Rego Park’s daily toll: bikes, bodies, and the boulevard

• Motorcyclist killed in multiple collisions on Long Island Expressway, NYPD says, Gothamist, Published 2025-09-26

• Woman killed after being pinned under car while crossing Queens intersection, ABC7, Published 2025-09-21

• Female construction worker killed on Queens job site, hit-and-run driver arrested, NY Daily News, Published 2025-09-20

• Man struck and killed by two vehicles while trying to cross Belt Parkway in South Ozone Park: NYPD, amny, Published 2025-09-16

• Suspect in deadly DWI crash sexually harassed teen before intentionally striking her with SUV, Queens DA says, CBS New York, Published 2025-09-15

• 16-year-old girl struck and killed in Queens, CBS New York, Published 2025-09-13

Sep 3 - At noon in Queens, a right‑turning driver hit the back of a southbound Lexus on 98 St at 62 Dr. The 19‑year‑old driver was injured and listed unconscious. Police recorded Driver Inattention/Distraction.

Two vehicles collided at 98 St and 62 Dr in Queens at 12:00. The driver of a Dodge car/SUV was making a right turn. The driver of a 2024 Lexus sedan was traveling south, going straight. The Lexus had center back‑end damage. A 19‑year‑old male driver was injured with an eye injury and was listed unconscious, with a complaint of pain or nausea. According to the police report, police recorded Driver Inattention/Distraction. The report also lists Driver Inattention/Distraction for involved persons. A 39‑year‑old female registrant was noted with unspecified injury status.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4841418 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-10-02

Aug 26 - Eastbound on the LIE, a lane change went bad. A sedan clipped a box truck and struck another car. Metal jumped. A 6‑year‑old boy took a face wound. Drivers and passengers hurt. Queens traffic ground them down.

A Honda sedan changed lanes eastbound on the Long Island Expressway and collided, leaving the Jeep’s right front damaged and the box truck’s left rear struck. Several people were hurt, including a 6-year-old boy with a facial abrasion, two drivers with pain, and front-seat passengers reporting leg and neck injuries. According to the police report, contributing factors were listed as “Other Vehicular” for the involved vehicles and persons. The data show the Honda was “Changing Lanes,” while the Jeep and box truck were “Going Straight Ahead,” underscoring improper lane movement and impact to multiple vehicles. No pedestrian or cyclist was involved. Helmet use or signaling is not cited as a factor in the report.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4838887 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-10-02

Aug 15 - Four sedans going north on Woodhaven met steel and pain. Metal kissed metal. Two drivers hit with whiplash. Police cite Alcohol Involvement. Night street. Hard stop. Sirens cut the dark.

Two northbound sedans struck others in a chain crash on Woodhaven Blvd at Furmanville Ave in Queens. Two drivers, men aged 27 and 36, were injured with neck pain and whiplash. Several passengers were listed with unspecified injuries. According to the police report, the contributing factor was “Alcohol Involvement.” The data shows multiple driver errors by implication: alcohol use behind the wheel endangering everyone in the cars. No pedestrian or cyclist injuries were recorded. No other contributing factors, signals, or helmet notes were listed before the alcohol finding.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4836269 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-10-02

Aug 14 - Int 1358-2025 yanks city parking permits from drivers with obscured or defaced plates. It also targets placard misuse and unpaid fines over $350. The move restores camera enforcement. Pedestrians and cyclists gain space and accountability.

Int 1358-2025. Status: Sponsorship, referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on August 14, 2025. The bill seeks the “revocation of city-issued parking permits for violations related to obscured or defaced license plates.” Primary sponsor: Council Member Lincoln Restler. Co-sponsor: Council Member Robert F. Holden. The measure would revoke permits after three misuse violations, any §19-166 offense, unpaid violations over $350, or operating with an obscured plate. Revoking city-issued parking permits for obscured/defaced plates and placard misuse increases accountability, restores automated enforcement, and deters illegal parking. This reduces bike lane and crosswalk blocking and curbs impunity among placard holders, improving safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

• File Int 1358-2025, NYC Council – Legistar, Published 2025-08-14

Aug 14 - Int. No. 1362 strips city definitions and benchmarks for protected bicycle lanes and protected bus lanes. It removes targets and accountability. The change will slow deployment of separated bike and bus infrastructure and erode safety and equity for pedestrians and cyclists.

Int. No. 1362 (filed Aug. 14, 2025; stage: SPONSORSHIP) was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The matter is titled "A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to removing benchmarks for bus lanes and bicycle lanes and repealing certain definitions in relation thereto." Council Member Robert F. Holden is the primary sponsor. Co-sponsors are Vickie Paladino, Joann Ariola, and Inna Vernikov. The bill repeals the definitions of "protected bicycle lane" and "protected bus lane" and removes benchmark requirements from the streets master plan. Safety analysts note that removing explicit benchmarks and definitions weakens accountability for building separated cycling and bus infrastructure, likely decreasing street equity and safety-in-numbers for pedestrians and cyclists.

• File Int 1362-2025, NYC Council – Legistar, Published 2025-08-14

Aug 14 - Int 1362 strips definitions for protected bus and bike lanes and removes benchmarks from the streets master plan. It guts measurable targets. Safe space for pedestrians and cyclists is at risk. The city could slow needed separated infrastructure.

Bill: Int. No. 1362 (Int 1362-2025). Status: SPONSORSHIP. Committee: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Event date: 2025-08-14. The matter reads: "A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to removing benchmarks for bus lanes and bicycle lanes from the streets master plan and repealing certain definitions in relation thereto." Council Member Robert F. Holden is the primary sponsor. Joann Ariola and Vickie Paladino are co-sponsors. The draft repeals the definitions of "protected bicycle lane" and "protected bus lane" and removes explicit benchmarks tied to transit signal priority, bus stop upgrades, accessible pedestrian signals and intersection redesigns. Removing those benchmarks weakens commitments to high‑quality separated infrastructure and measurable mode‑shift targets, likely slowing deployment of safe space for pedestrians and cyclists and undermining equitable street redesigns.

• File Int 1362-2025, NYC Council – Legistar, Published 2025-08-14

Aug 14 - Int 1362 repeals the definitions of “protected bicycle lane” and “protected bus lane” and strips explicit benchmarks for protected lanes from the streets master plan. It preserves signal and pedestrian targets but weakens commitments to physical protection, threatening safety and equity.

Bill Int 1362-2025. Status: Sponsorship, introduced Aug 14, 2025. Referred to Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The measure, titled "A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to removing benchmarks for bus lanes and bicycle lanes from the streets master plan and repealing certain definitions in relation thereto," repeals the definitions of "protected bicycle lane" and "protected bus lane" and removes related benchmarks in the master plan (master plan dates referenced include Dec. 1, 2021 and Dec. 1, 2026). Primary sponsor: Robert F. Holden. Co-sponsors: Inna Vernikov, Joann Ariola, Chris Banks, Vickie Paladino. Safety analysts warn: "Removing explicit benchmarks and definitions for protected bus and bicycle lanes weakens commitments to physically protected infrastructure... likely reducing mode shift to walking and cycling and worsening equity and safety-in-numbers; the retained measures focus on signals and pedestrian amenities but do not replace the protective effect of designated protected lanes."

• File Int 1362-2025, NYC Council – Legistar, Published 2025-08-14

Aug 12 - The driver of an SUV rear-ended a box truck eastbound on the Long Island Expressway in Queens. A 44-year-old male driver suffered shoulder and upper-arm injuries and complained of whiplash. Police cited driver inattention.

The driver of an SUV rear-ended a box truck while both traveled east on the Long Island Expressway in Queens. A 44-year-old male driver in the SUV was injured; records list shoulder and upper-arm trauma and a complaint of whiplash. According to the police report, the contributing factor was "Driver Inattention/Distraction." Police noted center front-end damage to the SUV and center back-end damage to the truck, consistent with a rear-end impact. The injured driver was restrained with a lap belt and harness. The crash is recorded under collision ID 4834568 in NYPD Precinct 112.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4834568 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-10-02

Aug 12 - A car tore through an Astoria intersection. It struck a food truck. Two men died on the sidewalk. The driver died too. Metal, flesh, coffee, blood. The street swallowed them. It happened fast. No one stood a chance.

According to the New York Post (2025-08-12), an 84-year-old driver sped through 42nd Street and 19th Avenue in Astoria, Queens, crashing into a food truck and killing two customers and himself. Surveillance showed the car "going about 60 miles an hour" before impact. The article quotes a witness: "Someone screamed really loudly, and I just had stepped back, like right up to the sidewalk." The force severed a victim's foot. The crash highlights the lethal risk when drivers lose control at high speed in pedestrian zones. No charges were filed; the driver died at the scene.

• Speeding Car Slams Food Truck, Kills Two, New York Post, Published 2025-08-12

Aug 11 - Astoria shopkeepers fight a protected bike lane on 31st Street. They claim city plans threaten their business and public safety. The lawsuit lands in Queens Supreme Court. The city faces pushback, progress stalls.

NY1 reported on August 11, 2025, that over a dozen Astoria business owners filed suit to block a protected bike lane on 31st Street. The petition, lodged in Queens Supreme Court, claims the redesign from 36th Avenue to Newton Avenue would 'hurt their day-to-day operations and jeopardize public safety.' Owners accuse the city of acting in an 'arbitrary and capricious' way, moving forward despite objections. The case highlights ongoing tension between street safety projects and local business concerns. The outcome could shape future protected bike lane installations citywide.

• Astoria Businesses Sue Over Bike Lane, NY1, Published 2025-08-11

Aug 8 - A driver in an SUV turning left hit a 69-year-old man at Long Island Expressway and Junction Boulevard. The pedestrian suffered an abrasion and an upper-arm injury. Police listed contributing factors as 'Unspecified.'

A driver in an SUV turned left and struck a 69-year-old man crossing at Long Island Expressway and Junction Boulevard. The pedestrian sustained an abrasion and an upper-arm/shoulder injury. According to the police report, the pedestrian suffered an abrasion and upper arm injury and the SUV was making a left turn. Police recorded contributing factors as 'Unspecified' and did not list a specific driver error. The vehicle carried one licensed driver. The point of impact was the SUV’s center front end, and the official record gives no further cause for the collision.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4834192 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-10-02

Aug 8 - DOT leans on a costly report and pro-car politicians to stall universal daylighting. Corners stay parked. Visibility stays poor. Pedestrians and cyclists lose a proven, system‑wide safety measure while parking is put first.

"Pro-car politicians like Council Members Inna Vernikov, Bob Holden, and Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella have cited the DOT's report to oppose the bill, prioritizing parking over safety" -- Robert F. Holden

Bill: universal daylighting (no bill number listed). Status: stalled amid DOT opposition despite broad Council support. Committee: not listed. Key date: August 8, 2025 (Streetsblog NYC report). Matter title quoted: "We Told You So! DOT’s Anti-Daylighting 'Scare Tactic' Now Fuels Pro-Car Pols." DOT released a report claiming $3 billion in costs and 300,000 lost parking spots. Council Members Inna Vernikov, Bob Holden and Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella cited the report and opposed the measure. Council Member Julie Won and Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla called the report flawed; Won asked, "It isn’t unreasonable to invest under $10k to save the lives of children and all pedestrians with daylighting?" Safety analyst: DOT's opposition undermines a proven, system-wide safety measure for pedestrians and cyclists, prioritizing parking over vulnerable road user safety and risking mode shift and equitable street access.

• We Told You So! DOT’s Anti-Daylighting ‘Scare Tactic’ Now Fuels Pro-Car Pols, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2025-08-08

Aug 6 - A horse named Lady died in Hell's Kitchen. Photos reignited calls to ban carriages. The City Council stalled. Unions and leaders blocked hearings. Advocates warned of more injuries. Analysts say the ban would have minimal direct effect on pedestrians and cyclists.

Bill 2025, proposed to ban horse-drawn carriages, remained stalled as of August 6, 2025. The measure sits in the City Council health committee chaired by Lynn C. Schulman. Queens Councilman Robert F. Holden is the bill's sponsor. Speaker Adrienne Adams has not publicly taken a position. The article ran under the headline "Gruesome images unlikely to sway lawmakers to ban horse-drawn carriages." Advocates rallied and warned, "without a ban there will be more crashes, injuries, and possibly deaths." TWU Local 100 opposes the ban. The proposed ban on horse-drawn carriages may have minimal direct impact on pedestrian and cyclist safety, as these vehicles are a small share of street traffic; the primary safety risks for vulnerable road users stem from motor vehicles and street design.

• Gruesome images unlikely to sway lawmakers to ban horse-drawn carriages, Crain's New York Business, Published 2025-08-06

Aug 5 - Police car struck at Beach 35th and Rockaway. Three hurt. Sirens cut through Edgemere. Cause unknown. Streets stained. Investigation begins.

CBS New York reported on August 5, 2025, that an NYPD cruiser crashed at Beach 35th Street and Rockaway Freeway in Edgemere, Queens. Three people were injured. The article states, 'Police are now trying to determine the cause of the crash.' No details on driver actions or contributing factors were released. The incident highlights risks at busy intersections and the need for thorough investigation when emergency vehicles are involved.

• NYPD Cruiser Crash Injures Three In Queens, CBS New York, Published 2025-08-05