READER CONTRIBUTION: The 200 block of Van Brunt urgently needs more crosswalks

New York City is an interesting paradox in its status as arguably America’s most walkable city, yet highly car-friendly and pedestrian-negligent in its design. I’m no city planner, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to notice that despite our public transportation system being the strongest in the nation, we have a lot of car traffic, yet our streets often seem to be designed with vehicles at front of mind rather than the more vulnerable group, our pedestrians.

I was extremely saddened and disturbed by the news of the violent and unnecessary death of Katherine Harris, 31, who was struck by a speeding drunk driver on Atlantic Avenue and Clinton Street back in April. As a result, it has made me more hypervigilant than I already was of my own behavior as a pedestrian and more sharply critical of parts of the city that are plainly obvious to be dangerous for pedestrians.

I do not have to travel far to find such examples. I live on the 200 Block of Van Brunt Street on the side opposite the Park Slope-bound Verona Street bus stop. I cross Van Brunt nearly ev-

by Jax Preyer

ery day to the Verona stop to get to work, and every time I do, I feel greatly unsafe. There are no pedestrian crosswalks connecting the opposite sides of Van Brunt on Visitation, Verona, Delavan, Commerce, or Seabring. For me, the only way to get across safely would be to go two blocks in the opposite direction, cross at the intersection at Pioneer, and loop back. Your path to a four-way crosswalk is even more ridiculous and redundant if you live on any of the other four crosswalk-less streets I named. For me, it’s not an enormous inconvenience, all things considered, just a very stupid one; but I’m a childless, young, ablebodied adult. I cannot imagine how frustrating and anxiety-provoking it must be for parents pushing strollers or those using wheelchairs or walkers. There’s a reason jaywalking is illegalit poses a significant risk to pedestrians and drivers alike. When you fail to place crosswalks in front of (or even reasonably close to) public bus stops, what choice are you giving pedestrians but to jaywalk?

Seeing as I live on Van Brunt, it is obviously not lost on me that our street