Transit advocates sound the alarm on 'dangerous' Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn
The intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush avenues has caught the eye of traffic advocates who say more must be done.
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The intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush avenues has caught the eye of traffic advocates who say more must be done.
"Atlantic Avenue is a death trap. It has earned its nickname 'Boulevard of Death'," said Kathy Park Price, of Transit Alternatives.
The bustling 10-mile road mimics the old traffic patterns of Queens Boulevard – another 10-mile road in the city that was redesigned in 2015. The mayor's office reports Queens Boulevard, which once saw 42 fatalities in five years, has since seen a decrease in traffic-related fatalities by 13%.
After 10 fatalities in 2021 alone on Atlantic Avenue, activists are pushing for a similar redesign of the street that has eight lanes of traffic in the 117-foot-wide intersection.
The Department of Transportation says “the Atlantic Avenue Great Green Street Capital Project is underway" – which will bring improvements along with a grade-separated bike lane from Logan Street to Rockaway Boulevard.
After 10 years of Vision Zero, the city's plan to decrease traffic deaths and injuries, the city reports that deaths are now at a "historic low."
