Earlier this month, residents of Island Park—which sits just north of Long Beach, New York—reviewed the results of a recent traffic study that could guide the south shore community to a more pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly future.

The study examined traffic patterns on the notoriously dangerous Austin Boulevard, a major road that leads through the community to Long Beach, and found that there were 309 accidents on the stretch from 2008-2010. “That turns out to be double the statewide average for a similar-type roadway,” said Eileen Kelly, transportation planner at the firm that conducted the study.

To address this, the report made several recommendations for Austin Boulevard. It proposed a decrease in the number of southbound lanes from three to two, while also calling for improved crosswalk infrastructure, bulb-outs, signal timing adjustments, widened parking and travel lanes, and a painted median.

As elsewhere on Long Island, support for pedestrian safety in Island Park appears strong, and the firm will incorporate community suggestions into their plan—some residents have called for a raised median and improved speed enforcement on the road.

The suggested pedestrian improvements to Austin Boulevard could be a good first step towards capitalizing on the multi-modal transportation network that is emerging in the area—a commenter on Long Beach Patch‘s coverage rightly asks: “bike lanes?”

The call for greater pedestrian safety in Island Park mirrors similar efforts to promote a more multi-modal transportation system just south in Long Beach. The city is set to launch its bike share program in early June, and, in a sign of the community’s interest in cycling, Long Beach community members are clamoring for more bike parking. As Island Park, Long Beach, and other south shore communities embrace multiple forms of transportation, their work could pay off doubly as their infrastructures converge.