Wreck-ridden intersections: B'kln's Grand Army Plaza tops list
The New York Daily News
By Bill Egbert and James Rutenberg

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It's the worst place to drive, walk or ride a bike in the city a spot where cars, people and two-wheelers collide nearly every day.

The intersection of Flatbush Ave. and Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn tops the Police Department's list of the most accident-ridden streets in town recording 281 smashups last year, records show.

That's an accident once every 1.3 days and up from 159 accidents in 1997.

The asphalt danger zone is one of 24 intersections pinpointed by cops for having an unusually high number of accidents and targeted for extra enforcement by officials.

Pedestrian advocates and local residents blame the trouble there on a traffic circle where vehicles from Flatbush Ave., Eastern Parkway, Union St. and Prospect Park converge at odd angles.

Sondra Vos, 65, knows firsthand how dangerous the Grand Army Plaza traffic can be. Her 70-year-old husband, Maxwell, was struck and killed by a van coming off the vicious circle in late 1997.

"I'll go out of my way to avoid the plaza," she said. "The traffic patterns are terrible, and there are just too many cars."

But the intersection isn't alone as a high-risk area for drivers and pedestrians.

Running second to the Grand Army Plaza area was the congested intersection of Tillary St. and Flatbush Ave., at the Brooklyn end of the Manhattan Bridge, where there were 152 smashups last year. The worst spot in the Bronx was Bruckner Blvd. and E. 138th St., which had 143 accidents.

The intersection of Rockaway and Crossbay Blvds. and Liberty Ave. logged 136 accidents, making it the most dangerous spot in Queens.

Topping the list for Manhattan was Canal St. and the Bowery, where one of the 139 accidents last year killed Charles Dimino, 88, who was crushed by a truck in September.

All told, the two dozen most dangerous intersections logged 2,471 accidents. The records do not indicate how many of the accidents were fatal or how many involved pedestrians or bicyclists.

The streets emerged as danger spots in a year that saw a drop in traffic-related fatalities. There were 330 fatalities in 1998, 25% fewer than in 1997.

Still, advocates said, there are too many accidents on the streets singled out by cops.

"These are frightening numbers of accidents for single intersections," said Harris Silver of City Streets, a pedestrian- safety group.

Silver and advocates from Transportation Alternatives said they are lobbying for more money to be spent on road improvements aimed at slowing down traffic.

The city recently announced plans to install more traffic-slowing speed humps.

TOP 20 VEHICLE ACCIDENT LOCATIONS, 1998

Borough,  Location, Number of Accidents

1 Brooklyn, Flatbush Ave./ Grand Army Plaza, 281

2 Brooklyn, Flatbush Ave./Tillary St., 152

3 Bronx, Bruckner Blvd./E. 138th St., 143

4 Manhattan, Canal St./Bowery, 139

5 Queens, Rockaway Blvd./Cross Bay/Liberty, 136

6 Manhattan, Eighth Ave./W. 42nd St., 129

7 Manhattan, Seventh Ave./W. 34th St., 119

8 Brooklyn, Tillary St./Adams St., 116

9 Bronx, W. Fordham Road/Major Deegan Expwy., 115

10 Queens, Queens Blvd/Woodhaven Blvd., 111

11 Manhattan, E. 59th St./Second Ave., 103

Queens, Pennsylvania Ave./Linden Blvd., 103

12 Brooklyn, Ocean Parkway/Church Ave., 97

13 Queens, Rockaway Blvd./Brookville Blvd.93

14 Queens, Kings Highway/Linden Blvd., 92

15 Queens, Rockaway Blvd./Farmers Blvd., 84

16 Queens, Queens Blvd./Skillman Ave., 80

17 Bronx, Bronx River Pkwy./ E. Gun Hill Road, 76

18 S.I., Hylan Blvd./New Dorp Lane, 75

19 Manhattan, W. 181st St./Amsterdam Ave., 74

20 Manhattan, E. 128th St./Second Ave., 61

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