Speaking up for pedestrians
"Pedestrian killed here by motor vehicle," reads each of the 11 signs that appeared overnight along McGuinness Boulevard in Brooklyn, New York.
The rest of the message: "This death was preventable. Save Lives: Drive safely and respect each other."
The signs, put up by an anonymous group of advocates for safer streets and roads, are the latest effort to reduce danger on McGuinness between the Pulaski Bridge and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
The advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, in a mass e-mail, said McGuinness is treated by motorists like an on-ramp. "Crossing McGuinness Boulevard every day is the worst thing about living in this neighborhood," said Summer Greenstein, a Transportation Alternatives (TA) volunteer who lives near the boulevard.
In recent years, it's become increasingly common for Americans to erect crosses at sites of fatal auto accidents. The signs in Brooklyn are different. They show some knowledge of graphic design—displaying two splayed hands, with a succinct, readable message beneath.
"When the Seventh Annual Memorial Ride and Walk traversed the length of McGuinness Boulevard last week, a group of New Yorkers stopped at each plaque to remember those killed by car and truck drivers while crossing the stretch," TA reported.
A study by the found 66 percent of the boulevard's drivers exceeding the 30mph speed limit. The Working Group, a coalition of community groups and residents brought together by Transportation Alternatives, is urging the New York State Legislature to pass the "Neighborhood Speeds for Neighborhood Streets Act." The Bill would authorize New York City to use camer and radar technology to catch speeding drivers.
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