Bicyclist killed in Strawberry Mansion hit-and-run

PHILADELPHIA – On Monday afternoon around 2PM Dominique Jones was killed by an allegedly intoxicated hit-and-run driver while riding his bike at the intersection of 25th and Diamond Streets in the predominantly Black Strawberry Mansion neighborhood.

This is yet another heart-breaking death that could have been prevented by safe street design and protected bicycle infrastructure. It is a reminder to City Council that these life-saving measures need their approval and funding.

It is also a reminder that BIPOC communities are disproportionately impacted by traffic violence and that every life lost, in any neighborhood, is equally tragic and worthy of action.

Diamond Street is on the High Injury Network, a map of our most dangerous roads, responsible for 80% of all traffic deaths and serious injury. The City uses the High Injury Network to prioritize its Complete Streets Projects, which can reduce deadly crashes by 34%, but without the necessary funding and political will, the projects that would prioritize underserved neighborhoods will remain underfunded and the proposed infrastructure non-existent.

Philly Bike Action calls on City Council and Mayor Parker to enact systemic solutions to this systemic problem. We cannot pursue a “whack-a-mole” strategy that targets intersections one-by-one after a life is irrevocably lost. We need urgent low-cost quick-build solutions for traffic calming and policy that ensures all new road projects include safety upgrades for vulnerable road users.

Dominique Jones was a musician, known by his stage name Dom WAVEY. We'd like to honor him by sharing his music: https://soundcloud.com/domwavey.

Notes

1. 25th and Diamond is home to a school and a recreation center. It received speed bumps last year, but was not included in North Philly's School Slow Zone Traffic Project, which would have provided more robust traffic calming solutions, but only had enough funding for six schools.
2. The City's Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems has been developing a Strawberry Mansion Neighborhood Bikeways Project for almost two years, but has yet to realize any changes. 25th St was evaluated for a future bikeway at Diamond St, and Diamond was evaluated for a bikeway, but not at 25th.
3. Traffic deaths disproportionately affect Black people at 68 deaths per 100K, as opposed to 55 per 100K for white. Governors Highway Safety Association
4. Black people riding bikes have a fatality rate 4.5 times that of white riders. American Journal of Preventive Medicine
5. Complete Streets Projects Transform Traffic Safety. City of Philadelphia Report.
6. "Use these tools to save lives: Quick, low-cost, effective street redesigns". Vision Zero Network