Anyone who has attempted to walk or bike from one side of Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza to another knows that it can be a difficult journey, through which a constantly swiveling head is required to keep an eye on traffic coming from seemingly every direction. The above overhead image shows just a portion of the plaza where five different roads converge in an inner traffic loop, including Eastern Parkway and Prospect Park West, and the entire site is bisected by Flatbush Ave. It's also a destination for pedestrians and cyclists. Aside from the plaza's Memorial Arch and Bailey Fountain, Grand Army Plaza is the northwest entrance to Prospect Park, hosts a weekend greenmarket, and is the location of the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library.

Streetsblog had a post last week on the Dept. of Transportation's plan (PDF) to add crosswalks, eliminate a traffic lane while adding a bike lane, and increase landscaping at the plaza. There's an embedded version of the DOT's slide presentation for the project in the Streetsblog post. While Grand Army Plaza is an iconic location where traffic and pedestrians merge, we hope the DOT will pay similar attention to other dangerous locations around the city.

Transportation Alternatives has a list of the most dangerous intersections for pedestrians in New York City. Brooklyn's most dangerous intersection is not far from Grand Army Plaze, at Utica Ave. and Eastern Parkway, where 4 people were killed and 88 injured between 1995 and 2001. One hundred eighteen injuries were reported at Manhattan's Park Ave. and 33rd St. during the same time period, but no fatalities. In recent years, it seems like the Grand Concourse in the Bronx and Queens Boulevard are the most dangerous roadways for pedestrians to cross. Any suggestions of dangerous intersections for pedestrians to avoid, or at least raise their alertness when crossing?