A Plaza for Ella

Congestion respite in the form of a new public plaza just landed in the chaotic six-leg intersection of Myrtle Avenue, Wyckoff Avenue and Palmetto Street, where people walking outnumber drivers three to one. After Ella Bandes was killed crossing the intersection in 2013, the demand for change rose loud and clear. A proposal to fill one of the streets with a car-free public plaza was endorsed by one community board and lambasted by another, so Council Member Antonio Reynoso, whose district spans both neighborhoods, encouraged the City to proceed without their blessing. In September, activists cut the ribbon on the new plaza, then put their feet up for a bit.