Stop Killing Us Now

SOUTHERN BROOKLYN – Whether you are out shopping, waiting for a bus, riding your bicycle – these days on the streets of Southern Brooklyn, you are more likely to be killed by a speeding and inattentive driver than a bullet – or anything else.

So far this year, Brooklyn South has logged the deaths of 36 neighbors due to traffic fatalities – ten more than this time last year – an increase of almost 40%. More people were killed in Brooklyn South than in all of Manhattan (36 versus 28), and no other patrol borough comes close in numbers of neighbors killed:

Two ten-year-olds were killed in the last month – one was waiting for the bus after school in Midwood when he was mowed down by an out of control driver. Another was crossing the street on his bicycle with friends. Two elderly residents were mowed down just last week – one in Sheepshead Bay (Ford and V) and one in Kensington. A teenager was orphaned when an out of control driver killed her mother on Coney Island Avenue in July. A bicyclist was killed when a car ran a red light at high speed and collided with another this Summer. A few other bicyclists were doored sending them into oncoming traffic. A toddler was killed in Bath Beach at a crosswalk with a STOP sign. I could go on.

Keeping track

We have been trying our best to keep track of all who have been killed in Brooklyn, but that information is not always easily available.  Police still have not released the name or whether the driver was charged in the crash that killed a neighbor on Cortelyou Road right by PS139 this summer, despite numerous requests, or name or details in the crash on East 5th and Church Ave from earlier this summer.  Streetsblog keeps track and has a spreadsheet that tallies fatalities up for the city, but its editor Gersh Kuntzman warned it is not accurate – “these are just the ones we know about”- he said.  There are no monthly reports like on other crime stats for Vision Zero, though in Southern Brooklyn more people are killed by cars than guns.

What we have is TrafficStat and Vision Zero maps. Vision Zero Map has a lag of months. Similarly, the TrafficStat Map the NYPD maintains embedded below claims to be accurate as of October 13, yet does not seem to map the deaths on East 4th and East 5th Streets along Church Avenue. What’s worse, the old data available disappears as new data is added, so there is no way to compare or analyze. There is no public list of deadly traffic crashes with publicly available information.

Neighbors have been identifying dangerous intersections for years, requesting traffic calming measures that would allow for better visibility, and safer crossings.  Why is it there are no crosswalks or traffic lights along a busy stretch of Newkirk Avenue that has a post office, elementary school and a very busy subway stop, and one of the most dangerous intersections for pedestrians in the borough? Why are pedestrian and bicyclist injuries not taken seriously unless the person is unlikely to make it?

Do Your Job, Keep Brooklyn Residents Safe!

One common thread when we talk to a neighbor after neighbor – online and off -is: why won’t the NYPD do their job and enforce the traffic rules? And not just against the bicyclists and skateboarders blowing red lights, but cars and buses and trucks blowing through stop signs, red lights and going off truck routes, endangering all along the way as well. Let’s move those trucks that park in and by crosswalks blocking visibility – how about we start with the ones that park by schools, parks, libraries, senior centers, and subway stops?

We asked NYPD how many traffic enforcement agents they had assigned to Brooklyn, and were told by Detective Annette Shelton that the “NYPD does not discuss the specifics of staffing deployments for security reasons.  The Department is committed to addressing all traffic conditions citywide and ensures there is adequate staffing on all tours. We encourage residents to report conditions and complaints through 311, attend Build the Block meetings and make their Neighborhood Coordination Officers aware of any traffic violations so they can be corrected. Our goal is to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers and we are committed to Vision Zero.”

Vision Zero in Brooklyn is a bit of a joke, locals agree, more like “Zero Vision”.

This morning I walked by the 6 spots where a neighbor was killed in the last 6 years – all within 6 blocks of each other. This past Saturday a 60-year neighbor was killed and her 72-year-old husband injured on Church and East 4th Street. Three months ago a man was killed one block away at Church and East 5th Street, within a week of a woman killed at Church and Coney Island Avenue.

Neighbors had set up a memorial following this latest death – asking – when will Vision Zero come to Kensington and reminding us of Ngozi Agbim, Mohammed Uddin and Faustino Garcia‘s deaths, all within blocks.

After every death, there is outrage. Mohammed was killed on a school block, soon there was traffic calming street redesign by the new PS130 building. Yet within a couple of years, the city opened a new elementary school on a truck route with not a single marked crosswalk or traffic light around it – just blocks away. It took until February of that school year to get a crosswalk by the school.  Maria Del Carmen Porras was killed a block from that school, at a crosswalk with crossing guards.

Many of the new schools coming to Sunset Park are along truck routes – largely due to difficulty finding an appropriate site for a school – does the city have a plan for safe routes to every school? Why do we seem to always be reacting rather than being pro-active when designing and siting schools, senior centers and libraries?

Following the two most recent deaths at Ocean Parkway and Church Avenue,  DOT redesigned the intersection. But is it working? Not without enforcement.

Documenting just one light cycle this morning, I witnessed 6 cars, including an Access-a-ride and a trailer, run a solid red light to turn onto Prospect Expressway from Church Avenue. While the big trailers are taking their time making a much tighter turn, turning on red seems to be near-constant, and not a cop car in sight.

Stop Reckless Driving

Let’s look at the contributing factors in these deadly traffic crashes in Brooklyn South:

Unsafe speed – 11, driver not paying attention – 10, failure to yield – 4, traffic control disregard – 3. No amount of speed cameras by schools will make a difference until there is both – a massive change in NYPD mentality when it comes to traffic safety – something akin to keeping us safe from gun violence (which has claimed 27 lives so far this year in Brooklyn South, down 25% from last year) – and serious consequences for killing people, regardless of how.  Brad Lander’s reckless driver bill is a good start, and it is unfortunate that so many innocent neighbors have had to die for it to be considered.

Mayor De Blasio announced back in July a big push to make riding bicycles safer in Brooklyn, as the city is looking at record numbers of dead bicyclists. I no longer ride mine, and I know of many friends and neighbors who have decided similarly. It is simply too dangerous. Of the two dozen bicyclist deaths this year so far, more than half were in Brooklyn. But walking is not optional. We should be able to cross the city’s streets safely, wait for the bus – in peace, and not feel like it’s open season for pedestrians.