In fight for safer streets, injured pedestrians eager to be heard
BAY RIDGE — Victims who have been struck and injured by vehicles are turning out to be among the strongest advocates of a movement to make streets safer for pedestrians and bike riders.
At a press conference State Sen. Andrew Gounardes held outside P.S. 185 in Bay Ridge on Feb. 28 to promote bills he is sponsoring to crack down on dangerous drivers and create safer pedestrian crossings, it was the voices of victims speaking in support of the proposed legislation that appeared to resonate with onlookers.
Debbie Herndan recalled how she was hit by a car four years ago while crossing the street in Kensington. “I am one of the ‘lucky ones.’ I was injured in a crash four years ago, one of several thousand that year to suffer a serious injury,” said Herndan, a member of the group Families for Safe Streets.