November 26, 2015

Most Dangerous Intersections in Brooklyn: Coney Island Avenue and Guider Avenue

Posted in Auto Accidents

We have finally reached the conclusion of our series featuring some of the most dangerous intersections in Brooklyn. These last four blogs have traversed us across Brooklyn from Nostrand Avenue all the way to Coney Island Avenue. Our final blog post will be drawing attention to Coney Island Avenue and Guider Avenue.

For many years this intersection has been known to its residents as a very dangerous and difficult intersection for both drivers and pedestrians. Since 2014, there have been 11 collisions, including two pedestrians struck by vehicles and three occupant injuries, according to data obtained from the Department of Transportation.

The intersection is a complicated one because the intersection has more than five directions converging and unclear signage which leads to frustrated drivers on top of a populated area.  The intersection is heavily congested, poorly functioning intersection because of the high number of left-turning vehicles. The awkward alignment and unclear lanes cause long waits in the left hand lane that causes traffic to build up and forces drivers to make risky left hand turns. In 2012, the DOT made left hand turns in the intersection illegal, which means all of those turns disrupt the normal flow of traffic

Another factor that makes this intersection so dangerous for pedestrians are the four long cross walks. The longest of them being 140 feet and takes up to 70 seconds to cross. This is problematic for the elderly and children in the area who walk slower than most pedestrians.

Several plans have been proposed by the DOT to alleviate traffic and create a safer environment for pedestrians as they try to walk across the streets. The first plan is to lift the ban on left hand turns and add turning lanes to the streets. These should lessen the traffic and create a safer environment for the drivers. There are also plans to extend the medians and add signage to the corners.  The DOT has stated that while these plans will help the area, there is still much that needs to be done.