The sound of metal crashing against metal reverberated at Utica Avenue and Avenue D again last Thursday afternoon, as yet another accident at the deadly intersection left merchants and residents wondering when the city would finally do something to make the corner safer.
“It’s a death trap,” proclaimed Terrence LaPierre, the president of the Avenue D Merchants Association, who has repeatedly called on the city to take steps to reduce the frequency of crashes at the busy intersection that threaten property, life and limb.
In fact, it was pressure from community activists that brought Department of Transportation officials to the intersection a week earlier, where they were counting turning cars when another accident occurred right in front of them, just days after another accident sent three people to the hospital.
In March of this year, a two-car collision at the intersection left one driver dead.
This time, the collision was between a car traveling north on Utica Avenue that made a left turn on Avenue D, without yielding to an oncoming southbound vehicle, according to the 67th Precinct. A third car, which was parked, was hit, and both drivers were taken to area hospitals, the precinct said.
The safety of pedestrians and of commuters waiting for the bus has been a particular concern at the intersection.
Earlier this year, Community Board 17 requested that the city study the intersection and implement safety measures there.
The city said that it is studying the location to determine what measures can be taken to improve safety there, including adjustments to signal timing along Utica Avenue between Beverly Road and Foster Avenue.
