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Yesterday, the NYS legislature put its weight behind the campaign to build safer streets and communities in New York State—both the Assembly and the Senate unanimously passed a state Complete Streets bill (S5411.A and A8366). The bill is now headed to Governor Cuomo’s desk for signature into law. Click to ask Gov. Cuomo [...] An amendment from Rep. Rod Frelinghuysen could defund rail projects in his home state of New Jersey and throughout the tri-state region. Much of the recent commentary on Northeast Corridor high-speed rail has revolved around House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica’s proposal to privatize the system. But Dan Schned of America [...] Tri-State Transportation Campaign is excited to co-sponsor New Jersey’s “Environmental Action Day.” On Monday June 20, from 9:00am to 4:30pm, groups of environmentalists, citizens, unions and religious leaders will hold an action day at the State House in Trenton and rally at noon at the State House steps to fight environmental [...] (Click to read T4America's report.) A new report by T4America and the Center for Neighborhood Technology finds that a large proportion of seniors in our communities lack transit access today and that in four years, 15.5 million seniors nationwide will find themselves without transportation options at all. The report, Aging in Place, Stuck [...] [Update 6/16: New Yorkers: Please take a few minutes to call Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (518-455-3791) and your State Assemblymember to say you support A8366, the Complete Streets bill.] In the eleventh hour of the Albany legislative session, there is good news about the Complete Streets bill to make roads safer for all: On Sunday [...] As MTR has reported extensively, Black Horse Pike (US-322/40) in Atlantic County, continues to be one of the most dangerous roads in the state of New Jersey. With little in the way of pedestrian infrastructure, fast moving automobile traffic and retail sites that lining the roadway, Black Horse Pike, is precisely the type of suburban ”arterial” road that tends to be particularly dangerous for non-drivers. Year after year, pedestrians are killed in alarming numbers while walking along or attempting to cross this roadway. In fact, due to the extremely high number of pedestrian fatalities, NJDOT Commissioner James Simpson has pledged to personally inspect Black Horse Pike in the coming days. There is a significant residential population within walking distance of Black Horse Pike (particularly in Pleasantville and Egg Harbor Township). Ideally, these residents would be able to safely access area businesses and local bus stops on foot, but the pike’s current design presents them with a number of major obstacles. Wanting to better understand the conditions that these and other pedestrians face, I visited Black Horse Pike in Atlantic City, Pleasantville and Egg Harbor Township and documented what I discovered. The following photographs illustrate the hazards, inconveniences and the, quite frankly, shocking conditions that I encountered while walking the Black Horse Pike. Atlantic CityBlack Horse Pike (known briefly here as Albany Avenue) begins its westward crawl across the Garden State in Atlantic City. I began my journey on a fairly wide sidewalk about a mile from the boardwalk and casinos–almost instantly, the paved sidewalk ended.  Sidewalks start and end with no apparent rhyme or reason all along Black Horse Pike. Pedestrians on this section of roadway in Atlantic City are forced to walk on gravel and turf. Continuing my westward trek, I encountered a crosswalk that was clearly added to the pike to make it safer for pedestrians to cross between local businesses on either side of the roadway. While this crossing is well-marked and has a pedestrian-activated walk signal, those who are unable to make it all the way across this wide stretch of road before the light turns red will be stuck in the middle of the roadway, with little clearance from passing vehicles:  Pedestrians who are unable to cross quickly are forced to wait in the center of the road, only inches away from speeding traffic. PleasantvilleWest of Atlantic City is Pleasantville. Pedestrian infrastructure here is extremely lacking. While school children, seniors and those with physical disabilities are probably most at risk, the conditions here are so deplorable that, even with extreme caution, it felt unsafe for me to walk here.  Sidewalks here are unpaved, narrow and dotted with obstructions like this post, making the pike difficult to walk along for even the most able-bodied individuals. Click to read more about Pleasantville, Egg Harbor Township, and ways to fix Black Horse Pike. Nine people were killed or injured while walking or cycling at the intersection of Alexander St. and Monroe Ave. in Rochester between 2006-08, making it one of the most dangerous intersections in upstate New York. As the fate of the NYS complete streets bill (S5411) hangs in the balance in Albany, Rochester residents [...] Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano announced today that the county intends to select Veolia Transportation as the private operator to run Long Island Bus starting next year. But the announcement didn’t answer crucial questions about the system’s future, as highlighted in a new report. Veolia's Phoenix system had about 66% greater ridership than [...] Speeding traffic has made Main Street, in Smithtown, dangerous for pedestrians. Local officials say four lanes of traffic are too many, but the road is controlled by the state. Yesterday, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer called on the NY State DOT to do more to protect pedestrians walking along Main Street (Route 25/25A) in [...] Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy has laid out an expansive vision for a smart growth and transit-oriented future. His recently announced support for extending the Route 11 highway, at a cost of up to $1.4 billion, goes directly against it. The Route 11 project would extend the road through sparsely developed land, likely leading [...] |
 
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Copyright © 2012 Tri-State Transportation Campaign |
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