Transportation Alternatives, Families for Safe Streets, and Local Community Members Host Vigil to Mourn New Yorker Hit and Killed on Morgan Avenue earlier this Week
This was the fourth fatality and the 17th person killed or seriously injured on Morgan Avenue since 2022.
Three out of the four people killed on Morgan Avenue since 2022 were killed by trucks.
Over 500 New Yorkers have signed a petition calling on DOT to Make Morgan Safe.
BROOKLYN, NY — Tonight, local community members, Transportation Alternatives, and Families for Safe Streets hosted a vigil on Morgan Avenue to mourn the New Yorker hit and killed on the street earlier this week. This is the fourth fatality and the 17th person killed or seriously injured on Morgan Avenue since 2022.
In response to dangerous conditions along Morgan Avenue, Transportation Alternatives launched the Make Morgan Safe campaign in 2022. The campaign is asking for a comprehensive redesign of Morgan Avenue from Meeker to Flushing including a protected bike lane, improved sidewalk access, and daylit intersections.
“We are devastated that another New Yorker was hit and killed on Morgan Avenue,” said Nick Conklin, Brooklyn Organizer for Transportation Alternatives. “No one else should die on Morgan Avenue — and with the right changes to this deadly corridor, no one else will. We’ve been demanding change for three years, and the road remains much the same. The City knows how to make Morgan safe, and needs to get it done today.”
This tragedy marks the fourth traffic fatality on Morgan Avenue since 2022, and the third killed by a truck driver. Morgan Avenue is part of the City’s truck route network, streets that are disproportionately more deadly; truck routes account for more than 50% of pedestrian and cyclist fatalities from 2019 to 2022, even though they make up just 13% of city streets.
“Today we are here because another neighbor is dead, run over by a truck just for crossing the street in front of this beautiful park. It didn't have to be this way. Because Morgan is prioritized for trucks over people's lives,” said Juan Serra, a local resident and TA volunteer. “It will not change until we have a comprehensive redesign of Morgan with a safe and protected bike lane, crosswalks, and daylighting. With real enforcement against abuse.”
“My heart breaks for the family of the New Yorker killed on Morgan Avenue. This stretch of road has been dangerous for far too long. People shouldn’t have to risk their lives just to walk, bike, or get to work in their own neighborhood. It is time for DOT to step up, redesign the street, and make Morgan Avenue safe for everyone,” said Congresswoman Nydia Velásquez.
Assemblymember Emily Gallagher said, "I was devastated to learn about the crash that killed a man near Cooper Park earlier this week. Far too many preventable crashes have taken place on Morgan Ave in recent years. We must do more to ensure walkers, cyclists, and drivers are able to use Morgan Ave safely. I will continue working with local electeds and NYC DOT to increase protected bike lanes and visible crossings here and around the city."
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