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 Smithtown in downtown Suffolk County. Three pedestrians have been killed on the road since January 2010, and a 9-year-old girl was seriously injured after being struck by a car last month.
In a letter to NYSDOT Commissioner Joan McDonald and Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez, Schumer said NYSDOT should work with local officials and FHWA staff to create a safety strategy focused on “safety for pedestrians and downtown walkability for small businesses and Smithtown merchants.” He highlighted the width of the road (40 feet, with four lanes of traffic) as one of the key factors leading to dangerous driving, as well as utility poles that reduce visibility and traffic lanes which he said are too narrow.
Smithtown and Suffolk County officials support a “road diet” that would reduce the number of lanes in downtown Smithtown from four to two. Tri-State has worked to draw attention to this solution as part of a working group that includes state and local officials, the Smithtown Chamber of Commerce, victims’ families, and local advocates like Vision Long Island. NYSDOT, which controls Route 25/25A, met with the group in May but hasn’t yet committed to making significant improvements. Smithtown Councilman Thomas McCarthy told Newsday that he hoped Schumer’s involvement would “break the logjam.”
NYSDOT striped new crosswalks and added pedestrian fences to Main Street last year as part of its SafeSeniors program, but those modest changes clearly haven’t been effective enough.
“It’s long past time for the road to be redesigned, no question,” Schumer said. “It shouldn’t take another tragic loss for this road to be fixed.”
[…] Chuck Schumer Gets How Road Diets Help Pedestrian Safety — on Long Island (Newsday, MTR) […]
Schumer,
Why don’t you get on the DOT’s case and fix Route 347 correctly so it serves it’s intended purpose…Smithtown Bypass! Do you get it? Eliminate intersections.
What the DOT is doing currently is a big improvement but more needs to be done to keep this traffic from cutting through the town to get to Pt. Jeff faster. Also, why are there always cops PARKED in the fire house parking lot (behind CVS) and not out patrolling Main Street? Look into this.
The pedestrian fence on main st. is a great for safety, going from 4 lanes to 2 may also add to safety in the area, but this will not help the businesses on the north side of 25A. The fence now inhibits access to those stores. Many establishments have already closed. Pedestrians would have to have access to the north side of 25A without having to walk to the far ends of the parking lot to cross the street. Maybee additional stop lights might be the answer. With out additional access the north side OF 25A may well become litterd with vacant stores.
[…] at Main Street (Route 25/25A), a hot-button issue for years, recently caught the attention of Senator Chuck Schumer. His interest, as well as continued advocacy from Smithtown Chamber of Commerce, the family of […]