Forest Hills Biker Killed By Unlicensed Driver In Queens: NYPD

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — A biker from Forest Hills was killed in Queens on Wednesday morning when an unlicensed driver behind the wheel of a box truck hit him in broad daylight, police said.

On Nov. 3 around 8:36 a.m., Qiang Tu of Forest Hills, 58, was riding the bike down 47th Street — which has a painted bike lane — near the intersection with 47th Avenue in Sunnyside. At the same time, a 33-year-old driver heading down 47th Avenue turned right onto 47th Street and slammed into Tu, according to the NYPD.

Tu, who was found unconscious on the street, died at a nearby hospital. The driver, who police identified as Shakai Waye, stayed at the scene at the time of the accident and was arrested and charged with Aggravated Unlicensed Operator, meaning he wasn't driving with a valid license.

Tu's death marks at least the fourth time that a bicyclist was killed by a driver in Northwest Queens during 2021, a year that is on track to be the deadliest since Mayor Bill de Blasio took office.

All told, there have been 230 traffic deaths this year, including more than 16 cyclists.

“Qiang Tu’s life could have been saved if Mayor de Blasio prioritized people over parking," said Juan Restrepo, a senior organizer and Queens organizer at the street safety group Transportation Alternatives.

Restrepo criticized the mayor for not installing protected bike lanes south of Queens Boulevard, saying that he is heartened to see Mayor-elect Eric Adams' support for the group's vision to repurpose 25 percent of street space into non-car purposes by 2025.

"We hope [Adams] will agree that paint is not protection and end the practice of installing substandard and unsafe bike infrastructure just to meet mileage goals," said Restrepo.

Transportation Alternatives' executive director Danny Harris issued a similar statement last month, when an e-bike rider was killed by a driver while on a Long Island City street with a painted bike lane.

He said that these deaths underscore the need for lifesaving infrastructure — like protected bike lanes — which Mayor Bill de Blasio has scaled back on in recent years, despite his plan to eliminate all traffic deaths by 2024.

"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," said Harris last month.