Letter to Joan MacDonald, Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation and Victor Mendez, Federal Highway Administrator

Letter

Dear Commissioner MacDonald and Administrator Mendez,

I write today to urge the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) to work with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and coordinate efforts and resources to develop a new pedestrian safety strategy on Route 25/25A (Main Street, Smithtown). This major roadway has been the source of six fatalities in the past seven years. It is imperative that NYSDOT and FHWA deploy the appropriate financial resources and expertise to resolve this outstanding problem.

Routes 25/25A in downtown Smithtown consists of four narrow lanes in a high volume pedestrian area. According to local merchants and experts, the lanes are approximately nine feet wide and often results in accidents and near collisions. Though there does not seem to be one root cause of the aggressive and deadly driving behaviors on this road, it is clear that the current roadway's structure lends itself to a dangerous pedestrian environment and fosters an unfriendly business climate for downtown merchants.

It is my understanding, from local community advocates, that the cross walks that pedestrians use when walking across Route 25/25A are in need of revision. Utility poles located at the many cross walks along Route 25/25A block the view of pedestrians crossing the street. Nearly all of these utility poles are within a foot of the road's curb and therefore, create a safety hazard for pedestrians looking out for oncoming vehicles. Furthermore, the forty foot width of Route 25 makes it highly treacherous for pedestrians to cross the street. These characteristics, in addition to others, seem to have caused Route 25/25A to be one of the most dangerous roadways for pedestrians in Smithtown.

In the past year and a half, three fatalities have occurred on Route 25. In 2009, an eleven year old girl named Courtney Sipes was struck and killed by a hit and run driver. In January 2010, Charles Doonan of Flushing was struck on Main Street and died in August of the injuries sustained in that accident. And this past February, Seamus Byrne, an Afghanistan veteran celebrating his 33rd birthday was struck by a car as he crossed Main Street. It is my hope that these tragic events could be prevented in the future once a new pedestrian safety strategy is implemented on Route 25/25A in Smithtown.

A local working group of community, town, county, and state officials has been formed to help address this hazard and consider implementation of a new road design. I would urge the FHWA to coordinate their efforts with NYSDOT and deploy the necessary resources to fix this dangerous roadway. NYSDOT receives substantial support from the FHWA and is the administering agency for federally-funded programs which have the potential to bring significant resources to the local effort to provide a safer roadway in Smithtown and I urge you to explore their use. Additionally, I am requesting that FHWA provide the appropriate technical staff in the coming weeks to help provide guidance to the local group to identify and utilize existing resources to make safety improvements in Smithtown.

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