Ozone Park: Speed, night, and the body count

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

Sep 21 - A driver was arraigned on manslaughter and assault charges after a hit-and-run killed an on-duty construction flag worker on the Nassau Expressway. Prosecutors say the case seeks accountability for dangerous driving; the worker did not survive.

"A driver who allegedly ran down a safety flag worker at a construction site in Queens last week, killing her, was arraigned on manslaughter and a list of other charges, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Sunday." -- Melinda R. Katz

This is not a council bill. Matter: "Queens DA: Motorist arraigned after hit-and-run collision that left on-duty construction worker dead on Nassau Expressway." Event date: 2025-09-21. Status: defendant Daveanand Budhai arraigned on second-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault charges after the fatal collision. Queens District Attorney Melinda R. Katz announced the indictment and pushed for prosecution. No council committee or councilmember sponsorship applies; Barbara Russo-Lennon is listed as the reporting source. Safety impact: prosecutors say accountability can deter dangerous driving — "Prosecuting a hit-and-run driver signals accountability for dangerous driving, which can deter similar behavior and support a culture of safety for vulnerable road users. However, without complementary infrastructure or systemic changes, the impact is likely modest."

• Queens DA: Motorist arraigned after hit-and-run collision that left on-duty construction worker dead on Nassau Expressway, AMNY, Published 2025-09-21

• 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 5 - A northbound sedan driver turned right at Woodhaven and 101 Ave and hit a westbound moped. An 18-year-old woman riding on the moped was hurt. Police recorded failure to yield and improper lane use by the driver.

A crash at 10:05 p.m. in Queens left a moped passenger hurt. A northbound sedan driver made a right turn at 101 Ave and Woodhaven Blvd and hit a westbound moped going straight. Impact marked the sedan’s right rear quarter panel and the moped’s front. An 18-year-old woman riding on the moped suffered a bruised hip and upper leg. Two 19-year-old men, the driver and a registrant, were listed with unspecified injury status. According to the police report, “Failure to Yield Right-of-Way” and “Passing or Lane Usage Improper” were recorded by the driver.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4841694 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-10-02

Aug 14 - An SUV and a sedan met hard at 84th and Rockaway. Speed ruled the crash. A toddler hurt. A child cut deep. Drivers banged up. Signals ignored. Steel buckled. Night streets took the blow.

Two cars collided at 84 St and Rockaway Blvd in Queens. An SUV and a sedan struck head‑on at the front ends. A 2‑year‑old passenger was injured. A 3‑year‑old boy suffered severe head lacerations. Multiple adults, including both drivers, reported pain. According to the police report, contributing factors were “Unsafe Speed” and “Traffic Control Disregarded.” Those driver errors led the list for every involved person. The crash involved a Honda sedan traveling southeast and a Mazda SUV traveling north, both going straight. No pedestrians or cyclists were listed among the injured. The report notes some occupants lacked safety equipment, but only after the primary driver failures.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4835025 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-10-02

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 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. 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 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 7 - City scales back Creedmoor plan. Density cut 27%. The car-free model dies. Walkers and cyclists lose safety and 'safety in numbers'. Local pols beat back bold urban design. Streets stay hostile. The chance for a people-first, low-car neighborhood vanishes.

Bill number: none — this is a policy statement, not legislation. Status: announced August 7, 2025; no committee review. Matter quoted: "NYC Could Have Its First Car-Free Neighborhood (But Won’t Get It Due To Revanchist Pols)." Eastern Queens Greenway condemned the decision to downscale the Creedmoor redevelopment from 2,775 units by 27 percent. Assembly Member Ed Braunstein and Council Member Joann Ariola opposed higher density and pressed the rollback. Empire State Development framed the change as a compromise. Safety impact: the cut reduces potential mode shift, walkability, and "safety in numbers" for pedestrians and cyclists, preserving car dependence and dangerous streets.

• NYC Could Have Its First Car-Free Neighborhood (But Won’t Get It Due To Revanchist Pols), Streetsblog NYC, Published 2025-08-07

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

Aug 2 - On 82nd Street at Atlantic Avenue, a driver reversing a sedan hit a man on a moped. The 53-year-old bled from deep leg cuts. Night in Queens. The report listed no driver errors.

A driver reversing a sedan on 82nd Street at Atlantic Avenue in Queens hit a man riding a moped. The rider, 53, suffered severe lacerations to his lower leg and foot. According to the police report, no contributing factors or driver errors were listed. The sedan was backing and the moped was traveling straight east. Impact was to the sedan’s right rear bumper and the moped’s front end. It was night. No other injuries were reported. The report notes the moped rider was unlicensed.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4832491 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-10-02

Aug 2 - A driver in a sedan going east hit a man at 86-15 Rockaway Boulevard in Queens. Head wound. Severe bleeding. He was incoherent. Police recorded unsafe speed by the driver.

A driver in a sedan traveling east hit a 38-year-old man at 86-15 Rockaway Boulevard in Queens. The impact left the pedestrian with a head wound and severe bleeding. He was incoherent at the scene. According to the police report, 'Unsafe Speed' was the contributing factor. Police recorded unsafe speed by the driver. The data places the pedestrian at the intersection when he was struck. No other contributing factors were recorded in the report. The crash occurred in the 102nd Precinct area.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4832481 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-10-02

Aug 1 - A car struck and killed a 23-year-old man in Ozone Park. The driver fled, then turned himself in. Police say the crash followed a heated confrontation. The victim died at Jamaica Hospital.

ABC7 reported on August 1, 2025, that a 23-year-old man died after being hit by a car at 101st Avenue and Liberty Boulevard in Queens. Police said the incident followed a domestic dispute. The driver, who was the woman's current boyfriend, told police the victim approached his car "while flashing what appeared to be a gun" and was struck as the driver tried to leave. The driver later went to the police. No charges had been filed as of publication, with the district attorney still reviewing the case. The crash highlights the lethal risk when vehicles are used during conflicts.

• Man Killed By Car In Queens Dispute, ABC7, Published 2025-08-01