Brooklyn Cyclist Crash Renews Call For Waste Truck Overhaul

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — A crash on Third Avenue that left a Brooklyn cyclist in critical condition has advocates renewing the call for an overhaul on private waste collectors, like the dump truck that hit the e-bike rider.

The 62-year-old cyclist was sent to the hospital with a serious head injury after a private dump truck hit him on Third Avenue when trying to make a left onto 12th Street around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, police said.

The cyclist was the latest New Yorker to be hurt by private waste hauling vehicles, which have killed more than 50 New Yorkers since 2014 and injured hundreds more, advocates with Transportation Alternatives said Tuesday.

Activists said a bill introduced by Council Member Antonio Reynoso earlier this year to overhaul the private collection system could help limit these waste vehicles, which they argue run rampant on New York City streets.

"This crash demonstrates the ongoing danger posed to pedestrians and bicyclists by large commercial vehicles, specifically waste hauling trucks," Senior Director of Advocacy Thomas DeVito said. "...At present, the streets of New York City are a battleground for huge and dangerous vehicles operated by dozens of different companies, creating danger and congestion on our streets."

The bill, introduced by Reynoso in May, would limit one private company to each of the city's commercial waste zones instead of the current system where private haulers create contracts with individual businesses. The free-for-all system makes it so some trucks have as many as 1,000 stops in a single night, he contends.

Reynoso argues that the zone system would cut down on travel time, reduce pollution and improve safety.

“Grueling routes force workers to cut corners and jeopardize both the safety the public and workers as they rush to complete their routes," Reynoso said. "A zoned system will make routes drastically more efficient—the reduction in vehicle miles traveled will mean less greenhouse gas emissions and improved pedestrian safety."

Reynoso's bill was prompted by another serious crash with the waste trucks, when 21-year-old Mouctar Diallo fell off the side of his Sanitation Salvage rig and was crushed by the truck’s wheels back in 2017.

The bill most recently faced a hearing at the committee-level in June.

DeVito said the system is used by other cities like Los Angeles and Seattle, which see one-third as many crashes involving commercial waste haulers.

"We call on the City Council and Mayor de Blasio to support and pass Intro 1574 right away, before another New Yorker is seriously injured or killed," he said.