The increasingly fashionable neighborhood of Williamsburg in Brooklyn had more traffic deaths than any other part of the city, according to data compiled by the blogger I Quant. Brooklyn officials responded with demands to Mayor de Blasio to start his Vision Zero program in that part of Brooklyn.
Vision Zero is the mayor’s plan to eliminate traffic fatalities in New York City within 10 years. The plan is being discussed at community forums throughout the city, but the basics include:
- Changing at least 50 of the most dangerous streets and intersections, focusing on poor neighborhoods, areas near schools and neighborhoods where many seniors live. The changes would include narrowing very wide streets, widening sidewalks and medians and creating dedicated space for bicyclists.
- Increase the number of slow zones to 52 in the next four years
- Stepped-up police enforcement of speeding, failing to yield to pedestrians and reckless driving
City Councilman Antonio Reynoso, who represents Williamsburg, said, “We hope Mayor de Blasio will use North Brooklyn as the first neighborhood for implementing Vision Zero – including a comprehensive study that looks at safety for pedestrians and cyclists, traffic, and more,”
According to a map of city traffic deaths compiled by the blogger, Williamsburg was the scene of eight fatalities in 2013. This number included four pedestrians. The next highest number of traffic deaths was Carnarsie in Brooklyn and Sunnyside in Queens, both of which had seven fatalities.
Source: New York Post, “Williamsburg led city in traffic deaths last year: study,” Mar. 3, 2014.