Who’s Injuring and Killing Pedestrians in Van Cortlandt Park?
Van Cortlandt Park: Blood on the Asphalt, Silence in City Hall
Van Cortlandt Park: Jan 1, 2022 - Jun 4, 2025
The Numbers Don’t Lie
One person dead. Five left with life-changing injuries. In Van Cortlandt Park, from 2022 to June 2025, the road has not forgiven. The names are not here. Only the numbers. But every number is a body, a family, a future cut short or bent out of shape. 281 people injured in 385 crashes.
Pedestrians are not spared. A 64-year-old woman died walking along the Major Deegan Expressway. Two more pedestrians were struck—one at an intersection, one not. The cars kept going. The street stayed the same. See the data.
Leadership: Promises and Delays
The city talks about Vision Zero. The state passed Sammy’s Law, letting New York City lower speed limits. But in Van Cortlandt Park, the pace of change is slow. No new protected bike lanes. No major redesigns. The numbers do not show progress. They show pain.
Speed cameras work, but only where installed. The law that keeps them running is always under threat. Each delay is a risk. Each risk is a name that could be lost.
The Same Streets, The Same Danger
Most crashes involve cars and SUVs. The machines are heavy, fast, and everywhere. Motorcycles crash too. Bikes are not the problem. The problem is speed, steel, and inaction.
The crisis is not fate. It is policy. It is the choice to wait. It is the silence after the sirens fade.
What Comes Next
Call your council member. Call the mayor. Demand lower speed limits. Demand real street redesigns. Do not wait for another name to be added to the list. The road will not change itself. Take action now.
Citations
Other Representatives
District 81
3107 Kingsbridge Ave., Bronx, NY 10463
Room 632, Legislative Office Building, Albany, NY 12248
District 11
277 West 231st Street, Bronx, NY 10463
718-549-7300
250 Broadway, Suite 1775, New York, NY 10007
212-788-7080
District 33
2432 Grand Concourse, Suite 506, Bronx, NY 10458
Room 502, Capitol Building, Albany, NY 12247
▸ Other Geographies
Van Cortlandt Park Van Cortlandt Park sits in Bronx, Precinct 50, District 11, AD 81, SD 33, Bronx CB26.
▸ See also
Traffic Safety Timeline for Van Cortlandt Park
Jeffrey Dinowitz Supports Transparency and Safety in DOT Plans▸Councilmember Eric Dinowitz slammed DOT’s Riverdale Avenue road diet plan. He called out the agency for secrecy, not substance. The Bronx stretch is deadly. Dinowitz wants more transparency, not fewer lanes. The fight leaves vulnerable road users in limbo.
On March 25, 2022, Councilmember Eric Dinowitz of District 11 made a public statement opposing the Department of Transportation’s proposed ‘road diet’ for Riverdale Avenue. The plan, aimed at a crash-prone Bronx corridor, was criticized by Dinowitz for a lack of transparency: 'A city agency should not be run this way.' He insisted he is not against the plan itself, but objects to DOT’s process, which bypassed him and Community Board 8. Dinowitz’s stance echoes his past opposition to bus lanes that reduce parking, though he supports bike lanes that do not remove vehicle lanes. The proposal, which includes a bike lane, remains under review. No formal safety analyst assessment was provided for this action.
-
Riverdale Avenue Rumble: Bronx Pol Dinowitz Objects to DOT’s Move on ‘Road Diet’,
streetsblog.org,
Published 2022-03-25
S 5130Rivera votes yes, boosting street safety and access for everyone.▸Senate passed S 5130. The bill pushes complete street design. It aims for safe access for all. Pedestrians and cyclists get a shot at safer roads. The vote was split, but the bill moved forward.
Senate bill S 5130, titled 'Enables safe access to public roads for all users by utilizing complete street design principles,' passed committee votes on March 2 and May 16, 2022. Senator Kennedy sponsored the bill. Support came from members like Jeremy Cooney, Anna Kaplan, and John Liu. Dissent came from Patrick Gallivan and Susan Serino. The bill pushes cities to design roads for everyone—pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. It marks a shift from car-first planning. The measure aims to cut risk for people outside cars. Full vote details and text are at the New York Senate website.
-
File S 5130,
Open States,
Published 2022-03-02
SUV Rear-Ends Sedan on Mosholu Parkway▸A Nissan SUV struck a Honda sedan from behind on Mosholu Parkway. The sedan driver, a 37-year-old man, suffered back injuries and whiplash. The SUV showed no damage. The crash happened while both vehicles traveled southeast.
According to the police report, a Nissan SUV rear-ended a Honda sedan on Mosholu Parkway. The sedan's driver, a 37-year-old male occupant, was injured with back pain and whiplash, experiencing shock but was not ejected. The report lists "Following Too Closely" as a contributing factor, indicating the SUV driver failed to maintain a safe distance. Both vehicles were traveling straight ahead in the same direction at the time of the collision. The SUV sustained no damage, while the sedan had front-end damage. The sedan driver was restrained with a lap belt and harness. No other contributing factors were specified.
Councilmember Eric Dinowitz slammed DOT’s Riverdale Avenue road diet plan. He called out the agency for secrecy, not substance. The Bronx stretch is deadly. Dinowitz wants more transparency, not fewer lanes. The fight leaves vulnerable road users in limbo.
On March 25, 2022, Councilmember Eric Dinowitz of District 11 made a public statement opposing the Department of Transportation’s proposed ‘road diet’ for Riverdale Avenue. The plan, aimed at a crash-prone Bronx corridor, was criticized by Dinowitz for a lack of transparency: 'A city agency should not be run this way.' He insisted he is not against the plan itself, but objects to DOT’s process, which bypassed him and Community Board 8. Dinowitz’s stance echoes his past opposition to bus lanes that reduce parking, though he supports bike lanes that do not remove vehicle lanes. The proposal, which includes a bike lane, remains under review. No formal safety analyst assessment was provided for this action.
- Riverdale Avenue Rumble: Bronx Pol Dinowitz Objects to DOT’s Move on ‘Road Diet’, streetsblog.org, Published 2022-03-25
S 5130Rivera votes yes, boosting street safety and access for everyone.▸Senate passed S 5130. The bill pushes complete street design. It aims for safe access for all. Pedestrians and cyclists get a shot at safer roads. The vote was split, but the bill moved forward.
Senate bill S 5130, titled 'Enables safe access to public roads for all users by utilizing complete street design principles,' passed committee votes on March 2 and May 16, 2022. Senator Kennedy sponsored the bill. Support came from members like Jeremy Cooney, Anna Kaplan, and John Liu. Dissent came from Patrick Gallivan and Susan Serino. The bill pushes cities to design roads for everyone—pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. It marks a shift from car-first planning. The measure aims to cut risk for people outside cars. Full vote details and text are at the New York Senate website.
-
File S 5130,
Open States,
Published 2022-03-02
SUV Rear-Ends Sedan on Mosholu Parkway▸A Nissan SUV struck a Honda sedan from behind on Mosholu Parkway. The sedan driver, a 37-year-old man, suffered back injuries and whiplash. The SUV showed no damage. The crash happened while both vehicles traveled southeast.
According to the police report, a Nissan SUV rear-ended a Honda sedan on Mosholu Parkway. The sedan's driver, a 37-year-old male occupant, was injured with back pain and whiplash, experiencing shock but was not ejected. The report lists "Following Too Closely" as a contributing factor, indicating the SUV driver failed to maintain a safe distance. Both vehicles were traveling straight ahead in the same direction at the time of the collision. The SUV sustained no damage, while the sedan had front-end damage. The sedan driver was restrained with a lap belt and harness. No other contributing factors were specified.
Senate passed S 5130. The bill pushes complete street design. It aims for safe access for all. Pedestrians and cyclists get a shot at safer roads. The vote was split, but the bill moved forward.
Senate bill S 5130, titled 'Enables safe access to public roads for all users by utilizing complete street design principles,' passed committee votes on March 2 and May 16, 2022. Senator Kennedy sponsored the bill. Support came from members like Jeremy Cooney, Anna Kaplan, and John Liu. Dissent came from Patrick Gallivan and Susan Serino. The bill pushes cities to design roads for everyone—pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. It marks a shift from car-first planning. The measure aims to cut risk for people outside cars. Full vote details and text are at the New York Senate website.
- File S 5130, Open States, Published 2022-03-02
SUV Rear-Ends Sedan on Mosholu Parkway▸A Nissan SUV struck a Honda sedan from behind on Mosholu Parkway. The sedan driver, a 37-year-old man, suffered back injuries and whiplash. The SUV showed no damage. The crash happened while both vehicles traveled southeast.
According to the police report, a Nissan SUV rear-ended a Honda sedan on Mosholu Parkway. The sedan's driver, a 37-year-old male occupant, was injured with back pain and whiplash, experiencing shock but was not ejected. The report lists "Following Too Closely" as a contributing factor, indicating the SUV driver failed to maintain a safe distance. Both vehicles were traveling straight ahead in the same direction at the time of the collision. The SUV sustained no damage, while the sedan had front-end damage. The sedan driver was restrained with a lap belt and harness. No other contributing factors were specified.
A Nissan SUV struck a Honda sedan from behind on Mosholu Parkway. The sedan driver, a 37-year-old man, suffered back injuries and whiplash. The SUV showed no damage. The crash happened while both vehicles traveled southeast.
According to the police report, a Nissan SUV rear-ended a Honda sedan on Mosholu Parkway. The sedan's driver, a 37-year-old male occupant, was injured with back pain and whiplash, experiencing shock but was not ejected. The report lists "Following Too Closely" as a contributing factor, indicating the SUV driver failed to maintain a safe distance. Both vehicles were traveling straight ahead in the same direction at the time of the collision. The SUV sustained no damage, while the sedan had front-end damage. The sedan driver was restrained with a lap belt and harness. No other contributing factors were specified.