We all know intersections in Brooklyn where one risks one’s life challenging people who might be very nice individuals if encountered on foot, but who would just as soon make you one with the pavement as let you walk in front of them once they’re behind the wheel. One such spots is Parkside and Ocean Avenue, which is the Prospect-Lefferts Gardens entrance to Prospect Park. It may actually be a little worse than Grand Army Plaza, as recent changes and redesigns have made it slightly less threatening to cross. In any case, Streets Blog reposted it yesterday along an idea of how it can be made better. The intersection will actually be redesigned in the near future.
2 responses so far ↓
1 chandru // May 13, 2008 at 10:54 am
This is the sort of story that may make for interesting reading, but is hardly objective.
There was absolutely nothing in the images that would make my 10-year-old scared to cross that street. “Here comes a car!”–as it moves in front of, or behind, the ped. What’s the car supposed to do, wait respectfully a hundred feet away?
Not that the intersection could not be improved, as the illustration shows, but to label it as “dangerous” is somewhat excessive. What’s the accident statistic there?
2 carrie // May 13, 2008 at 12:25 pm
According to Crashstat.org, it’s one of the top 10 most dangerous intersections for cyclists in Brooklyn.
A lead pedestrian interval, which would allow pedestrians to start walking before cars start turning, would go a long way toward improving the intersection for pedestrians. Making it safer for cyclists (an issue that’s not addressed in the video) will require more significant changes.