Queensboro Bridge (Fran Fran via Flickr)
May 8, 2019 By Meghan Sackman
A 93-year-old pedestrian was killed by a driver exiting the Ed Koch Queensboro bridge in Long Island City Wednesday morning, according to police.
The woman was crossing Queens Plaza South on May 8 at about 5:25 a.m. when a 40-year-old man, driving a Hyundai Elantra, struck her in the crosswalk while he was exiting the Queensboro Bridge.
Police say EMS arrived at the scene and discovered the woman with severe head trauma. She was declared dead at the scene.
The driver, whose identity has not yet been released, remained on scene.
The investigation by the NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad is preliminary and remains ongoing.
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Another accident where a car kills someone. If anyone watches the cars coming off the bridge into Manhattan, they never stop at the red light and just go thru. Even when the crossing guard attempts to stop them, I’ve seen drivers blast by. Maybe one day there will be less cars in this overly-congested city, but I feel that’s wishful thinking.
She did not have any mental problems. I know her and I hope her death bring awareness to make crossing any street safety a priority. FyI she and her son who an elderly to would always go up there for there coffee and donuts that time of morning.
You sure? She was 93 and it was 5:30am. That doesn’t say normal to me.
Very sad. May she RIP.
What needs to be done:
+ Speed cameras to stop cars from coming off the bridge at like 80mph
+ close the other outer roadway and give it to bikes
+ Eliminate a lane in both directions (on the bridge) and give it to buses
+ Eliminate one of the lanes approaching the bridge, so there is only two on each side
+ Increase the crossing timer
I take the Q101 or Q102 into Astoria and tbh it’s crazy how there isn’t any dedicated bus lane, it would make everyone’s lives easier. There are something like 5 or 6 traffic lanes and cars/buses have to go in and out of different lanes to get where they’re going. It can be made much simpler.
I am a 79 year old woman who walkd sith a cane. I live in the area. If you use the bus to get across the bridge you must cross the Plaza. Traffic often gridlocks across the crosswalks. More traffic people are needed to help people cross. The timed lights are good and I always take two lights to get across. It is foolhardy to try to cross on one light. The comments about vehicles blocking buses and bus stops are accurate. Very little thought or consideration is given in planning for pedestrians in general. Isolatating one side the Plaza from the other by making access only by an elevated stair is not good city planning for the whole area. City Planning needs to be involved and not just Traffic or NYPD.
I am 28 and I think it’s hard to cross in one light. This is something I wish could be addressed before more people get hurt or killed.
There’s another issue that hasn’t been addressed in these comments so far: Why was a 93 year old person walking around at 5:30 a.m.?? There’s a good chance she had dementia or Alzheimer’s and, at that age, she should have had someone looking after her, to protect her from such a terrible fate.
Yea? Is there a geriatric coalition that agrees to a time they should be out? 5:30am wasn’t part of the agreement?
That crossing is awful. I go over there every day to work and (a) the lanes are a mess (b) visibility both for traffic and people crossing is awful (c) traffic exits the bridge at breakneck speed, NO one is going anywhere close to the speed limit (d) drivers often run the red lights – I’ve almost been run over 3 times in the last few years, luckily I was paying attention (e) as pointed out already there is not enough time to get across and there are people parking illegally. The whole intersection needs a redesign. In many ways it’s a shame the subway is elevated there and not underground. It would transform the whole feel of the plaza and make for a much simpler road layout, but that’s never going to happen
It takes 54 seconds to cross from Queensboro Plaza South to Queensboro Plaza North. The orange flashing hand timer only allows 20 seconds. It takes 20 seconds to walk from Queensboro Plaza S to the first median and 20 seconds from the first median to the second median and 14 seconds from the second median to Queensboro Plaza N, IF you have a normal walking gate. I am meeting with DOT rep on Thursday, May 9th to discuss.
This begs the question: What the HELL is a 93-year-old woman doing out at that hour of the morning when it is still to dark to see anything.
But still, a car should not have run her over
But at that time it is hard to see. Sure drivers should GO SLOWER if you cannot see, or not go at all but at 5:30am it was dawn.
When will our elected officials do something and say enough is enough! We need common-sense car reduction measures. The bridge should be for buses, bikes and pedestrians only.
Even with the 25 mph speed limit cars are speeding all over NYC , no cops in sight !
Pedestrians who can climb the stairs are able to cross on the overpass. I think the MTA should add elevators on both sides of Queens Plaza and eliminate access across on street level.
Don’t let MTA find a contractor or do it themselves. Find a GOOD contractor or the escalators won’t work after a couple of weeks.
they should start with red light cameras. Cars coming off the bridge fly right past the first set of light. They train traffic agents at their office in the plaza. Have them come out and write tickets to everyone blocking the crosswalk etc.
They need to reevaluate the whole structure of the area. Many Municipal vehicles Park in no standing zones, busstops, cross walks and sidewalks. The traffic pattern and lights are difficult pedestrians especially people in wheelchairs bus drivers and bicyclists. JVB had a article in the paper about biking and it had him pictured at the foot of the Queens side 59 street bridge. I was personally on a bus that was held back becuase school safety car and postal truck was poorly parked. PD did nothing, the onsight traffic agent did nothing, the safety ppl from construction was no help- we had to wait it out- our bus driver got out to have a smoke.
The problem with many bridge crossings in NYC is they’re treated like any other street intersection or crosswalk. Cars and Pedestrians compete at ever change of the light. What needs to happen with all bridge crossings is to eliminate pedestrians, instead giving them their own overhead walkways. Not only would that be safer but it would allow faster traffic flow.
I Was There, They Left The Woman’s Body Out On The Ground For Hours.
They as in NYPD/NYFD? Yeah, that seems to be the norm. When my neighbors mother died (overnight) they called it in as soon as they realized (like 7:30a) the ambulance didn’t pack her up until like almost 5pm.
even better would be an elevated walkway to keep pedestrians out of the plaza.
They need to add time to allow people to cross Queens Plaza. I am a 29yr old man who walks fast and I can barely make it across the plaza in the time the countdown clocks allow.
Yes I’m 53 and it’s scary crossing in that area. Time needs to be added for sure. So sad ?