Brooklyn Cyclist Killed In Crash With Teen Driver: Police

BROWNSVILLE, NEW YORK — A Brooklyn bike rider was killed in a crash with a teenaged driver Thursday night just days after a Manhattan cyclist lost her life on a city street, officials said.

Ernest Askew, 57, was struck by a white Hyundai on the corner of Chester Street and Sutter Avenue in Brownsville at about 9 p.m. Thursday night, police said.

There were no bike lanes on either street, a Department of Transportation map shows.

Both Askew and the 18-year-old driver were rushed to Brookdale Hospital where the biker later died, said police.

The teen was treated for a hand injury and was not charged with a crime, police said.

Askew died the same night dozens of New York cyclists gathered in Chelsea for memorial ride in honor of Robyn Hightman, the 20-year-old cyclist fatally struck by a truck Monday.

The Brooklyn man was the 12th cyclist to die in New York City this year, according to DOT data, and the 13th when the count includes e-bikes, and a drunk driving crash in Brownsville earlier this month.

Streetsblog also reports a Citi Bike rider hit near Hudson Yards died from his injuries earlier this month, which would make Askew's death the city's 14th-cycling related fatality.

In about six months,2019 has already surpassed the number of fatal bike crashes in 2018, when DOT data shows there were 10.

On Friday, the cycling advocacy group Transportation Alternatives called on Mayor Bill de Blasio — who spent the week pursuing presidential aspirations in Miami at the Democratic Debate and a locally criticized campaign rally — to address concerns about racial equity within his transportation safety plan, Vision Zero.

“Vision Zero is in a state of emergency, and the mayor is absent," said TransAlt Interim Co-Executive Director Marco Conner.

"Frankly, the lack of protected bike lanes in East New York sends the message that our Mayor is not willing to invest equally in already disenfranchised neighborhoods of color."

The group asked the Democratic mayor to develop a comprehensive plan to revise Vision Zero promise to build between 50 and 100 miles of bike per year in neighborhoods of color.

The Mayor's Office did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment.