Elected officials and members of the Queens Bangladeshi community gathered in Woodside on May 15 to rally for safety improvements along Roosevelt Avenue in memory of 19-year-old Nishath Jannath, who was run over and killed by a private garbage truck while crossing 62nd Street in March.
Assembly Member Steven Raga and representatives for Council Member Julie Won joined dozens of members of Bangladesh Society, Inc. for last week’s rally, which also called for a section of 62nd Street to be renamed in Jannath’s honor.
Jannath died late on March 29 when a Royal Waste garbage truck turned onto 62nd Street from Roosevelt Avenue and hit the 19-year-old as she was crossing the street. She was just a half-mile from her home. The 38-year-old female driver remained at the scene and suffered minor injuries, according to the NYPD.
The crosswalk at 62nd Street and Roosevelt Avenue. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Speakers at Friday’s rally pointed to dangerous conditions along Roosevelt Avenue, pointing in particular to low visibility caused by the elevated subway tracks overhead.
“Look at this intersection in the middle of the day,” Raga said. “Imagine this in the dark… it’s worse and people are still crossing and you cannot see who’s around.”
He further described Jannath’s death as a “preventable tragedy,” echoing comments made by members of Queens Community Board 2 who attended the rally.
Jannath’s father Helal Amhed (center) with Assembly Member Steven Raga (right). Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
CB2 Chair Anatole Ashraf and Transportation Chair Reilly Owens said the community board had been advocating for safety improvements along the corridor for over a year.
“Roosevelt Avenue is a pedestrian-heavy area that should be prioritized and pedestrianized,” Owens said. “The DOT needs to find a way to move most of this automobile traffic away and start to prioritize protected bicycle lanes, greater sidewalk space for the pedestrians, and much safer crossings.”
At 62nd Street and at other intersections along the corridor, the community board had called on the DOT to implement daylighting to improve visibility by removing parking spaces at corners. Ashraf and Owens, however, claimed that the agency was not receptive to the idea.
“DOT responded with a letter to every community board saying that they do not believe that universal daylighting works, because it may work for some intersections but make others less safe,” Owens said.
Ashraf, meanwhile, blasted the DOT response as disappointing.
“Perfect doesn’t have to be the enemy of the good,” Ashraf said. “If it has to be a piecemeal project, then let’s do it here. We’ve been asking for this for years.”
Helal Ahmed, father of Nishath Jannath, at Friday’s rally. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
In response to Friday’s rally, the DOT said it is exploring potential safety improvements at the intersection and will review requests from the local community.
“No parent should have to mourn the loss of their child. Our thoughts are with Nishath’s family as they process this terrible tragedy and this administration will be doubling down on Vision Zero to protect lives on our streets,” a DOT spokesperson said in a statement. “We are currently exploring potential safety improvements and will review any requests from the community as the investigation into this crash continues.”
In January 2025, the DOT outlined its opposition to universal daylighting across the city, citing a report that it said showcased that the measure only marginally improved traffic safety. The agency said the measure is most effective when it is “situationally” applied using hardened physical infrastructure.
A DOT spokesperson told QNS sister publication amNewYork that there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to traffic safety in the city, adding that universal daylighting could cause more traffic accidents in certain cases by inadvertently encouraging drivers to approach corners at faster speeds.
However, CB2 is now renewing its call for daylighting at the intersection as well as calling for a stop sign on Roosevelt Avenue at the 62nd Street turn and a shortened crosswalk on the street.
“It’s long enough between 61st Street and 63rd Street,” Ashraf said.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Jannath’s father Helal Ahmed broke down in tears while delivering an address at Friday’s rally and said he was seeking safety improvements at the intersection to prevent future tragedies. Ahmed, who is also among many people calling for the street to be renamed in his daughter’s honor, has called for improved visibility at the turn.
“I hope that the street is named for my daughter,” Ahmed told QNS. “I don’t hold any grudges. I just want us to do everything we can to make the city safer in her memory.”
Farah Salam, Won’s chief of staff, described Jannath as a young woman who worked hard to provide for her family.
“This is what we see all the time. The people who work late nights to take care of their siblings, they’re the ones who fall to traffic violence, and only because our streets are not safer.”
Salam said Won’s office is also calling for safety improvements along the corridor, adding that Won also supports renaming the street in Jannath’s honor.
“This intersection can be used for daylighting, creating more visibility in the streets. This street also needs more lighting in general and we’re going to push the DOT to get more lights at this intersection.”