East Midtown Bleeds While Leaders Stall

A taxi veered off Sixth Avenue, mounted the curb, and struck a crowd near Herald Square. Three pedestrians, including a child, landed in the hospital. The driver stayed at the scene. Metal, flesh, and concrete met in Midtown’s holiday rush.

Gothamist (2024-12-26) reports a Midtown crash where a taxi driver, experiencing a medical episode, drove onto the sidewalk at Sixth Avenue and West 34th Street, injuring a 9-year-old boy and two women. Police said, 'they did not suspect any criminality in the crash.' The driver, 58, remained at the scene and was taken for evaluation. Four others declined medical attention. The article notes, 'the driver was driving northbound on Sixth Avenue around 3 p.m. on Wednesday when he jumped the curb and plowed into a crowd.' The incident highlights the persistent risk posed by vehicles in crowded pedestrian zones, regardless of intent or driver health. No policy changes were announced.

• Taxi Jumps Curb, Hits Midtown Pedestrians, Gothamist, Published 2024-12-26

Congestion pricing stalled. Student OMNY cards left kids behind. E-vehicle crackdowns sparked debate. Police and National Guard flooded subways. Council Member Keith Powers fought for excluded students. Holden pushed e-bike licensing. Enforcement rose. Vulnerable riders faced shifting rules and uneven access.

This annual review covers 2024 NYC transit policy, with Council Member Keith Powers vocal about student OMNY card exclusions. The review, published December 23, 2024, highlights congestion pricing delays, e-vehicle crackdowns, and increased subway enforcement. The matter notes, 'parents in [Powers'] Manhattan district felt slighted that their kids were left out of the free transportation program.' Powers pressed for fair access, saying, 'we're still hearing from families whose children aren't receiving an OMNY card like their classmates.' Council Member Robert Holden pushed for e-bike licensing, drawing fire from advocates. The review documents a year of policy shifts, enforcement surges, and ongoing fights over who gets safe, affordable transit. Vulnerable riders—students, cyclists, pedestrians—remained at the mercy of city decisions.

• Rear view: A look back at the top NYC transit stories of 2024, amny.com, Published 2024-12-23

A police car crossed the line. Metal struck flesh. Samuel Williams, riding his dirt bike, was thrown and killed. Body cam footage shows the officer’s move. Another NYPD car tried the same. The city sent Williams’ family a bill.

NY Daily News (2024-12-23) reports that NYPD body camera footage shows an officer veering into the path of Samuel Williams, a 36-year-old dirt bike rider, during a pursuit on the University Heights Bridge. Williams was struck, thrown, and died from his injuries. The article states, “An officer pursuing dirt bikers suddenly crossed the double yellow line into Williams' path, causing a collision.” Another NYPD vehicle attempted a similar maneuver. The family’s attorney called it a “deadly maneuver” for a minor violation. The city later billed Williams’ family for police vehicle damages. The NYPD has not commented, citing litigation. The case raises questions about police pursuit tactics and accountability.

• NYPD Officer Veers Into Dirt Biker’s Path, NY Daily News, Published 2024-12-23

A sedan rear-ended a stopped taxi on East 51st Street. The sedan driver fell asleep. Three sedan occupants suffered back injuries and whiplash. Fatigue behind the wheel turned routine traffic into trauma.

According to the police report, a sedan traveling west on East 51st Street in Manhattan struck a stopped taxi at 16:31. The sedan's driver fell asleep, causing the car to slam into the taxi's rear bumper. Three people in the sedan, including the driver and two passengers, suffered back injuries and whiplash. All were conscious and not ejected. The police report lists 'Fell Asleep' as the contributing factor, making driver fatigue the direct cause of the crash. No errors are attributed to the taxi or its occupants. This collision shows the danger when a driver loses alertness in city traffic.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4781961 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

Council Member Holden’s e-bike registration bill faces fierce pushback. Advocates warn it targets immigrants and delivery workers. Business groups fear new costs. Supporters say it brings accountability. Streets remain deadly. Cars still kill most. Debate rages. No easy answers.

Intro. 606, known as Priscilla’s Law, was introduced by Council Member Robert F. Holden of District 30. The bill, debated on December 12, 2024, sits before the City Council. It would require all e-mobility devices not covered by the state DMV to register with the city’s Department of Transportation. The bill’s summary states it aims to increase accountability for e-bike riders after fatal crashes. Holden, the sponsor, cited dangers from unregulated e-vehicles and hit-and-runs. Advocacy groups, including Los Deliveristas Unidos and Open Plans, argue the bill would unfairly criminalize immigrants and delivery workers, and increase police stops for people of color. The NYC Hospitality Alliance warns of new financial and administrative burdens for small businesses. Both sides agree cars cause far more deaths, but the bill’s critics say better street design, not registration, would protect vulnerable road users.

• Immigrant, hospitality advocacy groups push back on NYC e-bike licensing bill, amny.com, Published 2024-12-12

Two cyclists collided on 2nd Avenue in Manhattan. One rider suffered a hip and upper leg injury, left in shock. Police cited driver inattention and failure to yield right-of-way as causes. No visible complaints or ejections reported.

According to the police report, the crash occurred at 21:42 on 2nd Avenue near East 50th Street in Manhattan. Two bicycles traveling north collided; one cyclist was making a left turn while the other went straight ahead. The injured bicyclist, a 44-year-old male wearing a helmet, sustained injuries to his hip and upper leg and was not ejected from his bike. The report lists 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' and 'Failure to Yield Right-of-Way' as contributing factors for the injured rider. Both vehicles showed no damage, indicating a low-speed impact. The injured cyclist was left in shock but had no visible complaints. The data highlights driver errors as central to the crash, with no victim fault indicated.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4777905 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

E-scooter hit a 29-year-old woman crossing 3 Ave with the signal. She suffered a fractured leg and foot. The crash left her conscious but injured at the intersection. No driver errors listed. Danger persists for walkers.

According to the police report, a 29-year-old woman was crossing 3 Ave at E 58 St in Manhattan with the signal when an e-scooter traveling north struck her. She suffered a fracture and dislocation to her knee, lower leg, and foot but remained conscious. The report lists unspecified contributing factors and does not cite any driver errors such as failure to yield. The e-scooter showed no damage. The pedestrian’s use of the crossing signal was noted but not listed as a contributing factor. This crash highlights the risk pedestrians face, even when following traffic signals, and the hazards posed by e-scooters in city traffic.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4780599 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

Fifth Avenue turned car-free for its 200th birthday. Politicians cheered a $150 million redesign. Fewer lanes. Wider sidewalks. Thousands walked where cars once ruled. Council Member Keith Powers joined the call: make the street safer for people, not traffic.

On December 10, 2024, Council Member Keith Powers (District 4) joined Mayor Eric Adams, Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine to celebrate Fifth Avenue’s 200th anniversary and announce a major redesign. The event, held during the third annual Fifth Avenue Holiday Open Street, made the avenue car-free between 48th and 57th Streets. The $150 million plan, as described by Madelyn Wils, will reduce traffic lanes from five to three and widen sidewalks between Bryant Park and Central Park. Powers and other officials voiced strong support for prioritizing pedestrians, echoing Levine’s call to 'do better here' and make Fifth Avenue a true pedestrian destination. The redesign aims to reclaim space for people, not cars, and signals a shift toward safer, more vibrant streets for all vulnerable road users.

• 5th Avenue at 200: Magnificent Manhattan thoroughfare celebrates past while looking toward the future, amny.com, Published 2024-12-10

Council Member Keith Powers backs a bill to cut NYCHA’s endless sidewalk sheds. The plan aims to shrink shed sprawl, speed up repairs, and reclaim public space. Residents lose sunlight and safety to these hulking structures. The council moves to change that.

Bill details: City Council legislative proposal on sidewalk shed reform, introduced by Council Member Keith Powers (District 4) and others. The bill is under council review as of December 10, 2024. The measure seeks to overhaul regulations that force NYCHA to keep up over 400 sidewalk sheds—spanning 25 miles—often long after repairs finish. The matter summary states, 'reforming parts of the city’s broader shedding regulations that are a poor fit for NYCHA and a nuisance citywide.' Powers and co-sponsor Erik Bottcher aim to reduce shed length, extend inspection cycles, and allow more art and color on scaffolds. Jamie Rubin, NYCHA board head, supports the bill, noting that current rules rob residents of sunlight, safety, and outdoor space. The bill promises to remove unnecessary sheds, reclaim millions in wasted funds, and improve daily life for public housing residents.

• NYCHA has its own scaffold problems, nydailynews.com, Published 2024-12-10

A cyclist hit a 63-year-old woman crossing East 50th Street near Third Avenue. She fell, bleeding and unconscious, sprawled on the pavement. The bike rolled on, untouched. Night on the avenue, no intersection, no time to stop.

A 63-year-old woman was struck by a man riding a bike on East 50th Street near Third Avenue in Manhattan, according to the police report. The crash occurred at 9:30 p.m. The report states the woman was crossing against the signal and was not at an intersection when the collision happened. She suffered severe bleeding to the face and was found unconscious on the pavement. The police narrative describes the bike as continuing on, undamaged, after the impact. No intersection was involved, and the report notes 'no time to stop.' The police report lists the pedestrian’s action as 'crossing against signal,' but contributing factors for both the cyclist and pedestrian are marked as 'unspecified.' The focus remains on the moment of impact and the vulnerability of those on foot in the city’s streets.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4777364 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

Council bill bars cars from blocking crosswalks. No standing or parking within 20 feet. City must install daylighting barriers at 1,000 intersections yearly. Streets clear. Sightlines open. Danger cut.

Int 1138-2024, now laid over in the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, was introduced December 5, 2024. The bill states: “prohibiting standing or parking a vehicle within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection.” Council Member Erik D. Bottcher leads, joined by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and over two dozen co-sponsors. The law orders the Department of Transportation to install daylighting barriers at a minimum of 1,000 intersections each year, up from 100. The city must also run outreach and education. The bill aims to keep crosswalks clear, improve visibility, and protect people on foot and bike. No more hiding behind parked cars. The committee laid the bill over on April 21, 2025.

• File Int 1138-2024, NYC Council – Legistar, Published 2024-12-05

The city slashed Fifth Avenue’s holiday Open Street from three Sundays to one. Cars return. Pedestrians lose ground. Advocates and lawmakers protest. Sales soared last year. Now, the city cites security. Sidewalks may widen, but bike lanes vanish. Buses slow. Streets stay dangerous.

""This is something we should be doing every year across the month of the December, it’s such an easy win for the area in Midtown,"" -- Keith Powers

On December 4, 2024, the Adams administration cut the Fifth Avenue holiday Open Street program in Midtown from three Sundays to just one, shrinking the car-free zone to December 8 between 48th and 55th streets. The Fifth Avenue Association blamed security around Trump Tower. The matter summary reads: 'City scales back hugely popular Fifth Ave. Holiday Open Street despite sales boosts.' Council Member Keith Powers called the move 'surprising' and urged a full return next year. Advocates called it 'frustrating and disappointing.' Mayor Adams had previously praised the program, which boosted sales by $3 million in 2023. The Department of Transportation now touts sidewalk expansion, but the new redesign drops a planned bike lane and may slow buses. Pedestrians and cyclists lose space. The city’s retreat keeps vulnerable road users at risk.

• City Scales Back Hugely Popular Fifth Ave. Holiday Open Street Despite Sales Boosts, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2024-12-04

A female sedan driver making a right turn collided with a northbound school bus in Manhattan. The impact struck the sedan’s right side doors. The sedan driver suffered whiplash but remained conscious and restrained by a lap belt and harness.

According to the police report, a 33-year-old female sedan driver, licensed in New York, was making a right turn on East 57th Street when her vehicle's right side doors collided with the center front end of a northbound school bus. The sedan sustained damage to its right side doors, while the bus was damaged at its center front end. The sedan driver was injured, complaining of whiplash, but was conscious and wearing a lap belt and harness at the time of the crash. Both drivers were licensed and operating their vehicles in Manhattan. The report lists unspecified contributing factors for the sedan driver, highlighting driver error without further detail. No pedestrian or cyclist was involved, and no victim behaviors were cited as contributing factors.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4771150 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

A box truck turned left at 2nd Avenue and East 45th. The driver, unlicensed, struck an 83-year-old woman crossing with the light. Her legs were crushed. She lay unconscious on the street. The truck showed no damage. The city’s danger persists.

At the corner of 2nd Avenue and East 45th Street in Manhattan, a box truck making a left turn struck an 83-year-old woman who was crossing with the signal. According to the police report, the pedestrian’s legs were crushed and she was found unconscious at the scene. The report states the driver of the box truck had no license. The truck, registered in New Jersey, bore no visible damage after the collision. The police narrative confirms the woman was crossing with the light, placing the responsibility on the driver’s actions. The data highlights the systemic danger posed by unlicensed drivers operating large vehicles in dense urban intersections. No driver errors beyond the lack of a license are specified in the report, and no victim behaviors are listed as contributing factors.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4769464 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

Steel meets flesh at East 58th and 2nd. A Honda turns left, a man pedals straight. Metal crushes bone. Blood stains the street. The SUV idles, the bicycle folds, the city rushes on.

A 58-year-old man riding a bicycle was injured at the corner of East 58th Street and 2nd Avenue in Manhattan when a Honda SUV, making a left turn, struck him. According to the police report, the SUV driver failed to yield the right-of-way, directly leading to the collision. The report details that the cyclist was traveling straight while the SUV turned left, resulting in a center front-end impact with the cyclist's lower leg. The cyclist suffered severe bleeding and a broken bone but remained conscious at the scene. The police narrative describes, 'Steel strikes leg. Bone breaks. Blood spills.' The only contributing factor cited is 'Failure to Yield Right-of-Way' by the SUV driver. No victim behavior is listed as a contributing factor. The crash underscores the persistent danger faced by cyclists in intersections where driver errors remain deadly.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4769328 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

A northbound bicyclist was ejected and injured after a sedan made a left turn on red and struck him on E 55 St. The crash caused facial contusions and bruises. The driver failed to yield right-of-way and was speeding.

According to the police report, at 11:25 p.m. on E 55 St near 1 Ave in Manhattan, a sedan making a left turn on red collided with a northbound bicyclist. The bicyclist, a 34-year-old man, was ejected from his bike and suffered facial contusions and bruises, classified as injury severity level 3. The report cites the sedan driver's failure to yield right-of-way and other vehicular errors, including unsafe speed, as contributing factors. The bicyclist was not wearing any safety equipment. The point of impact was the left front quarter panel of the sedan and the center front end of the bike. The driver was licensed and traveling west, while the bicyclist was going straight ahead northbound. This crash highlights critical driver errors leading to serious injury of a vulnerable road user.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4767100 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

Two bikes crashed head-on on 1 Avenue. One rider, 22, suffered facial abrasions. Police cite distraction and improper lane use. Both cyclists unlicensed. No victim blamed. City streets remain dangerous.

According to the police report, two unlicensed bicyclists collided head-on on 1 Avenue near East 57 Street in Manhattan at 18:57. A 22-year-old male rider was injured, sustaining abrasions to his face but remained conscious and was not ejected. The report lists 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' and 'Passing or Lane Usage Improper' as contributing factors. Both bikes were traveling straight, with impact at the center front end. The injured cyclist was not using safety equipment, as noted in the report. No victim actions contributed to the crash. The incident underscores the risks faced by cyclists amid distraction and improper lane use.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4767608 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

A taxi hit a 23-year-old bicyclist on 3rd Avenue late at night. The cyclist suffered knee and lower leg contusions but remained conscious. Police cited driver inattention and inexperience as key factors in the crash, which left the bike undamaged.

According to the police report, at 23:13 on 3rd Avenue near 797 in Manhattan, a taxi traveling north struck a bicyclist also heading north. The point of impact was the taxi's right front bumper against the cyclist's left side doors. The bicyclist, a 23-year-old male wearing a helmet, sustained contusions to his knee and lower leg but was conscious and not ejected. The report lists 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' and 'Driver Inexperience' as contributing factors on the taxi driver's part. The taxi was going straight ahead with no occupants, and the bike showed no damage. The crash highlights the dangers posed by distracted and inexperienced drivers to vulnerable road users.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4765597 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

A taxi driver backing up in Manhattan struck an 80-year-old woman at an intersection. The pedestrian suffered chest abrasions and shock. Police cited driver failure to yield right-of-way and inexperience as contributing factors in the crash.

According to the police report, a taxi was backing eastbound near East 53 Street in Manhattan when it struck an 80-year-old female pedestrian at the intersection. The pedestrian sustained chest abrasions and was in shock, classified with injury severity level 3. The report explicitly lists 'Failure to Yield Right-of-Way' and 'Driver Inexperience' as contributing factors to the crash. The taxi driver, a licensed male, caused the collision while backing, impacting the pedestrian at the center back end of the vehicle. There was no vehicle damage reported. The pedestrian's actions are unknown, and no victim behavior was cited as contributing. This incident highlights the dangers posed by driver errors, particularly failure to yield and inexperience, in pedestrian crashes.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4765722 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04

A Ford SUV, its driver unlicensed, struck an 81-year-old woman near the curb on East 59th Street. The right front bumper shattered her pelvis. She died on the pavement. The car bore no mark. The city’s danger remains unyielding.

According to the police report, a Ford SUV traveling east on East 59th Street struck an 81-year-old woman near the curb with its right front bumper. The impact shattered her pelvis, causing fatal crush injuries. The report states the victim 'died on the pavement.' The SUV showed no damage. Critically, the police report notes the driver was unlicensed at the time of the crash. No license, no right to drive, yet the vehicle continued straight ahead, ending a life. The report lists the contributing factors as 'Unspecified,' but the narrative centers the unlicensed driver as a key element. No mention is made of any victim behavior contributing to the crash. The system allowed a driver with no license to operate a powerful vehicle, with deadly results.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4765231 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-04