The intersection of Wyckoff Avenue, Palmetto Street and Myrtle Avenue merges about six streets, four bus stops, and a major subway station. Photos courtesy Make Queens Safer
The more than 150 people who gathered for a vigil on the Ridgewood border of Queens and Brooklyn Sunday night were parents, siblings, children, and friends whose lives had, in just one moment, forever changed because of traffic accidents that killed city residents from all walks of life: a recent college graduate who was a talented musician, dancer and artist; a 12-year-old boy about to celebrate his bar mitzvah; and a 3-year-old girl crossing Main Street in Flushing with her grandmother.
And while they each had a different story, everyone at the vigil for Ella Bandes – a 23-year-old Bushwick resident who was killed last January after being struck by an MTA bus at the intersection of Myrtle, Wyckoff, and Palmetto avenues – agreed that something must be done to make the city safer for pedestrians.
“Ella was my daughter, my best friend, my sister, my inspiration, my partner at the ballet and at art shows, my cooking companion, my teacher of all her discoveries, my movie critic, my political conversant, my pop culture and fashion consultant, my curly hair coach,” Ella Bandes’ mother, Judy Kottick, said. “She was my connection to the larger world and its injustices. She had a pure spirit and sense of joy that filled me with light. I miss her, and the world is a darker place without her in it. Her death was avoidable, as the intersection has long been known to be dangerous – and nothing was done about it.”
In addition to remembering Bandes, the vigil, which was held by Make Queens Safer and numerous other community organizations, also paid tribute to the approximate 286 New Yorkers killed in traffic crashes in 2013 and the 17 already killed in 2014. A “memorial wall” was unveiled at the vigil with the names of the victim.
Also in attendance at Sunday night’s event were the families of Sammy Cohen Eckstein, a 12-year-old boy who was struck and killed by a van driver on Prospect Park West in October, and Allison Hope Liao, a 3-year-old who was killed crossing Main Street in Flushing with her grandmother.
“The life of our family was changed in an instant when our son Sammy was hit by a van in front of our home and died a few hours later,” his mother, Amy Cohen, said. “…Where there was once wonder, joy and promise we are left with a gaping hole and shadowy outlines of a life that could have been.”
Those attending the vigil urged Mayor de Blasio to quickly implement his “Vision Zero” plan, which he unveiled in Woodside earlier this month at the site on Northern Boulevard where an 8-year-old boy was struck and killed. De Blasio charged the NYPD, city Department of Transportation, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the Taxi & Limousine Commission with developing a comprehensive roadmap to eliminate deadly crashes.
The initiative, de Blasio said, will include tougher NYPD enforcement efforts, the implementation of improvements in at least 50 corridors and intersections per year citywide, and an expansion in the number of 20 miles-per-hour zones.
“Too often we hear about these accidents where cars drive onto sidewalks, where cars drive recklessly, and often the story says no charges were filed, no penalty was given – even though obviously something terrible was done,” Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens) said at the vigil. “…When someone drives recklessly, there needs to be punishment.”
Laura Newman, of Make Queens Safer, noted that Sunday night’s strong turnout – which happened despite below-freezing temperatures, sends an important message.
“We’re here because it’s very important for the entire city to band together,” she said. “We’re going to make sure we implement ‘Vision Zero.’”
By Anna Gustafson
