A newcomer among the top three Most Dangerous Roads for Walking in the region is in need of some serious attention.

Jericho Turnpike, with 15 fatalities between 2009 and 2011 (10 in 2011 alone), jumped up three spots to the third most dangerous road for pedestrians in the tri-state region (following Nassau County’s Hempstead Turnpike and Manhattan’s Broadway). Jericho Turnpike, also known as NYS Route 25, runs through both Nassau and Suffolk counties but was particularly dangerous for Suffolk County pedestrians. Eleven pedestrian fatalities occurred in Suffolk County and four took place in Nassau during the study period.

Two of the 11 pedestrians killed in Suffolk County were walking in South Huntington only three miles apart at East Jericho Turnpike and Evergreen Avenue and East Jericho Turnpike and East Deer Park Road. Another two fatalities happened just a half-mile from one another and 10 days apart in Selden.

But fatalities are only one measure of how dangerous this stretch of road has become. Earlier this year, a pedestrian was struck— though not killed —by a car at the intersection of Jericho Turnpike and Melville Road, less than a mile away from the intersection of Jericho and Evergreen.

Jericho Turnpike’s safety improvement needs mimic those of Hempstead Turnpike, both of which are multi-lane thoroughfares designed to move cars quickly through residential and commercial districts at the expense of pedestrian safety.  Hempstead Turnpike has been ranked the number one most dangerous road for walking in the region since Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s first Most Dangerous Roads report in 2008. Last year, however, thanks to ongoing advocacy from pedestrian safety and livable communities advocates, NYSDOT began implementing a number of safety improvements, such as raised medians, new crosswalks, and better pedestrian crossing signals.

Jericho Turnpike has long needed pedestrian safety improvements. It shouldn’t require the dubious honor of a top three ranking in Most Dangerous Roads for Jericho Turnpike, and other similar roads throughout the region, to finally get the needed pedestrian safety attention they deserve.