Mayor de Blasio: Fix 9th Street! An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of a Cure #visionzero

A horrible accident, fatalities, and flowers on 9th and 5th street in Brooklyn. 

For years, we have implored the city to make the streets safer for pedestrians on sidewalks, cyclists, kids standing on crosswalks, people walking through lights, everyone.  The simplest ways to do are  to get cars off the streets, improve infrastructure, impose penalties, and the obligation that the onus is on drivers to look out for pedestrians.  

Yesterday, I got an email and a facebook invitation for an event calling for the Mayor to make improvements on 9th street following a fatal crash in which a driver mowed down two kids, killing them and injuring their moms yesterday. 

Doug Gordan wrote: "Following yet another horrific crash on 9th Street, please come to the Park Slope YMCA to call on the mayor to immediately overhaul this busy and dangerous street."

Arriving at 9th street, I ran into cyclists I've know for years, safe street advocates, parents, kids, calling for the city to hear their cry and improve the infrastructure and change the culture so the streets become safer.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure.   

Amy Cohen, whose son was moved down on Prospect Park West, was there.  I still wear a "Vision Zero Now for Sammy" wristband in honor of his memory. 

My friend Dan, whose kids go to school with mine, was there.   He told me what happened. 

Apparently a car careened through a red light into the street, mowing down two kids yesterday. 

Some said she had a history of poor driving, others that she had a seizure.  The point is she should have been driving.  Too many people drive in New York.  And those who do drive feel an ownership of the road, instead of an obligation to share the streets. 

Make the subway usable, noted Dan. 

The car, which injured two moms, killing two kids, apparently dragged the stroller down the block after careening through the red light. 

Nathaniel Bachelis  

"https://twitter.com/leahfinnegan/status/970723077247111168 

I'm tearing up hard. My 2 year old son walks there all the time.  We cross 9th to go to the McDonalds there. But although it's not my son, it's someone else's child and they shouldn't have to endure this.  When will this end!  This is all preventable.  I'm so angry!  This has got to end!"

Vicki Madden wrote on facebook:

"My two sons were raised in Park Slope and their first words included curses they hear me saying at drivers, trying to turn into us while we were in a crosswalk with the right-of-way. Then we moved to Kensington where the drivers are even more outrageous. I was knocked back onto the sidewalk by a truck once at Church & McDonald. People who picked me up said the driver had seen me and continued. Last week a young woman was killed when she was in the crosswalk with the light at Ocean Parkway and Church Avenue. World-class cities prioritize humans over cars!"

Its all preventable Mr Mayor.  Fix 9th Street and the culture of driving in New York.  

Cars cannot own the road.  People can and should. Mr Mayor get out of your SUV and take the lead. 

Joanna Oltman Smith‏ @jooltman

In the midst of much sadness at today’s Safe Streets Now #parkslope rally, it was also heartening to see so many neighbors connecting to protect each other. @brooklynbasics @brooklynrob @sethmpk @subtle116 @psdcbk #VisionZero

10:15 AM - 6 Mar 2018