Cyclists: More focus on bike safety needed

Transportation advocates held a vigil Monday evening for the fifth cyclist killed on city streets this year — and had choice words for what they see as Mayor de Blasio’s inattention to bicycle safety.

Aurilla Lawrence, 25, died on Broadway near Rodney St. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Thursday night when a truck hit her bicycle.

Some of Lawrence’s friends — as well as members of Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets — say the mayor isn’t doing enough to protect cyclists’ lives.

“I want a mayor that does more walking and biking than just walking out the door to his SUV,” said Kelsey Leigh, Lawrence’s friend and fellow bike messenger.

Lawrence was the fifth person killed while riding a bike in New York 2019. Her death put the city on pace for nearly 30 deaths by the end of the year — which would be a big jump from the 10 cyclist deaths in 2018.

The vigil in her memory was held at the location of her “ghost bike” near Marcy Ave and Broadway in Brooklyn.

The roadway where Lawrence died was deemed a priority street under Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero initiative in 2015, and is expected to become even more dangerous as bike traffic increases on the nearby Williamsburg Bridge when the L train closes nights and weekends for repairs.

De Blasio spokesman Seth Stein said the mayor remains committed to his Vision Zero plan, which aims to elminate all motor vehicle, cycling and pedestrian deaths. “We are deeply saddened by any loss of life on our streets,” Stein said.