Thomas Panto
Thomas Panto
Monday, October 11, 2021
Age: 32
Location:
Honeywell street bridge bike lane
Astoria
Queens , NY
United States
from the Astoria Post
Oct. 12, 2021 By Max Parrott
A man on an e-bike was killed in Long Island City Monday morning
after a pickup truck driver lost control of his vehicle, crossed the
street and plowed into the rider who was in a bike lane.
Police said the e-bike driver, Thomas Panto, a 32-year-old man from
North Corona, was going north within the confines of the bike lane on
the Honeywell Street Bridge when the 18-year-old driver of a 2003
Chevrolet Silverado lost control and slammed into Panto who was going in
the opposite direction.
Emergency responders subsequently shuttled Panto to NYC Health and Hospitals/Elmhurst where he was pronounced dead.
The Silverado driver remained at the scene, where he told police that
he lost control of his vehicle and careened into the bike lane across
the street. The investigation is ongoing by the New York City Police
Department Highway Patrol Collision Investigation Squad.
When the Honeywell Street Bridge—which goes over Sunnyside Yards from
Skillman Avenue to Northern Boulevard—first had a bike lane, it was
listed as a protected lane by Department of Transportation for two
years, meaning that it was bordered by flex posts, as Streetsblog reported.
By 2018 the DOT downgraded it to a regular painted lane on its bike map, indicating that it took down or stopped replacing flex posts that had been damaged by cars.
By Monday night Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny
Harris sent out a statement lamenting Panto’s death and calling on the
mayor to install stronger protective bike infrastructure.
“Thomas Panto was killed on Honeywell Street in Long Island City,
Queens, a street with a painted, unprotected bike lane. It is like every
painted, unprotected bike lane in New York City: a parking lot or
travel lane, regularly abused by drivers, so much so that even Google Street View shows a dumpster parked there.
At best, painted bike lanes are useless, but at worst, they are a
reckless invitation from the city of New York to its residents, inviting
New Yorkers to ride a bike while failing to adequately protect them.”
Monday, October 11, 2021
Age: 32
Location:
Honeywell street bridge bike lane
Astoria
Queens , NY
United States
from the Astoria Post
Oct. 12, 2021 By Max Parrott
A man on an e-bike was killed in Long Island City Monday morning
after a pickup truck driver lost control of his vehicle, crossed the
street and plowed into the rider who was in a bike lane.
Police said the e-bike driver, Thomas Panto, a 32-year-old man from
North Corona, was going north within the confines of the bike lane on
the Honeywell Street Bridge when the 18-year-old driver of a 2003
Chevrolet Silverado lost control and slammed into Panto who was going in
the opposite direction.
Emergency responders subsequently shuttled Panto to NYC Health and Hospitals/Elmhurst where he was pronounced dead.
The Silverado driver remained at the scene, where he told police that
he lost control of his vehicle and careened into the bike lane across
the street. The investigation is ongoing by the New York City Police
Department Highway Patrol Collision Investigation Squad.
When the Honeywell Street Bridge—which goes over Sunnyside Yards from
Skillman Avenue to Northern Boulevard—first had a bike lane, it was
listed as a protected lane by Department of Transportation for two
years, meaning that it was bordered by flex posts, as Streetsblog reported.
By 2018 the DOT downgraded it to a regular painted lane on its bike map, indicating that it took down or stopped replacing flex posts that had been damaged by cars.
By Monday night Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny
Harris sent out a statement lamenting Panto’s death and calling on the
mayor to install stronger protective bike infrastructure.
“Thomas Panto was killed on Honeywell Street in Long Island City,
Queens, a street with a painted, unprotected bike lane. It is like every
painted, unprotected bike lane in New York City: a parking lot or
travel lane, regularly abused by drivers, so much so that even Google Street View shows a dumpster parked there.
At best, painted bike lanes are useless, but at worst, they are a
reckless invitation from the city of New York to its residents, inviting
New Yorkers to ride a bike while failing to adequately protect them.”