The Tri-State Transportation Campaign (TSTC) recently released its list of the most deadly roads in Nassau County, with Hempstead Turnpike (Route 24), Sunrise Highway (Route 27) and Merrick Road topping the infamous list.
According to the TSTC, 27 of the 91 pedestrian deaths from 2008 to 2010 occurred on one of the three aforementioned roadways.
The TSTC's report deemed Route 24 the most dangerous road in the region, which includes downstate New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
The report, an analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, concluded that a majority of pedestrian fatalities on Route 24 occurred in Franklin Square, West Hempstead, Hempstead and East Meadow.
A total of 15 deaths were reported on Hempstead Turnpike during the three-year stretch, while seven were reported on Sunrise Highway — which was ranked third most dangerous road in the region behind Upper Broadway in Manhattan — and five on Merrick Road.
According to William Reynolds, director of communications with the New York State Department of Transportation, commissioner Joan McDonald has directed her staff to conduct traffic safety studies and implement improvements at various locations in the New York metro area.
Though it did not make the list, a recent Garden City Patch poll found Clinton Road to be the most dangerous in the village. To date, 66 poll participants (48 percent) consider Clinton Road to be the most dangerous street while Stewart Avenue comes in second with 21 votes (15 percent) and Franklin Avenue takes third with 17 votes (12 percent).
In mid-January a school secretary was struck and seriously injured by an auto in the crosswalk of on Cherry Valley Avenue. The woman was treated for a possible compound fracture of her lower leg at Winthrop-University Hospital.
According to Garden City Middle School principal Peter Osroff, "Years ago, a secretary was killed in the same location."
What do you think should be done to make the turnpike safer? Tell us in the comments section.
