Crash highlights Broadway safety issues

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A recent two-car crash at West 259th Street and Broadway that sent six people to the hospital has brought renewed attention to one of the most dangerous stretches of road in Riverdale.

On Aug. 19 at around 1 p.m., a 2005 GMC and a 2012 Honda collided at the intersection, according to police. Six passengers, who were in the GMC, were transported to St. Barnabas Hospital following the accident, police said.

Earlier this summer, Yonkers resident Anthony Perez died when his Yamaha all-terrain vehicle (ATV) flipped over after hitting a Ford Explorer near West 259th Street. 

Last winter, an unidentified man died in a car crash on West 240th Street and Broadway when his 2001 Isuzu Rodeo hit an elevated subway post and flipped over before it was engulfed in flames.

Local resident Allen Fort, who was waiting for the bus on West 259th Street and Broadway on a recent afternoon, said that the long corridor needs to be regulated better. He added that he has seen cars and ATVs participating in illegal drag races during the night in addition to SUVs driving above the speed limit and making illegal U-turns.

According to a radar study conducted on Broadway between Manhattan College Parkway and West 251st Street on July 10, 2010 by the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT), 82 percent of vehicles drive above the speed limit between Manhattan College Parkway and West 251 Street.

Pedestrians said that cars often stop abruptly and swerve, which makes crossing the 68-foot strip risky. In fact, Broadway was among the most dangerous roads for walking, according to a 2013 Tri-state Transportation Campaign.

“A lot of people are running across the road because there’s nowhere to cross,” said Liz Ruiz, 33, who was walking along West 259th Street and Broadway with her two children.

Crossing Broadway has become deadly in recent years.  In December 2011, 57-year-old Nilo Montilla was struck and killed by a school bus while he was crossing Mosholu Avenue and Broadway. Months before, 25-year-old Ana Estevez was killed while crossing north of West 242nd Street on Broadway. The incident prompted the DOT to further evaluate the area.

According to a DOT spokesperson, the department is checking the signal timing at the intersection of Broadway and West 259th Street in an attempt to improve safety.  

Tanisia Morris, West 259th Street, Broadway, Crash, Traffic, Transportation, Collision, DOT, Mosholu Avenue, Manhattan College Parkway