BY THE VILLAGE SUN | Like some plays, cars should be off Broadway, Transportation Alternatives and others argue.
Their cries will reach new levels this Thursday evening at 6 p.m., when activists will hold a “Broadway March to End Traffic Violence” to rally “in support of streets for people not cars.”
On Monday, in a horrific accident in so-called NoMad, just north of Madison Square Park, an out-of-control yellow cab mounted the curb on Broadway between 28th and 29th Streets and slammed into an outdoor cafe. Six people were injured, three critically, with one woman reportedly losing a leg below the knee and another woman also left with a gruesome leg injury. The two women were stuck under the cab, but a group of pedestrians were able to lift the vehicle off of them.
According to police, the hack, 60, was heading westbound and turning onto Broadway at 29th Street when he collided with a cyclist, 50, traveling southbound on Broadway in the bike lane. The cab’s left front corner hit the cyclist in the bike lane, police said. It was apparently a CitiBike.
“The bicyclist was knocked to the roadway, and the taxi then dragged the male a short distance, continuing onto the east sidewalk,” police said, according to the preliminary investigation. “The taxi then continued southbound on the sidewalk striking the three pedestrians, pinning two under the vehicle and coming to a rest in front of 1186 Broadway.”
CBS News, citing alleged “law enforcement sources” and “senior law enforcement investigators,” reported that the taxi had the green light and that the bicyclist “blew through the light.”
According to the Daily News, “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.”
However, a police spokesperson on Thursday, when asked by The Village Sun who had the green light, only said, “The investigation remains ongoing.”
Tonight’s rally and march will assemble at 33rd Street and Broadway at and end at 25th Street and Broadway.
Transportation Alternatives is pushing a “25×25” campaign to transform 25 percent of the city’s “car space” into “space for people” by 2025, plus supports the idea of a “car-free Broadway.”
“A car-free Broadway would have prevented this heinous crash,” Danny Harris, the organization’s executive director, told the Daily News. “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.”
While the subway slowly makes more stations accessible for those who can’t climb stairs, TA continues to try to make getting around on the surface impossible for those who don’t or can’t ride a bicycle.
Complete tragedy for victims of the taxi crash.
But I do not understand why Broadway should be converted to “no vehicles”?
Why Broadway and not some other street?
Traffic diverted from Broadway will impact buses on Fifth Avenue.
What happens to hotels on Broadway?
Plus folks still want their instant gratification e-commerce — that means a vehicle.
No miracle delivery by stork.
“Why Broadway and not some other street?” Happy for it to be both Broadway and other streets. Broadway has already been significantly narrowed and is a major pedestrian destination though, so it makes sense.
“Traffic diverted from Broadway will impact buses on Fifth Avenue.” Make a real dedicated bus lane.
“What happens to hotels on Broadway?” People can just get out at the cross street by the hotel.
“Plus folks still want their instant gratification e-commerce — that means a vehicle.” Again, cross streets. Or cargo e-bikes.
All problems are solvable. Many easily, if we just try.