Parents Call for Safe Passage At Greenwich St. Crosswalk

By Carl Glassman

Situated as it is near the entrance to Washington Market Park, the Greenwich Street crosswalk at Duane Street may be the busiest kid-crossing of any intersection—without a light—on that busy street.

A concerned parent took this and other photos of the intersection of Duane and Greenwich Streets to illustrate to Councilman Alan Gerson the crossing hazard. Photo: Danelle Black-Fortenberry

Paragraphs - past additional paragraphs from article here, Parents have long complained about the dangers of cars whizzing  through the marked crosswalk and the impeded visibility from dumpsters and parked trucks. But last month they turned up the volume.

Rounding up support from 13 community organizations, from Park Preschool to Friends of Duane Park, members of Washington Market Park’s board of directors called on Councilman Alan Gerson to help create what they are calling a “Tribeca Kids Safety Zone” on Greenwich Street, from Harrison to Warren Streets.

Gerson said he would commit $3,000 towards a study of possible solutions, to be presented to the city’s Department of Transportation.

In the past, the DOT has denied requests for a traffic light at the intersection, and those who are leading the effort say there may be other remedies.
“Whether it’s a stop sign, a flashing light, a raised cross walk that has a hump to it, we know there are a number of potential solutions,” said Danelle Black-Fortenberry, a park board member and mother of two small children who is helping to spearhead the campaign.

In the meantime, a light went up at Warren and Greenwich Streets and Gerson put in a request for a light at Jay Street, actions applauded by concerned parents.

But it is Duane Street, Black-Fortenberry said, where the problem is most urgent.

“Quick action needs to be taken to avert a tragedy,” she said.

A parent pushes a stroller across Greenwich Street. Photo: Allan Tannenbaum.