What can be done to make Long Island streets safer for pedestrians? Here's what advocates say.
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. - More than 100 Long Island community leaders gathered Tuesday to call for change in the way suburban roads are designed.
Many communities are missing basic safety features, which advocates say could cut down on escalating pedestrian deaths.
Long Island civic and business leaders gathered to call for safer streets at a "complete streets" summit and walking audit. Their message? Many of Long Island's downtown roads are "deadly by design."
"We design roads that go through downtowns the same width as highways. And so, 15-foot expressway lanes do not belong going through downtowns where we could have 10, 11-foot lanes for walkability," Vision Long Island's Eric Alexander said.
Just steps away from where the summit was held is state Route 109 in Farmingdale, where five pedestrians were hit in the last year.
"They need to add more lights, speed bumps, speed cameras," Stephen Caruso said.
His mother and 12-year-old son were struck and gravely injured trying to cross Route 109 in December. The driver's car dragged his mother for a quarter of a mile.
"My mom is still suffering, getting better, but it's going to be a long road. My son is traumatized - anxiety, won't cross streets," Caruso said.
Experts say you don't need to rebuild roads to make them safer, and that small fixes could cut down speed.
"You can bring the sidewalk into the road, shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians. You can create a median in the middle," consultant Frank Wefering said.
"Crosswalks, bulb-outs, medians, street trees. Simple fixes that we know work. There are 40 of these projects across Long Island," Alexander said.
Even when there are crosswalks, often there is too little time to cross.
"We have an abysmal patchwork of sidewalks," Gail Lynch-Bailey of the Middle Island Civic Association said.
"It's frightening to cross," Polly Talbot of the Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce said.
"The economic viability of all our downtowns are dependent upon pedestrians feeling safe," Liz O'Shaughnessy of the Riverhead Chamber of Commerce said.
Walking audits like the one held Tuesday generate recommendations to curb the roughly 70 pedestrians killed on Long Island annually.
Safety advocates say more driver and pedestrian education is also needed, but if getting people out of their cars and encouraging walking is the goals, investment is needed in safer streets.
