A plan to improve pedestrian safety at a dangerous Brooklyn intersection is seeing the first signs of progress on the ground.
In June, Ngozi Agbim, 73, was killed by a turning tractor-trailer truck driver on the north side of the intersection of Church Avenue, Ocean Parkway, and the Prospect Expressway. The location, which had already been targeted for pedestrian safety improvements through Council Member Brad Lander's participatory budgeting process, falls on the border between state and city DOT jurisdiction.
Now, the first of those changes is being installed: A new concrete pedestrian island, providing a space for people midway across the Prospect Expressway on-ramps, is under construction and scheduled for completion in mid-November, according to NYC DOT. Protective barriers, crosswalk striping, bike markings, narrower traffic lanes, and additional signage are on the way. NYC DOT is currently coming up with a schedule for installing new traffic signals that will include flashing yellow arrows for turning drivers, and the state DOT says work should be completed by the spring.
The state also said it had made progress on its study of 39 intersections on Ocean Parkway between Prospect Park and Shore Parkway, using crash data and consultation with NYC DOT to select 10 intersections for improvements. They are, from north to south:
Church Avenue
Avenue C
Cortelyou Road
Ditmas Avenue
18th Avenue
Avenue I/Bay Parkway
Avenue J
Avenue P
Kings Highway
Avenue U
The safety enhancements the state is considering include new pedestrian signals, signal timing adjustments, upgrading curb ramps to ADA standards, and restricting traffic or turning movements -- but the state did not say it was considering physical traffic calming measures like pedestrian islands. State DOT says the study should be completed next spring, with $5 million in state funds allocated for pedestrian safety improvements on Ocean Parkway and construction set to begin in 2015.
In spring 2017, Stephen wrote for Streetsblog USA, covering the livable streets movement and transportation policy developments around the nation.
From August 2012 to October 2015, he was a reporter for Streetsblog NYC, covering livable streets and transportation issues in the city and the region. After joining Streetsblog, he covered the tail end of the Bloomberg administration and the launch of Citi Bike. Since then, he covered mayoral elections, the de Blasio administration's ongoing Vision Zero campaign, and New York City's ever-evolving street safety and livable streets movements.