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Fatal Intersection Had Been Studied By DOT
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 15, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 15, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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The intersection of Third Avenue and Baltic Street, where 4 year old James Jacaricce was hit and killed by a Hummer SUV Tuesday afternoon, had actually been recommended for safety measures four years ago. During Tuesday's incident, both the SUV and the child, who was walking with his aunt, had the light; the SUV was making a right turn from Third to Baltic.
Streetsblog notes that neckdowns and a raised crosswalk had been recommended:
While it is impossible to know definitively if Tuesday's crash could have been prevented, the pedestrian safety measures recommended nearly four years ago in the Downtown Brooklyn Traffic Calming Project [a DOT study] are designed specifically to prevent the type of "right-turn conflict" that resulted in the four-year-old's death. The community-driven plan, created by the international consulting firm Arup, urged New York City's Department of Transportation to install neckdowns and a raised crosswalk at Baltic Street where vehicles from busy, fast-moving, truck-heavy Third Avenue turn onto the quieter, more residential street. A raised crosswalk makes pedestrians more visible to drivers as they walk across the street. Neckdowns make it more difficult for drivers to execute fast, careless turns into the crosswalk while pedestrians are crossing.
And in the wake of Jacaricee's death, as well as two others (a 3 year old and a senior) from turning vehicles, Transportation Alternatives also reminds us of five safety measures - pedestrian crossing time, pedestrian head starts, neckdowns, raised crosswalks, bollards - that would be effective ways to help protect pedestrians - and drivers. TA executive director Paul Steely White says, "Because they walk more slowly, and are often shorter and more difficult to see, the City must take steps to protect walking seniors and children. The City DOT must begin the routine installation of these five pedestrian safety measures at all intersections in New York City."
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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