A new Tri-State analysis finds that more than 1,200 pedestrians were killed on roads in Connecticut, New Jersey and downstate New York in the three years from 2010 through 2012.

Tri-State’s annual Most Dangerous Roads for Walking report finds that Route 25 (Middle Country Road, Jericho Turnpike) in Suffolk County is the region’s most dangerous road for pedestrians, displacing Hempstead Turnpike as the most deadly road for walking for the first time since the Most Dangerous Roads analysis was launched in 2008. Sixteen pedestrians were killed along this stretch of roadway, with half of the fatalities on an 11.5 mile stretch from Centereach to Ridge.

Over the years, Suffolk County’s Route 25 (Jericho Turnpike) has consistently been among the region’s most dangerous for pedestrians, but this is the first year it has topped the list. Following close behind Route 25, is Burlington County, New Jersey’s US-130 (Burlington Pike) and Nassau County’s Route 24 (Hempstead Turnpike) each of which were the site of 12 pedestrian fatalities.

The Campaign found that arterial roadways — multi-lane roads that often have speed limits of 40 mph or more with little pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure — are the region’s most deadly for pedestrians. About 15 percent of the total lane miles in the three states are classified as arterials, but nearly 60 percent of pedestrian fatalities occurred on this type of road.

The region’s most dangerous roads for walking during the study period were:

A new analysis, the Campaign’s Cluster Analysis Factsheet calls attention to areas on certain roadways that had particularly high concentration of pedestrian deaths, and the Campaign’s Redesigning Roads Factsheet highlights roads that have been recently or soon will be redesigned to be made safer for pedestrians.

However, with 1,236 pedestrian deaths from 2010 through 2012, more must be done to protect pedestrians in Connecticut, New Jersey and downstate New York. The analysis offers region-wide recommendations for legislators at the local, state and national levels:

• Make pedestrian safety a policy and investment priority in transportation budgets and capital plans.
• Protect vulnerable pedestrians through increased spending on Safe Routes to School, Safe Routes to Transit and Safe Routes for Seniors program.
• Use the flexibility of federal transportation programs to prioritize walking and biking improvements.
• Track and monitor the implementation of complete streets laws and policies to ensure that new or retrofitted roads safely accommodate bicyclists, pedestrians, transit riders and motorists of all ages and abilities.
• Expand federal programs such as TIGER and Transportation Alternatives that provide significant funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects.

The Campaign’s Tri-State Region Factsheet also offers specific recommendations for Connecticut, New Jersey and downstate New York.

The analysis relies upon the most recent data available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) to determine which routes within each county had the highest number of pedestrian fatalities from 2010 to 2012. The analysis excludes interstates and other roads where pedestrians are prohibited and omits those fatalities that occurred on portions of roads where pedestrians are not allowed.

County fact sheets showing the most dangerous routes for walking are available here. Links to county interactive maps showing the locations of each fatality, along with descriptive details for each victim, are also available.