2 LI roads are region's deadliest for pedestrians

[Nasus]

2 LI roads are region's deadliest for pedestrians

Nassau's Hempstead Turnpike is the tri-state area's deadliest road for pedestrians, and Sunrise Highway in Suffolk is a close second, a group says.

Sunrise Highway also had seven deaths in Nassau, but the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a Manhattan-based nonprofit that aims to reduce dependency on cars, based its rankings on roadways in a single county. The group compiled data on fatal pedestrian accidents in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut from 2005 to 2007, and found that the two roads were the deadliest in the region.

Merrick Road in Nassau and Jericho Turnpike in Suffolk also ranked high.

The report reflects the need for Long Island planners to rethink their priorities, said Ryan Lynch, the group's Long Island coordinator and a senior planner.

"They're really just building roads to move cars as fast as possible through intersections, which creates a really hostile environment for pedestrians," said Lynch, who encouraged state transportation officials to "embrace more ideas that protect pedestrians and cyclists."

Most of the 15 deaths on Hempstead Turnpike during the study period were in Elmont, Franklin Square and Hempstead.

In New York City, Third Avenue and Broadway had the most fatalities - 10. Fatalities along Queens Boulevard, once dubbed the "Boulevard of Death," dropped to five between 2005 and 2007.

Newsday reported last year that Hempstead Turnpike had the Island's highest concentration of accident-prone locations. A dozen pedestrians were killed on Suffolk's part of Sunrise Highway and seven on Nassau's section during the same period.

Between 2005 and 2007, 184 pedestrians died on Long Island roads, according to the study.

State Department of Transportation spokesman Skip Carrier said the department "shared the concern" for safety. DOT crews install safety measures like crosswalk countdown clocks whenever they work on dangerous Long Island roads, including Hempstead Turnpike, he said. He noted fatalities on Hempstead Turnpike are down from nine in 1998 to two last year.

Eleanor Messana, 58, was crossing Sunrise Highway in Lindenhurst in 2007 when she was struck by a motorist and killed. Her sister, Palma Kelly, "absolutely" agreed the road was among the most dangerous for pedestrians on Long Island but was surprised it ranked second in the study. "I think the timing of the lights is off," Kelly said.

LI's most dangerous roads

NASSAU

Hempstead Tpk, Fulton Ave. 15

Merrick Rd. 7

Sunrise Hwy. (Rt. 27) 7

Jericho Tpk. (Rt. 25) 5

SUFFOLK

Sunrise Hwy. 12

Jericho Tpk. Middle Country Rd.

Main Rd. (Rt. 25) 6

Route 25A 4

Other dangerous roads and pedestrian fatalities

Fatalities

3rd Ave. Manhattan 10

Broadway Manhattan 10

Grand Central Pky Queens 9

SOURCE: TRI-STATE TRANSPORTATION CAMPAIGN

BY ALFONSO A. CASTILLO | alfonso.castillo@newsday.com
October 29, 2008

[The Commish]

I love when people in Manhattan want to tell others they should lessen their dependence on cars... How else are we supposed to get around asswipe??? It's not like LI is a tiny little island with a subway system...