Queens
NEW YORK -
GoPro video posted on Twitter caught the moment a hit-and-run driver rear-ended a cyclist near Greenpoint Avenue and Borden Avenue in Long Island City, Queens, at about 6 p.m. on Monday.
The cyclist was stopped at a red light in the bike lane when a gray Toyota minivan, seen in the video, slammed into him. In the video, you can see the driver swerving onto the bike path.
The bike lane that runs along this stretch is unprotected and sandwiched between two car lanes.
"It's every city cyclist's worst nightmare. It's horrific to see," Philip Leff, a cyclist and volunteer with Transportation Alternatives, told FOX 5 NY. "It's dangerous. This paint on the street provides no protection from speeding cars, impatient drivers, large trucks with the capability to injure and kill."
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Leff bikes this path frequently and said his life is at the mercy of drivers.
"Of all the stretches I ride regularly, I expect to get injured here more than just about anywhere else."
"The job of the city—they have obligation to save lives, to put people's lives over moving traffic."
FOX 5 NY reached out to the mayor's office asking specifically if the city will do anything to protect this bike path.
"DOT will study for additional street lighting at this location, and will look into potential improvements for the bike lane," a spokesperson said in an email.
More than two dozen cyclists killed by vehicles this year alone.
Police said the victim in Monday night's collision was taken to a hospital in stable condition. Police do not have the driver of the minivan.
If you have any information, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 800-577-8477, nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter at @NYPDTips.
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