Parking Over People: Dinowitz’s Choices Leave Blood on Bronx Streets

Dinowitzes fight the Harlem River Greenway bike lane. They defend parking. Cyclists and walkers wait for safe passage. DOT says protected lanes save lives. The Bronx stays exposed.

""We did raise serious concerns about the removal of a large number of parking spots in an area that's already starved for parking. Your loaded term, 'car storage,' is totally insensitive to the needs and wishes of the neighborhood. We can have bike lanes and at the same time not have to remove so many parking spots."" -- Jeffrey Dinowitz

On July 8, 2025, Assembly Member Jeff Dinowitz and Council Member Eric Dinowitz publicly opposed the city's plan for a protected bike lane on Bailey Avenue, part of the Harlem River Greenway. The matter, described as an 'anti-car crusade,' centers on the removal of 46 parking spots. The Dinowitzes claim the redesign ignores community voices. DOT and local advocates argue the project will cut injuries and deaths, citing crash data. A safety analyst notes the Greenway will create safe, separated space for pedestrians and cyclists, reducing harm and boosting active travel. The Dinowitzes support bike lanes in principle but resist changes that reduce parking.

• ‘Anti-Car Crusade’: Dinowitzes Slam Bronx Harlem River Greenway Bike Lane Touted by Mayor, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2025-07-08

Crews will gut and rebuild Williams Bridge and Woodlawn stations. Four new elevators will rise. Three Harlem Line stops in the Bronx will open to all. The city’s transit spine grows stronger for those left waiting longest.

On June 18, 2025, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced a sweeping accessibility project for three Metro-North Harlem Line stations in the Bronx: Williams Bridge, Woodlawn, and Botanical Garden. According to the MTA, crews will completely rebuild Williams Bridge and Woodlawn, installing four new elevators—two at each station—to ensure full accessibility. The matter summary states: 'comprehensive renovation and accessibility project at three Metro-North Railroad Harlem Line stations in the Bronx.' Christian Murray reported the announcement. No council bill number or committee applies, as this is an agency initiative, not legislation. The upgrades promise to open transit to riders long shut out by stairs and barriers. Improving station accessibility encourages more walking and cycling to transit, supports mode shift away from driving, and benefits vulnerable users by making the built environment more inclusive and safer.

• MTA begins major accessibility upgrades at three Bronx Metro-North stations, AMNY, Published 2025-06-18

Senate passes S 8344. School speed zone rules in New York City get extended. Lawmakers make technical fixes. The bill keeps pressure on drivers near schools. Streets stay a little safer for kids.

Bill S 8344, titled 'Extends provisions and makes technical corrections to school speed zones in NYC; repealer,' moved through the Senate and Assembly in June 2025. Sponsored by Senator Andrew Gounardes, the bill passed Senate votes on June 12 and June 13, and cleared the Assembly on June 17. The measure extends and corrects school speed zone laws in New York City, repealing outdated provisions. Gounardes led the push, with strong support from most Senate Democrats and a split Assembly. The bill's technical fixes aim to keep protections in place for children and other vulnerable road users near schools. No safety analyst note was provided.

• File S 8344, Open States, Published 2025-06-17

Senate passes S 8344. School speed zone rules in New York City get extended. Lawmakers make technical fixes. The bill keeps pressure on drivers near schools. Streets stay a little safer for kids.

Bill S 8344, titled 'Extends provisions and makes technical corrections to school speed zones in NYC; repealer,' moved through the Senate and Assembly in June 2025. Sponsored by Senator Andrew Gounardes, the bill passed Senate votes on June 12 and June 13, and cleared the Assembly on June 17. The measure extends and corrects school speed zone laws in New York City, repealing outdated provisions. Gounardes led the push, with strong support from most Senate Democrats and a split Assembly. The bill's technical fixes aim to keep protections in place for children and other vulnerable road users near schools. No safety analyst note was provided.

• File S 8344, Open States, Published 2025-06-12

A sedan hits a man at Jerome Avenue. Blood pools on the street. The driver clutches his arm. Witnesses freeze. Pain and confusion hang in the Bronx air.

A 35-year-old man walking at the intersection near 3545 Jerome Avenue was struck by a northbound sedan. According to the police report, the pedestrian suffered a head injury with severe bleeding. The 57-year-old driver reported arm pain. The report lists 'Unsafe Speed' as a contributing factor. The crash left witnesses silent and shaken. No other injuries were specified. The police report also notes 'Pedestrian/Bicyclist/Other Pedestrian Error/Confusion' but highlights unsafe speed as a key factor in the collision.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4808770 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

After a hit-and-run injured a child, Bronx lawmakers called for speed humps and stop signs. They refused proven fixes like road diets and daylighting. Council Member Dinowitz claimed streets are too narrow for lane removal. DOT denied their request, citing low crash data.

On March 10, 2025, Council Member Eric Dinowitz and Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz pressed the city for speed humps and four-way stop signs in Riverdale, following a hit-and-run that injured a 9-year-old girl. Their request, sent to the Department of Transportation before the crash, was denied due to low car volumes and insufficient crash history. The lawmakers, at a press conference, supported speed humps and stop signs but opposed road diets and universal daylighting. Eric Dinowitz argued, 'If you walked down any of these streets, they are far too narrow to narrow any more.' He also rejected citywide daylighting, insisting, 'Daylighting has to be done corner by corner.' The council member has criticized DOT’s safety efforts before, framing the agency as unresponsive. No safety analyst assessment was provided for this action.

• Riverdale Pols Push for Some Street Safety, But Balk at More Serious Interventions, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2025-03-10

A city bus swerved to dodge a double-parked car. It crashed through a wall and dangled over a Bronx overpass. No one was hurt. Debris rained down. The city’s parking chaos left concrete cracked and nerves frayed.

NY1 reported on January 17, 2025, that a BxM1 MTA bus partially drove off the Henry Hudson Parkway overpass near Kappock Street after the driver swerved to avoid a double-parked car. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz stated, "We’re told by the MTA that the bus was trying to get around an illegally double-parked car, and he hit the wall and went through it." The crash damaged the overpass wall and scattered debris onto the street below. No injuries were reported, though conflicting accounts left passenger presence unclear. City Councilman Eric Dinowitz highlighted the broader issue: "We’re seeing all over the city parking regulations not being enforced." The incident underscores the risks posed by illegal parking and the need for stricter enforcement and infrastructure checks.

• MTA Bus Hangs Off Bronx Overpass, NY1, Published 2025-01-17

A Volkswagen SUV hit a 61-year-old woman as she crossed Riverdale Avenue. She stayed conscious, pain flooding her body, skin torn open. The driver kept going straight. The street fell silent. The city’s danger pressed in.

A 61-year-old woman was struck by a Volkswagen SUV while crossing Riverdale Avenue near 3815, according to the police report. The crash occurred outside of a crosswalk. The report states, 'A 61-year-old woman stepped into the street. No crosswalk. A Volkswagen SUV struck her.' The woman remained conscious after impact, suffering severe lacerations and pain throughout her body. The police report describes her injuries as affecting her 'entire body' and notes 'severe lacerations.' The SUV driver was traveling straight ahead at the time of the collision. The police report lists the contributing factors as 'Unspecified.' No driver errors are explicitly identified in the report, but the narrative confirms the driver continued straight and struck a pedestrian crossing mid-block. The focus remains on the impact and the resulting injuries.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4779364 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

A young man on an e-bike was crushed beneath two southbound cars on Webster Avenue. Slick pavement, harsh lights. His body broken, the bike destroyed. Three vehicles kept moving. He did not.

A 24-year-old man riding an e-bike was killed on Webster Avenue near East 233rd Street in the Bronx. According to the police report, the crash occurred when the e-bike rider was struck and crushed beneath two southbound vehicles—a 2018 Audi sedan and a 2023 Honda SUV. The report describes the pavement as 'slippery' and the lighting as 'harsh.' The police cite 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' as a contributing factor, as well as the hazardous road surface. The e-bike was demolished, and the cyclist suffered fatal crush injuries to his entire body. The police report notes that all involved vehicles were traveling straight ahead at the time of the crash. No contributing factors are attributed to the victim. The report underscores the lethal consequences of driver inattention and dangerous road conditions.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4775744 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

A 24-year-old woman crossed Corlear Avenue with the signal. An SUV turned left, its bumper smashing her head. She fell. Blood pooled. She did not move. The street stayed quiet. The SUV showed no damage. The city’s silence deepened.

A 24-year-old woman was struck while crossing Corlear Avenue at West 230th Street in the Bronx. According to the police report, she was crossing with the signal when a 2022 SUV, driven by a licensed driver, made a left turn and hit her with the left front bumper. The impact caused head injuries and apparent death at the scene. The report lists 'Failure to Yield Right-of-Way' as the primary contributing factor. The narrative notes, 'The bumper struck her head. She fell. Blood pooled. She did not move.' The SUV sustained no visible damage. The victim’s action—crossing with the signal—is documented in the report, but the focus remains on the driver’s failure to yield. The crash unfolded in a moment, leaving the street quiet and the danger of left turns unmitigated.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4774091 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

A BMW SUV reversed off Broadway, striking three pedestrians—a man, another man, and an infant girl. Abdomen crushed. Pelvis shattered. All conscious. All broken. The SUV showed no damage. The street stayed quiet. Metal met flesh. Lives changed.

According to the police report, a BMW SUV backed into three pedestrians off the roadway near 5716 Broadway in the Bronx at 11:35 p.m. The victims—a 43-year-old man, a 39-year-old man, and an infant girl—suffered severe crush injuries to their abdomens and pelvises. All three were conscious at the scene. The report lists 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' and 'Backing Unsafely' as contributing factors. The pedestrians were not in the roadway at the time of the crash. The SUV showed no visible damage. The police report makes no mention of any victim behavior contributing to the crash. The impact left bodies broken while the vehicle remained unscathed.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4771956 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

A motorcycle struck a slowing SUV on Major Deegan Expressway. The rider, 33, was hurled onto the asphalt, torn and bleeding. Steel and speed carved him open. The crash left a body marked by violence and a road stained by impact.

According to the police report, a motorcycle collided with the rear of a slowing SUV on Major Deegan Expressway at 14:03. The rider, a 33-year-old man, was ejected from his motorcycle and suffered severe lacerations across his entire body. The report describes the rider as conscious but bleeding and torn after being thrown onto the roadway. The primary contributing factor cited in the police report is 'Driver Inattention/Distraction.' The motorcycle's center front end struck the SUV's center back end, underscoring the violence of the impact. No victim behavior is listed as a contributing factor in the report. The crash highlights the lethal consequences of driver inattention on New York City roads.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4766547 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

A moped overturned on Kingsbridge Avenue. The unlicensed rider, helmetless, was thrown to the pavement. Blood pooled in the dark. Sirens cut the silence. The rider lay semiconscious, head bleeding, as the street bore witness to another violent crash.

According to the police report, a 2023 JIAJU moped overturned on Kingsbridge Avenue near Naples Terrace in the Bronx. The sole occupant, a 35-year-old male, was driving southbound when the crash occurred. The report states the rider was unlicensed and wore no helmet. He was ejected from the moped, landed on the pavement, and suffered a severe head injury, described as 'head bleeding' and 'semiconscious.' The police narrative notes the crash ended in 'silence, sirens, and blood.' While the report lists the contributing factors as 'unspecified,' it explicitly documents the rider's lack of a license and helmet. No other vehicles or road users were involved, and no victim behaviors are cited as contributing factors after the driver errors.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4774089 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

A 62-year-old cyclist, helmeted and westbound on Albany Crescent, struck headfirst and was ejected. He suffered crush injuries to the head. The bike’s front end bore the mark. Confusion clouded the cause, pain marked the aftermath.

According to the police report, a 62-year-old man riding a bike westbound on Albany Crescent near Bailey Avenue was involved in a violent crash. The report states he was 'struck headfirst' and 'ejected,' suffering 'crush wounds to the head.' The cyclist was wearing a helmet and remained conscious after the impact. The front of the bike was damaged, described as bearing 'the scar.' The police report lists 'Pedestrian/Bicyclist/Other Pedestrian Error/Confusion' as a contributing factor, explicitly noting confusion as a cause. No other vehicles or persons are cited in the report. The data does not indicate any driver errors by a motor vehicle operator, and mentions helmet use only after describing the crash and injury. The focus remains on the confusion that led to the cyclist’s severe injuries.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4749147 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

A car swung too fast at East 241st and Cranford. The right front bumper slammed into a young man’s head as he crossed with the light. Blood pooled. He stayed conscious, wounded, upright, bleeding on the street.

At the corner of East 241st Street and Cranford Avenue, a car making a right turn at unsafe speed struck a 23-year-old man in the head with its right front bumper. According to the police report, the pedestrian was 'crossing with the signal' at the intersection when the vehicle 'turned fast, too fast.' The report notes 'Unsafe Speed' and 'Traffic Control Disregarded' as contributing factors. The impact caused severe bleeding, but the victim remained conscious and did not fall. The police narrative describes blood pooling on the pavement as the man stayed awake. The driver’s failure to control speed and disregard for traffic controls are cited as direct causes. No mention is made of any pedestrian error or contributing behavior.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4742223 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

Three SUVs slam together in Bronx darkness. Steel crushes a 34-year-old man behind the wheel. His belt holds him, but the force is absolute. The night stays silent. One life ends, pinned by metal and momentum.

According to the police report, three SUVs collided near Major Deegan Expressway and West 230th Street in the Bronx at 2:01 a.m. A 34-year-old male driver, strapped in with a lap belt and harness, died from crush injuries to the head. The report states, 'Three SUVs collide in the dark. A man, 34, strapped in the driver's seat, dies from crush wounds to the head. The belt held him. The steel closed in.' The police report lists the contributing factors as 'Unspecified' for all involved drivers, providing no further detail on the precise errors that led to the crash. No evidence in the report points to victim behavior as a contributing factor. The collision underscores the lethal consequences when multiple large vehicles converge at speed, leaving a driver dead and the cause unresolved.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4738193 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

Albany lawmakers passed a bill to quadruple red light cameras in New York City. The cap jumps from 150 to 600 intersections. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie led the move. The street sweeper camera bill died. Streets stay dangerous. Enforcement rises.

On June 7, 2024, the New York State Assembly passed legislation to expand red light cameras from 150 to 600 intersections. The bill, steered by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (District 83), marks a major shift in automated enforcement. The matter summary states: 'State legislators are expected to pass a dramatic expansion of red light cameras at New York City intersections.' Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz said, 'People shouldn’t run red lights... when they do that they endanger other people’s lives, and people have died.' Heastie controlled the vote. A separate bill to ticket cars blocking street sweepers failed to reach the floor. Advocates pushed for both measures, but only the camera expansion passed. The next legislative session is in January.

• More red light cameras coming to NYC intersections under newly passed legislation, gothamist.com, Published 2024-06-07

Midnight on Broadway. An SUV crushed its right front, steel twisted. Inside, a woman slumped semiconscious, neck torn, blood pooling. No passengers. Only the hum of streetlights and the slow drip of injury in the Bronx night.

According to the police report, a station wagon or SUV traveling southbound on Broadway near 6421 in the Bronx crashed at midnight. The right front of the vehicle was crushed. The sole occupant, a 34-year-old woman, was found semiconscious, suffering severe neck lacerations and bleeding. She was wearing a lap belt. The report lists 'Other Vehicular' as a contributing factor, indicating a vehicle-related error or malfunction played a role in the crash. No other vehicles or persons were involved, and no victim behaviors were cited as contributing factors. The focus remains on the vehicle's failure and the resulting harm to its driver.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4727082 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

A Yamaha motorcycle struck an Acura SUV at East 237th and Furman. The rider flew, hip crushed, blood on asphalt. No helmet. Speed unforgiving. Semiconscious, he lay broken as the street swallowed the night.

According to the police report, a Yamaha motorcycle collided with the side of an Acura SUV at the intersection of East 237th Street and Furman Avenue in the Bronx around 9:30 p.m. The report states, 'A Yamaha slammed the side of an Acura. The rider flew. No helmet. Hip crushed. Blood on asphalt. Semiconscious. Speed too fast.' The listed contributing factor is 'Unsafe Speed.' The motorcycle rider, a 42-year-old man, was ejected and suffered severe hip and upper leg injuries, described as 'crush injuries,' and was found semiconscious at the scene. The police report notes the absence of a helmet but cites 'Unsafe Speed' as the primary contributing factor. The SUV, traveling north, sustained damage to its left side doors. No injuries to SUV occupants are reported. The crash underscores the lethal consequences when speed overwhelms city streets.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4724341 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

A pickup swung left across White Plains Road. A motorbike charged straight. Steel clashed. A 25-year-old man slammed down, helmeted but bleeding, sprawled and silent on the hard city street.

According to the police report, a pickup truck attempted a left turn on White Plains Road as a motorbike traveled straight through the intersection. The vehicles collided, with the pickup's right front bumper striking the center front end of the motorbike. The report cites 'Passing or Lane Usage Improper' and 'Traffic Control Disregarded' as contributing factors, highlighting driver errors that led to the crash. The 25-year-old motorbike rider suffered severe bleeding and was found unconscious, with injuries to his entire body. He was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. The narrative describes the aftermath: 'His helmet stayed on. His blood did not. He lay still, broken across the road’s hard face.' The collision underscores the lethal consequences when drivers disregard traffic control and misuse lanes.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4722051 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04