Sunset Park Community Rallies to Demand a Safe Third Avenue in the Aftermath of Another Traffic Death
The community safety walk comes two months after a 28-year-old nurse was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OCTOBER 19, 2026
View photos here.
Brooklyn, NY – In the wake of yet another avoidable traffic fatality, Sunset Park community members, elected officials, school leaders and local business owners rallied on Sunday to demand the city redesign Third Avenue in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Attendees marched from Martin Luther Playground to 60th Street, calling for safety improvements to the dangerous corridor.
Third Avenue remains one of the most dangerous corridors in the city; since 2014, drivers have killed six pedestrians and five cyclists in the two-mile stretch of Third Avenue that runs below the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. In August, Jiayi Zheng, a nurse at NYU Langone Hospital in Sunset Park, was fatally struck by a car as she crossed Third Avenue after leaving her shift.
The New York City Department of Transportation first presented a plan to redesign this stretch of Third Avenue in 2023 but has yet to take action. Now, over 270 local residents, business owners, healthcare workers, educators, and others have signed a public letter calling on NYCDOT to move forward urgently with a comprehensive redesign of Third Avenue. The letter calls for:
Public updates on the Third Avenue redesign. Community members deserve clear, timely updates on this long-stalled project, and a concrete timeline for plans to make Third Avenue safe.
Immediate safety improvements, including better lighting, high-visibility crossings, curb extensions and other proven measures to protect community members.
A truly safe Third Avenue. Beyond short-term improvements, Third Avenue must be redesigned to protect everyone who walks, rolls, bikes, works, drives, and lives along the street.
“You know it, I know it, and everybody in Sunset Park knows it, too: Third Avenue is a death trap,” said State Senator Andrew Gounardes. “Our neighbors have spent years begging the city for action; the human cost is too high to wait any longer. Crossing the street shouldn't mean putting your life at risk. It's past time to redesign Third Avenue to make it truly safe for everyone who uses it.”
“Sunset Park residents should not have to risk their lives crossing Third Avenue,” said State Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes. “Our community has waited long enough for safer streets. The City must stop delaying and move forward with immediate safety improvements and a comprehensive redesign that puts people first. We need action now, before another life is lost.”
“It’s crucial that we invest in safety. Any traffic violence is devastating, and Sunset Park has experienced so much of that pain over the past few years. Through transformative changes, we can reduce the hostile elements of 3rd Avenue and make it a safe place for community transportation,” said Council Member Alexa Avilés.
“For years, residents, families, workers, and business owners have been telling us the same thing: Third Avenue is not safe,” said John DeLooper, Second Vice Chairperson, Brooklyn Community Board 7. “The Department of Transportation must move forward with urgency to create meaningful safety improvements that protect all users of this corridor. We urge DOT to return to our Board expeditiously with a revised plan for addressing Third Avenue’s traffic safety conditions, along with a robust implementation of immediate improvements that can address longstanding issues and prevent further tragedies.”
“UPROSE has fought for transportation justice for years. Our community knows that an industrial waterfront requires stronger safety measures and has been demanding them,” said Elizabeth Yeampierre, Executive Director of UPROSE. “18-wheeler trucks navigate through a corridor without sufficient lighting or protections for the people who share the space with them. Immediate infrastructure investments must be made to ensure everyone is safe. A dated harmful design choice has been made, but it can and must be changed. We call on the Mamdani administration to put immediate safety measures in place and give the community regular updates on the Third Avenue redesign."
“For years, Sunset Park residents have shown up at workshops, DOT presentations, Community Board hearings, and stakeholder planning meetings. We’ve shared our concerns, offered input, and called for change,” said Ángela Azzolino, Sunset Park Resident, Founder of Get Women Cycling and askMO. “Yet our most dangerous corridors still lack the infrastructure needed to protect the people who use them every day. How much longer do we have to wait to be safe crossing our streets?”
"Sunset Park can't keep waiting for safe streets," said Fabiola Mendieta-Cuapio, Co-Chair of Families for Safe Streets New York. "Sunset Park is home to an incredible community of activists who have been fighting for community safety for decades. My neighbors and my family deserve truly safe streets. We're counting on the Mamdani administration to move forward with essential and long-overdue improvements to Third Avenue, and we won't stop organizing until it's done." - Fabiola Mendieta-Cuapio, Co-Chair of Families for Safe Streets Executive Committee
“Sunset Park residents have waited far too long for safer streets, and every day of delay puts more lives at risk,” said Rose Uscianowski, Brooklyn Organizer at Transportation Alternatives. “On Third Avenue in Sunset Park, 11 people have been killed in preventable crashes since 2014, yet residents are still waiting for basic safety improvements. We welcome the Mamdani administration’s commitment to fast-tracking safety improvements on Third Avenue and stand ready to work with the City to turn that promise into a concrete plan and timeline.”
“The Department of Transportation must take immediate action to stop the daily fear and preventable injuries and deaths on Sunset Park’s Third Avenue,” David Estrada, Director, Sunset Park Business Improvement District. “Our City knows how to make streets safer for all when there’s political will to do so. Recent announcements of intentions to revive a plan our community endorsed years ago were promising, but now we need results.”
“Safe streets are not a privilege, they are a fundamental right,” said Somia Elrowmeim, Founder & CEO, Women’s Empowerment Coalition of NYC. “Every family in Sunset Park deserves to walk Third Avenue without fear. Our Safety Walk is a call for accountability, meaningful investment, and immediate action. We cannot wait for another tragedy to make safety a priority. Our community deserves action, not promises.”
“For too long, the Sunset Park community has been dangerously divided, and neighbors, workers and visitors face a very risky, sometimes deadly crossing on Third Avenue that was designed for high-speed trucks and cars, not for people walking and biking in Sunset Park,” said Hunter Armstrong, Executive Director, Brooklyn Greenway Initiative. “There is a horrific litany of traffic violence here, and it’s unconscionable the avenue’s deadly design remains a threat to anyone living, working or visiting Sunset Park. It is past time to implement the Third Avenue Safety Plan before yet another, inevitable tragedy occurs.”
“Green-Wood has been part of this neighborhood for nearly 200 years, and Third Avenue is part of the daily life of our staff, our visitors, and the Sunset Park community we call home,” Daniela Ochoa-Bravo, Manager of Communications at Green-Wood Cemetery. “We join our neighbors in calling on the city to move urgently on a redesign that makes Third Avenue safe for everyone who walks, bikes, and drives this corridor every day.”
Press Contact:
Billy Richling
Communications Director
State Senator Andrew Gounardes
billy@senatorgounardes.nyc
Katie Walsh
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