Ocean Parkway was designed in the late 19th century as a peaceful, idyllic promenade stretching 5.5 miles from Prospect Park to Coney Island in Brooklyn.

These days, it’s a six-lane highway known for reckless driving.

The parkway’s problems were on full display earlier this month when the driver of an Audi A5 rear-ended a Toyota Camry, causing it to careen into another car, according to the NYPD. The 62-year-old Camry driver, who was working for Lyft, died from the crash .

That deadly collision echoed another tragedy just two blocks away on Ocean Parkway.

In March 2025, a woman who was also driving an Audi made a high-speed turn at a red light at Quentin Road and plowed into another car, which struck a mother and her three young children, according to police. The woman and her two daughters died from the crash , while her son survived with injuries.

City data shows they were among seven people who have been killed and 74 who were seriously injured in crashes on Ocean Parkway over the last five years. But state regulations prohibit Mayor Zohran Mamdani — whose administration has focused on redesigning dangerous thoroughfares — from mandating a sweeping redesign of the street.

Like the West Side Highway and the FDR Drive, Ocean Parkway is technically run by the state. Any major changes to its layout must be overseen by the state transportation department, not the city.

The state has taken some measures to improve safety on the parkway. In 2015, the speed limit on Ocean Parkway was reduced from 30 to 25 mph. In recent years, crews added left-turn restrictions on the service roads at nine intersections, replaced six stop signs with traffic signals, updated 177 pedestrian ramps, installed 159 countdown pedestrian signals and added new pavement markings, traffic signs, and high-visibility crosswalks at 10 intersections, according to state transportation officials.

But locals who live near the street said more should be done to make Ocean Parkway safer.

“They should put a gate that separates the street from the walking path, so in case a car comes in it, there's a buffer,” said Gaby Haba, 20.