For more than a decade now, New York City has challenged the reign of the car, making streets safer and more welcoming for those who pedal and walk. But after several years of safer streets, 2019 is proving to be a dangerous year for cyclists in New York, as more are being killed by drivers .

As Jose Alzorriz brought his bicycle to a stop at a red light on Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn on Sunday, a driver heading in the other direction drove his car through the light. He plowed into an S.U.V. crossing the intersection, caroming it into a helpless Mr. Alzorriz, who became the 19th cyclist killed in the city this year.

Since 2006, the number of daily bike rides has risen to nearly half a million from 180,000, according to city officials. In that time, New York added more than 750 miles of bike lanes to 500 or so that existed, and the popular bike-share program Citi Bike sent tens of thousands more cyclists onto the roadways.

The number of cyclists killed so far this year, though, is more than double those killed at the same point in 2018 , a year when fewer cyclists than ever were killed.