The deaths of two young children has a transportation group calling for widespread change to make Brooklyn streets safer for pedestrians.

Transportation Alternatives wants the city to extend sidewalk corners, forcing drivers to make wider, slower turns. The non-profit group also wants lights timed to give pedestrians a head start before turn signals. Another suggestion includes raising the pavement under crosswalks by four inches.

The renewed call for safer crosswalks comes after a Hummer hit and killed a 4-year-old boy Tuesday at Baltic Street and 3rd Avenue as he walked with his aunt. Last Thursday, a pickup truck hit and killed a 3-year-old boy who was crossing 5th Avenue with his mother. Witnesses say that truck sped off. Records show 170 pedestrians were killed on city streets last year, up seven percent from 2005.

Related Information:Transportation Alternatives