BY JASON COHEN
Safety advocates and
elected offi cials are demanding
action at a busy intersection
in Riverdale following
the tragic death of a longtime
resident.
On Sept. 7, Ruth Mullen, a
well-known activist and writer
from Riverdale, was struck and
killed by an MTA bus at Johnson
Avenue and Kappock Street.
A preliminary investigation
revealed that the bus was traveling
south on Kappock Street
and turned left onto Johnson
Avenue when it hit Mullen, 68,
while crossing the street. Based
on eyewitness accounts, the bus
rolled through the stop sign and
hit Mullens. The driver, unaware,
kept driving and only after
someone yelled did the bus
fi nally halt, all while dragging
her body underneath.
Her death has devastated the
community.
On Sept. 10, state Assemblyman
Jeffrey Dinowitz, City
Councilman Eric Dinowitz,
Community Board 8 District
Manager Ciara Gannon and advocates
for safe streets gathered
to commemorate Mullens’ life
and demand the DOT take action.
The typical timeframe for
New York State Department of
Transportation (DOT) to conduct
a study of an area is 12-18
months, but lawmakers and residents
refuse to wait.
“There is nothing we can say
or do that will bring Ruth back
to our community, but we can
work to prevent this type of tragedy
from happening again,” the
assemblyman said. “Walkable
neighborhoods are livable neighborhoods,
and there is resounding
support in our community to
make this intersection safer for
pedestrians.”
The latest tragedy in the
northwestern Bronx comes
amidst a concerning rise in traffi
c fatalities throughout New
York City over the past two
years, with NYPD reporting 176
fatalities citywide through Sept.
5. This number corresponds to a
nearly 25% rise in traffi c fatalities
compared to this point in
2020.
Local residents have long expressed
safety at the intersection
of Johnson Avenue and Kappock
Street, which is a frequently
used thoroughfare that connects
the Spuyten Duyvil neighborhood
with nearby Kingsbridge.
It is also a common pass-through
for people connecting from the
Henry Hudson Parkway to the
Major Deegan Expressway as
well as the Broadway Bridge.
The intersection also serves as
a bus stop for several major bus
routes.
Eric Dinowitz wished people
were together to celebrate the
opening of a school, not Mullen’s
death. People should not be
mowed down in front of where
they live, he said.
“We are not here because
we are angry,” he said. “We are
here because we are sad. A tragedy
like this was preventable
and didn’t have to happen.”
Mullen’s neighbor, Nathan
Dupree, told the Bronx
times he was one of the fi rst
on the scene at the accident.
Dupree, who has lived in the
same building as Mullen for
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Victory 10
NYS Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, right, calls for change at the threeway
intersection at Johnson Avenue and Kappock Street.
Photo Jason Cohen
15 years, was home the night
of the accident when he heard
people screaming and immediately
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ran outside.
“I said was anybody hurt,
and it was worse than that as
I saw her body under the bus,”
he told the Bronx Times.
Greg Gallent, another
neighbor of Mullen’s, started
a petition to implement a traffi
c signal at the intersection.
So far it has garnered more
than 1,400 signatures. Mullen,
who often babysat his
son, has left a gaping hole in
the community, he said.
“She was a joy of a person,”
Gallent said. “No one
could have expected this. It’s
dumfounding for all of us.”
In the meantime, DOT
is looking at ways to make
this intersection safer, said
spokesperson Alana Morales.
“This was a tragic loss and
we are reviewing a feasibility
study of left turn traffi c calming
treatments at the intersection,”
Morales said.
Advocates call for change
after pedestrian fatality
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