BY SCOTT STIFFLER | Standing their ground at one of what they call the “traffic violence hotspots” on 10th and 11th Aves. in Hell’s Kitchen and Chelsea, District 3 City Councilmember Erik Bottcher and a substantial group of local residents, electeds, advocacy organizations, and allies called for the City to implement critical street safety improvements.

Citing NYC Crash Mapper data from the past two years, a press release sent by Bottcher’s office pertaining to the Wednesday, February 2, 10am rally noted that Council District 3 “has the highest number of pedestrian injuries and the highest number of pedestrian fatalities citywide. In the past 5 years, on 10th Avenue between West 14th and West 59th Streets alone, there have been 3 pedestrian fatalities and 1 cyclist fatality. There have also been 494 reported injuries, including 154 pedestrians, 96 cyclists, and 231 motorists.”

Those alarming stats make the rally’s location (10th Ave., northwest corner of W. 44th St.) long overdue for the corrective measures already put in place elsewhere across the city.

“Manhattanites living and working off these avenues deserve the same bike lanes and pedestrian islands we’ve seen implemented on Eighth and Ninth Avenues,” said NYS Senator Brad Hoylman who, along with Congressmember Jerrold Nadler and NYS Assemblymember Richard Gottfried, appeared at the rally to stand both with and beside Manhattanites who must navigate what Bottcher said are “essentially four-lane highways running through the heart of our community. These stretches have no infrastructure in place to protect pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit riders.”

Hoylman emphasized the timely nature of implementing additional safety measures, noting, “Just yesterday, the 12th New Yorker of the year was killed on our city streets by a reckless driver. This comes after 2021 saw more New Yorkers die from car strikes than in close to a decade. Simply put, we’re at a crisis point, and we must make our streets safer.”

As for the disconnect between consensus and construction, rally attendee Jeffrey LeFrancois spoke with Chelsea Community News several days later. Said LeFrancois, in his capacity as Manhattan Community Board 4 (CB4) Chair, “All of the improvements the community is asking for have long been agreed upon. It’s simply a matter of implementation and finally prioritizing pedestrian safety and installing safe cycling infrastructure which will help clean and green the city, too.” The building materials and supportive structures set to be put into place, noted LeFrancois, will “protect pedestrians, slow down cars, and make the city safer for all.”

In addition to the abovequoted individuals, Bottcher was joined by advocacy groups including Transportation Alternatives and CHEKPEDS (Clinton Hell’s Kitchen Chelsea Coalition for Pedestrian Safety) in addition to families from PS51 and PS111 and members of CB4´s Transportation Committee.

Elizabeth DeLaBarre, a Hell’s Kitchen resident injured while cycling, spoke on behalf of Families for Safe Streets, noting “Nobody should face the pain traffic violence brings, and a redesign of 10th and 11th Avenues will save countless lives.”

Calling 9th, 10th, and 11th Aves. the “main office for thousands” who deliver “food and goods to millions of people who live and work in Chelsea, Hell´s Kitchen, Hudson Yards, and Greenwich Village,” Hildalyn Colón Hernández, Director of Policy & Strategic Partnerships for Los Deliveristas Unidos, further noted her organization is “committed to working side by side with NYC City Council´s Erik Bottcher, our partners at NYC DOT and TA, and our neighbors in these communities to keep people and Deliveristas safe on the street.”

If you would like to get involved in the move to ensure District 3 gets the street safety upgrades advocated for in this article, contact the various organizations and elected mentioned. For District 3 NYC Councilmember Erik Bottcher, click here.

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