Brooklyn Sidewalk Safety Ignored Again
Three people were hurt on a Brooklyn sidewalk Sunday night when a driver smashed into a building. This wasn’t a random accident; it was a predictable disaster on a known danger strip. We are tired of watching families get hit while standing safely off the road.
Streetsblog NYC reports that two vehicles crashed where Park and Nostrand avenues meet. One vehicle, a Fisker Ocean SUV with TLC plates, plowed into the structure. The impact struck a mother and her two children who were standing on the sidewalk. Williamsburg News reported that one child is in critical condition.
The Facts From The Street
The crash happened at 9:10 p.m. on the border of South Williamsburg and Bedford-Stuyvesant. After the collision, the corner was littered with debris, including a smashed fence, a child’s kick scooter, and a baby stroller. Violations mark the SUV’s record, such as a speeding citation last year and a red-light fine earlier this year.
This location is part of Nostrand Avenue, a stretch known for long blocks and high crash rates. City statistics show that last year, there were 62 reported crashes on the short segment between Flushing and DeKalb avenues, injuring 30 people. Park Avenue is no safer, with 69 reported crashes and 31 injuries on the stretch between Tompkins and Classon avenues. Just two blocks south, a 9-year-old boy was killed by a bus driver in May.
Our Take: Enough Excuses
We love New York, but we are sick of the excuses for why this keeps happening. The city has the data. It knows exactly where the crashes are. Yet, residents say some community members have previously opposed safety measures. That is a tragedy in itself. You cannot argue against speed bumps and cameras when a mother and her kids are fighting for their lives.
Monie Love, a home health aide in the neighborhood, put it bluntly to reporters. She argued that adding more speed bumps and cameras would help reduce driver speeds. She noted that this is a school zone, so it should be for the safety of the children. Instead, a family got hurt just standing on the sidewalk. This is wrong, and the city needs to stop listening to NIMBYs who block safety gear.
We need immediate action, not more press conferences. The TLC vehicle involved had prior tickets, and the driver clearly wasn’t paying attention. But the road design invites this chaos. Long blocks and wide streets make people drive too fast. We need the city to install the safety measures that residents have asked for, even if some neighbors fought them before. A child in critical condition is a wake-up call we cannot ignore.
As an evolving breaking story, this report will receive updates when the NYPD releases further details. There is no specific vote or hearing date listed in the current reports, but the community is waiting for an answer. We expect the city to address the safety gaps on Nostrand and Park avenues immediately. New Yorkers deserve streets where they don’t have to fear for their lives just by standing on the sidewalk.
This is opinion and commentary from the RapForMayor team.
