UPDATE: Speeding Senior Driver Kills Self and Two Pedestrians in Astoria, Pols Call for 20 MPH Limit

A speeding 84-year-old driver killed himself and two pedestrians after ramming into a coffee cart in the northernmost part of Astoria on Tuesday morning — igniting “thoughts and prayers” from local pols who later used the incident as a call for action.

The driver of the Toyota Corolla had just turned from 19th Avenue onto northbound 42nd Street when he increased his speed dramatically and then plowed directly into two men, ages 42 and 70, and the coffee cart at which they were being served, a video obtained by Streetsblog shows.

The impact of the 8:30 a.m.crash sent the Corolla into the path of another vehicle, whose driver, also a 42-year-old man, suffered unspecified injuries, a police spokesman said.

The block of 42nd Street, where the crash occurred, has one lane for traffic in each direction, parking on both sides of the street and a faint yellow line to demarcate northbound and southbound traffic. The block has several auto repair shops that leave cars parked all over the sidewalk, limiting visibility.

The state legislature last year allowed the mayor and City Council to lower the citywide speed limit from 25 to 20 miles per hour. But none of the pols who posted on social media after the crash — including Council Member Tiffany Caban, Assembly Member Jessica-Gonzalez Rojas and mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani — mentioned anything in their initial posts about that state-granted power.

Mamdani, whose district does not include the area where the crash occurred promised “to commit to streets that are safe for everyone,” without specifics, in a statement beamed out onto his social media channels.

“A devastating crash in Astoria has left three people dead. I’m heartbroken for the victims and their loved ones,” Mamdani’s post read. “We can’t normalize this.”

(Update, 5:02 p.m.: After publication of this article, Mamdani’s campaign provided the following statement: “In addition to working with city leaders to make our streets more pedestrian-friendly and safe for all New Yorkers, Zohran supports the acceleration of the adoption of Sammy’s Law and has proposed a plan to limit car traffic outside our schools.” The campaign also pointed to Mamdani’s past statements in favor of “enforcement-based solutions to changing driver behavior, like expanding all of the city’s automated enforcement systems to reduce speeding, keep bike and bus lanes clear and prevent recidivist drivers from getting back behind the wheel.”)

“Traffic violence is not inevitable,” Caban added on social media. “Safer streets are possible, not in the distant future but now. I will continue to do everything in my power as your Council Member to prevent traffic violence and keep our community safe.”

In a separate statement to Streetsblog, Caban got specific — calling for a lower speed limit, more protected bike lanes and universal daylighting.

“We have worked hard for years to create safer streets in our community and prevent traffic violence, pushing the Department of Transportation to bring improvements to Western Queens,” she said. “This tragedy is a terrible reminder of how critical that work is. Our efforts include the creation and implementation of the comprehensive Western Queens Street Safety Plan.

“I also strongly support the 31st Street Safety Plan, Council Member [Julie] Won’s Universal Daylighting legislation, and the full implementation of Sammy’s Law and other traffic calming measures,” she added.

Astoria has been in the news thanks to safety project much further south in the neighborhood, under the elevated subway on 31st Street between 36th Avenue and Newtown Avenue.

The project, which will bring bike lanes and shorter crossings to one of the most dangerous streets in Queens, is currently on pause after opponents sued to stop it.

Caban, Gonzalez-Rojas and state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez endorsed the 31st Street project in a joint letter in June.

Transportation Alternatives put out a statement that also blamed speeding for Tuesday’s deaths — and called for the city to use its power under the so-called “Sammy’s Law” to slow down drivers.

“Slower speeds are proven to reduce crashes dramatically,” the statement said. “A pedestrian hit by a car going 20 mph is six times less likely to die than someone hit by a car going 30 mph. Lower speed limits make everyone drive slower; even people who exceed the speed limit exceed it to a more minor degree.”