Hempstead Tpke. again named region's deadliest road

A two-vehicle accident occurred in the early afternoon on Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont, in December 2011.

Herald file photo

    For the fourth consecutive year, the 16-mile stretch of Hempstead Turnpike in Nassau County was named the deadliest road for pedestrians in the tristate area by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. The 2012 report, “Most Dangerous Roads for Walking,” was released on March 7.

    State Route 27, or Suffolk County’s stretch of Sunrise Highway — which runs through Nassau to the west — was named the region’s third deadliest passageway for pedestrians, after Upper Broadway in Manhattan. Sunrise Highway isn’t new to TSTC’s list; it’s ranked among the region’s most dangerous roadways over the past several years.

    Four other Long Island passageways were also among the most dangerous roads for pedestrians in the metropolitan area, including Suffolk County’s Route 110, Route 25 and Wicks Road, according to TSTC’s report.

    According to the 2012 report, more than 1,200 pedestrians were killed in collisions with cars in the tristate region between 2008 and 2010. Fifteen of those deaths occurred on Hempstead Turnpike, most often in the six-mile stretch between Franklin Square and East Meadow; and 10 of the deaths recorded during that time-span occurred on SR-27.

    Although 2011 data isn’t currently available through TSTC, police reports show that several fatalities occurred on the turnpike and Sunrise Highway last year. Most recently, on Feb. 14 at 8:12 p.m., a 72-year-old man from Jamaica, Queens, was struck and killed by a sport utility vehicle while he was crossing Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont. He was transported to the hospital, and died the following morning.

    According to TSTC, three years of federal data are used to pinpoint the exact location of pedestrian deaths in downstate New York, New Jersey and Connecticut in its annual report. The campaign also evaluates where fatalities most often happen, and which types of roadways they most often happen on. According to its recent study, 60 percent of regional pedestrian fatalities occurred on arterial roadways — “wide, high-speed roads designed to move as many cars as fast as possible, with little if any consideration for pedestrians,” according to TSTC.

    Hempstead Turnpike and Sunrise Highway both fall under the arterial category, and both cater to east-west traffic.  

    In February, Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald pledged that new safety measures for the turnpike would be implemented, and directed engineers from the Department of Transportation to conduct traffic safety studies, and devise a list of short- and long-term improvements for the turnpike. According to McDonald, those improvements could include closing median gaps that allow vehicles to cross the street, parking restrictions and crosswalk-countdown timers, more red-light cameras and better turn lanes.

    “Safety is our top priority,” said Jennifer Post, public information officer for state’s DOT. “In many areas, safety improvements already have been initiated or completed.”

    She explained that, in the past five years, the DOT has spent nearly $7 million on pedestrian safety improvements along Hempstead Turnpike. 

    Despite the turnpike’s recurring designation as most deadly in the region, TSTC’s 2012 report found that pedestrian fatalities decreased in New York and New Jersey in 2010. For the full “Most Dangerous Roads for Walking” report, visit www.tstc.org/reports.

For TSTC's complete study, visit https://www.tstc.org/reports/danger12/dangerous%20roads-2012-final.pdf.