Mayor, Advocates Decry 'Traffic Violence' After Broadway Taxi Crash

New York City NY

21 June, 2022

11:55 AM

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NEW YORK CITY — A bloody taxi crash along Broadway that left three people critically injured prompted a fresh wave of calls for action to tackle "traffic violence" in New York City. Chief among those was Mayor Eric Adams, who called the Monday crash — in which six people were injured after a taxi driver struck a bicyclist near 29th Street and careened into people on a sidewalk, pinning them — a "terrible tragedy." "But we should not have to accept, and I will not accept, a reality where New Yorkers die from traffic violence," he said in a statement. Adams' pledges come amid a continued wave of deadly crashes across the city and increased frustration by advocates who believe city officials should do more to stop them. The popular Second Ave. Sagas blog's Twitter account lambasted officials, including Adams, for their response to the crash. It posted that Adams' response appeared to pin blame equal blame on the cyclist, and excoriated Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez for reportedly saying that drivers — such as the person driving the cab Monday — should be more "careful" making left turns. "The response to yesterday's crash from politicians and agency heads is pathetic and worthless," it tweeted. "This is a public safety crisis too and demands a serious concerted effort to stop it, not pathetic speed bumps at 50 intersections per year," another tweet stated. The crash occurred about 1 p.m. when a yellow cab's driver tried to make a left turn from West 29th Street onto Broadway, said NYPD Deputy Chief John Chell. The cab's driver struck a bicyclist and careened onto a sidewalk, where it trapped two women against a building, he said. A "remarkable scene" took place immediately after the crash, Chell said. "About 15 to 20 New Yorkers attempted to take this cab off these women," he said. Three people were critically injured in the crash, which is still under investigation by police, authorities said. Graphic video from WABC — which was shared on the MicromobilityNYC group on Reddit — shows a pool of blood in the crash's aftermath. The poster wrote that Broadway should have been "pedestrianized years ago." "This is why we spend so much time advocating for safer streets," the poster wrote.