NEW ORLEANS -- Kerry Williams says walking around on the West Bank is dangerous, especially near the bus stops on General DeGaulle. His two main concerns: No streetlights and no sidewalks.
"You have no lights, but the red lights," Kerry said.
He is frustrated and he isn't alone.
"I think they need to put more street lights, police officers can drive up and down the street," said Leslie Montgomery, who catches the bus from across the Mississippi River. "I think they need to do what they do in most other neighborhoods, try to make it safer for us."
Right now, some people who need to catch the bus on the West Bank have to walk in the grass or walk in the street to get to the bus stop or get back home. That's what 51-year-old Joseph Noel was doing on Easter Sunday when he was hit by a SUV and killed.
New Orleans police say this time last year, 4 pedestrians had been killed in crashes city-wide. That number this year has more than doubled; nine pedestrians killed already. It's not a huge number but these are people.
"It's a shame how they do certain communities. If you're not part of a certain bracket for income, they don't look at us like that. We're all part of New Orleans," Leslie said.
A spokesperson with The City of New Orleans released this statement on the issue:
The City of New Orleans takes pedestrian safety very seriously and is working to create safer streets for everyone, no matter how they get around. Through the City’s Complete Streets and Safe Routes to School programs, the City is seeking to educate the community and bring visibility to the importance of traffic safety and mobility.