Sunset Park leaders are calling for action to improve safety on a deadly stretch of road beneath the Gowanus Expressway. The stretch of 3rd Avenue between Prospect Avenue and 62nd Street has been the site of numerous traffic collisions, including a recent crash that claimed the life of a cyclist, reports Streestblog NYC.
The area is known for its narrow sidewalks and speeding traffic, making it difficult for pedestrians and cyclists to navigate.
“This is an overdue conversation. I think we have to think dramatically about it given the scale of the problem,” said Katie Walsh, the transportation chair of Brooklyn Community Board 7, which encompasses Sunset Park.
The group is proposing several measures to improve safety, including adding more traffic calming measures, widening sidewalks and improving street lighting.
They are also calling for a dedicated bike lane to be installed on the stretch, which would separate cyclists from vehicular traffic.
According to data from the New York City Department of Transportation, there were over 100 accidents on the stretch of road between 2019 and 2021. Thirteen people alone have been killed along the stretch since 2016 — including five pedestrians, four cyclists and three car occupants, according to city stats.
And in response to the community's concerns, the department is conducting a safety study of the area to identify potential solutions but locals are urging for legitimate action to be taken quickly to prevent further accidents and fatalities.
Brady Meixell, the government relations and business services manager at Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation, suggested DOT turn a lane of traffic on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway into a truck-only lane to relieve some of the burdens on the local roadway.
"The BQE can be so crowded on this stretch that they move quicker on the local road, so if there’s some way to expedite that could get them off the local roads,” said Meixell. However, some would disagree stating that the true solution is clear: Build protected bike lanes.
“Right now on Third Avenue there are no bike lanes at all, and we as a community on Third Avenue, even my neighbors, use bikes and it’s kind of hazardous to them,” said Damien Andrade.
In order to increase safety, you have to increase more protected bike lanes so they have the accessibility to ride along Third Avenue because a lot of people still have jobs on Third Avenue as well.”
Improving safety on this deadly stretch of road is essential to creating a safer and more livable community for Sunset Park residents.
With community leaders and the city working together, many remain hopeful that a solution can be found that will address the dangerous conditions and prevent future accidents.
The DOT will hold a second public workshop on Third Avenue on April 27 at 6:30 pm at P.S. 503, 330 59th Street.
