Pedestrians are calling on Yonkers to improve safety at one of the city's busiest intersections where a woman was hit and killed by a driver on Monday morning.
"Sometimes it's like a no man's land and you never know when you are kind of double-dutching into the crosswalk," Yonkers resident Chia Schonberg said.
On Monday, April 8, police responded to Buena Vista Avenue between Main and Dock streets for a report of a woman on the road. Investigators determined Fateema Respress tripped and fell into the roadway before the accused driver, Geneby Clase, hit her and drove off.
Clase was arrested on Tuesday, April 9, and charged with leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death.
"I would understand more if there were one thousand cars around and you can't see what's going on but if the whole road is clear and someone is still getting hit that's extremely terrifying," Schonberg said.
Residents who reached out to News 12 said the intersection by the Yonkers Metro-North train station is always scary to cross. They said drivers speed, blow through yields and stop signs and block the crosswalks.
"We just peek out, that's all we got," Yonkers resident Sabrina Perez said.
In response, a spokesperson for the city called the incident unfortunate and noted the area where the fatal accident happened does have numerous street lights, pedestrian crosswalks and stop signs.
Adding in a statement to News 12: “The accident investigation is still underway which would determine if speed or anything else was a factor, in which a more in-depth review would take place by YPD and traffic engineering based on anything listed as a contributing factor. The city continually assesses the need for additional roadway markers and signage.”
Some pedestrians called for improved measures including additional stop signs or streetlights to force drivers to slow down.
"You have to be mindful, careful and pay attention," one Yonkers taxi driver said.
Pedestrians are certainly not without some blame, too. News 12 observed many people jaywalking instead of using the designated crosswalk during high traffic on Thursday afternoon.
According to the New York State Department of Transportation, when there is no traffic control signal, drivers must yield the right of way to pedestrians.
AAA recommends pedestrians make themselves as visible as possible to oncoming drivers, stay alert while crossing the street and walk in safe places.