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The Usual Suspects: Analysis Shows Little Progress on the Region’s Most Dangerous Roads

MDR-web-headerThe latest analysis from Tri-State Transportation Campaign, released this week, finds that 1,266 pedestrians were killed on roads in Connecticut, New Jersey and downstate New York in the three years from 2011 through 2013.

The Most Dangerous Roads for Walking analysis found that Jericho Turnpike (Route 25/Middle Country Road) in Suffolk County, Long Island, is the region’s most dangerous road for pedestrians for the second year in a row. Twenty pedestrians were killed along this road during the three-year period.

New York isn’t the only state experiencing deja vu: In New Jersey, U.S. Route 130 (Burlington Pike) was the state’s most dangerous road for a fifth straight year, and U.S. Route 1  has earned the title of Connecticut’s most dangerous road for seven consecutive years.

In New York City, both Grand Concourse in the Bronx and Brooklyn’s Flatbush Avenue saw 10 pedestrian fatalities each during the three-year period. New York City had quite a few roads appear among the most dangerous overall in this year’s analysis: Woodhaven Boulevard and Queens Boulevard had 10 fatalities each, while Manhattan’s First Avenue and Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway each saw seven pedestrian deaths during the three-year period.

Thirteen roads saw at least eight pedestrian fatalities between 2011 and 2013:

  • SR-25 (Jericho Turnpike, Middle Country Road, E Main St, Main Rd) – Suffolk County, NY (20)
  • SR-24 (Hempstead Turnpike, Fulton Ave, Conklin St) – Nassau County, NY (11)
  • Grand Concourse – Bronx, NY (10)
  • Flatbush Avenue – Brooklyn, NY (10)
  • U.S. Route 1 – [statewide] CT (9)
  • Burlington Pike (US-130) – Burlington County, NJ (9)
  • Merrick Road – Nassau County, NY (9)
  • Woodhaven Boulevard – Queens, NY (9)
  • SR-110 (New York Ave, Broadhollow Rd, Broadway)  – Suffolk County, NY (9)
  • U.S. Route 30 (White Horse Pike, Admiral Wilson Blvd) – Camden County, NJ (8)
  • U.S. Route 9  – Middlesex County, NJ (8)
  • Queens Boulevard – Queens, NY (8)
  • SR-27A (Merrick Rd, Montauk Hwy, CR-85, CR-80, Main St) – Suffolk County, NY (8)

So what can be done to improve pedestrian safety on the region’s most dangerous roads? A few of TSTC’s recommendations:

New York

  • Establish $20 million in dedicated funding for pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure—annually, and on top of what is already being spent in the state budget or in New York State Department of Transportation’s Capital Program
  • Increase New York City’s contribution to transforming arterial roadways and fully implementing Vision Zero in the city’s budget and capital plan.
  • Amend NYSDOT’s “Preservation First” policy to include new bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and pass legislation that would amend the State’s Complete Streets law to include maintenance and repair projects

New Jersey

  • Identify new, long-term, sustainable revenue sources, such as an increase in the state’s gas tax, to replenish the state’s bankrupt Transportation Trust Fund
  • Double the state’s investment in programs that fund pedestrian improvements, such as the NJ Transit Village Program ($1 million to $2 million) and Safe Streets to Transit ($1 million to $2 million)
  • Dedicate federal transportation funds, through NJDOT and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, to build and connect regional trails, such as the Circuit in southern New Jersey and roads that provide access to such trails

Connecticut

  • Implement recommendations of existing studies on Route 1, such as those completed by the South Western Regional Planning Agency and the Greater Bridgeport Regional Council
  • Complete the upcoming Highway Design Manual update in a manner that is consistent with the state Complete Streets law and ConnDOT Complete Streets policy
  • Fully fund and implement the $101 million pedestrian and bicycle capital program in the state’s 5-year transportation “ramp-up” plan

Find interactive maps, fact sheets, press releases and a summary of the analysis at tstc.org.

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