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'Treacherous' Columbia Waterfront Intersection to Get Traffic Signal

 A crash in November drove neighbors to rally for a traffic light in a Columbia Street Waterfront intersection.
A crash in November drove neighbors to rally for a traffic light in a Columbia Street Waterfront intersection.
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Jill Bernstein

COLUMBIA STREET WATERFRONT DISTRICT — A new traffic light will be installed at the intersection of Columbia and Carroll streets following a local push to make the "treacherous" crossing safer for pedestrians, advocates and officials said Sunday.

"We look forward to the installation of the traffic signal that will help us all achieve Vision Zero," Claudette Workman, the DOT's Brooklyn deputy commissioner, said in a statement.

Neighbors had been working with Councilman Brad Lander for more than a year on improving pedestrian safety at the intersection, and had even organized a protest on Saturday. 

"The intersection is treacherous. It has become a constant point of stress — if not terror — for pedestrians and drivers in the neighborhood, said Jill Bernstein, a community organizer. A petition urging the DOT to act attracted more than 440 signatures.  

Crashes have been on the rise at the intersection given there was no "safety measure in place," Bernstein added.

The Department of Transportation had agreed to open a study for the intersection in late 2015, after residents and local leaders pleaded for a safer crosswalk.

“This is great news for everyone in Columbia Waterfront who is tired of risking their lives every time they cross Columbia Street," Lander said.

READ MORE: Parking Meters Come to Columbia Street Waterfront