October 21, 2015

Five Most Dangerous Intersections in the Bronx: University Avenue at West Fordham Road

Posted in Auto Accidents, Pedestrian Accidents

This week we conclude the five-part series where we describe the five most dangerous intersections in the Bronx for pedestrians. Five weeks ago we started the series with the intersection of East 170^th Street and Grand Concourse, the latter of the two streets has been featured several times. The final intersection that we will be describing is the intersection of University Avenue and West Fordham Road.

The intersection was deemed in the 2015 Department of Transportation Vision Zero Reports to be one of the most dangerous intersections in the Bronx and between 2005 and 2012 5 pedestrians were killed or seriously injured.

What makes this intersection so hazardous to pedestrians are the arterial roads with heavy traffic and pedestrian population. These streets are highly congested and road markings offer minimal guidance for both pedestrians and traffic on how to proceed through the intersection safely.

In April 2007, Kwan Yau Tang was crossing University Avenue when he was hit by a Mitsubishi. Tang had been on his way to one of the many bus stops in the area. The driver was intoxicated, but many drivers in the area who are involved in the areas high number of collisions are either speeding or are driving recklessly. Locals in the area know that the corridor to be perilous to pedestrians either crossing the street or walking along the side walk.

The Department of Transportation’s Vision Zero initiative, which aims to end all traffic fatalities, has implemented some changes to the intersection to make the area safer for pedestrians. LOOK! markings to alert pedestrians to oncoming traffic have been installed as have countdown signals to give pedestrians more information before they attempt to cross the street. These changes have helped lower some of the pedestrian injuries, however there is lots of work that must be done before the intersection is truly safe for both pedestrians and drivers alike. We recommend that everyone be aware of their surrounds at all times and to properly asses the road before crossing.