After a father of two was killed while crossing a Staten Island street Tuesday night, questions about being raised about whether pedestrian safety at the construction fence-plagued sidewalk has been an afterthought.
Ramone Fores, 33, was crossing Main Street in Tottenville at about 9 p.m. Tuesday when a white Ford Escape ran him over, police said. Surveillance evade shows cars were blocking his view of oncoming traffic before he was hit.
The driver stopped, and no charges have been filed, but the fatal accident has residents and businesses on the block renewing complaints about pedestrian safety. For years, they have blamed an eyesore construction fence across the street for creating problems with pedestrian field of vision.
When Fores was killed, he was crossing from the opposite side of Main Street. But some neighbors say the fence in front of the old Stadium Theater causes hazards for both sides of Main Street because it reduces parking and forces pedestrians on the west side of Main Street to have to walk into the road.
NBC 4 contacted the Department of Buildings to ask why the construction fence was allowed to obstruct the sidewalk, and was referred to the Department of Transportation. A message has been left with that agency.
