Most Dangerous Roads for Walking - Tri-State Transportation Campaign

Most Dangerous Roads for Walking

And How States Can Make them Safer

Tri-State Transportation Campaign

January 2010

Introduction

The recent report, Dangerous by Design, released by Transportation for

America and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership, brought

much needed national attention to the issue of pedestrian safety in the

U.S. Dangerous by Design concludes that the most dangerous places for

people to walk are wide, high�\speed roads designed to move as many

cars as fast as possible, with little if any consideration for pedestrians.

These findings are even more pronounced in New Jersey, downstate

New York, and Connecticut, ac�\

cording to TSTC��s analysis. More

Key Findings

? More than 1,200 pedestrians have been killed in collisions

than 60 percent of regional pe�\

with cars in our region between 2006 and 2008.

destrian fatalities occur on multi�\

? The most dangerous roads for walking in the entire region

lane thoroughfares known as ar�\

are the Hempstead Turnpike in Nassau County, Sunrise

terials, like Route 9 running

Highway and Middle Country Road in Suffolk County, At�\

through New Jersey��s shore coun�\

lantic Avenue in Brooklyn, 3rd Avenue in Manhattan, and

ties, and the Hempstead Turnpike

Burlington Pike in Burlington County, New Jersey. In Con�\

bisecting Nassau County.

necticut, Route 1 (running the entire length of the state

from Stamford to New London) was the most dangerous

road with 8 fatalities.

? More than 60% of pedestrian deaths in our region occur

on multi�\lane thoroughfares known as arterials.

? Pedestrian safety projects offer inexpensive ways to re�\

duce pedestrian deaths and injuries.

County/Borough/State Fact Sheets

The Campaign has produced county

fact sheets (and a statewide sheet for

Connecticut) identifying the most dan�\

gerous roads in the region. Each fatal�\

ity is mapped through Google Maps,

and includes the date of the crash,

crash location, and the available

demographic data for the victim.

Through these Google Maps, users can

zoom in on the exact crash location

and even pull up street view photos of

the location.



2

This report, Most Dangerous

Roads for Walking, uses three

years of federal data to pinpoint

the exact location of each pedes�\

trian death in downstate New

York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Using newly available latitude and

longitude data, we mapped each of these fatalities through interactive

Google Maps (see box above).

We then review available crash information to determine if �C as was

concluded in Dangerous by Design �C pedestrian fatalities are more likely

to occur on certain types of roadways. As noted above, we concluded

that more than 60 percent of regional pedestrian fatalities occurred on

arterial roadways. A forthcoming report will look more closely at who is

more likely to be killed as a pedestrian.

Overall, a staggering number of pedestrians are killed in the tri�\state re�\

gion every year. From 2006 through 2008, more than 1,200 pedestrians

were killed in collisions with cars or

trucks in Connecticut, New Jersey,

Annual Pedestrian

and downstate New York. The an�\

500

nual figure has declined over the

400

period, perhaps reflecting the steep

238

decline in miles driven as tri�\state

300

212

residents respond to fluctuating

200

gasoline prices and the economic

167

152

100

recession.

Preliminary data for

38

32

2009, however, show pedestrian

0

fatalities back on the rise, growing

2006

2007

by more than 12 percent in New

Connecticut

New Jersey

Jersey, for example.

Fatalities

232

138

37

2008

Downstate NY

Source: TSTC Analysis of NHTSA��s FARS database, 2006�\2008.

Region-wide Recommendations

Detailed recommendations specific to New Jersey, New York, and Connecti�\

cut are listed at the end of this report. But several recommendations apply

to all three states:

? Make pedestrian safety a policy and investment priority;

? Protect the most vulnerable pedestrians through increased spending on

Safe Routes to School, Safe Routes to Transit and Safe Routes for Seniors

programs;

? Designate a fair share of federal funding to improving bicycling and walk�\

ing; and,

? Enact meaningful complete streets laws so that new or retrofitted roads

safely accommodate bicyclists, pedestrians, transit riders, and motorists,

of all ages and abilities.

3

The Region��s Most Dangerous Roads

for Walking

With 13 pedestrian fatalities in three years, Route 24 (Hempstead Tpke,

Conklin St.) in Nassau County on Long Island was the most dangerous

road across all three states in the region for pedestrians. Close behind

was Route 27 (Sunrise Hwy) in neighboring Suffolk County with 10

deaths, followed by Route 25 (Middle Country Rd.), also in Suffolk

County, Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn, 3rd Ave in Manhattan, and US�\130

(Burlington Pike) in Burlington County, New Jersey, each with 9 deaths

over three years.

The list below ranks all roads in the region with 5 or more pedestrian

fatalities during the period 2006 through 2008.

Table 1. Most Dangerous Roads for Walking (CT, NJ, downstate NY)

Rank Road

2006

2007

2008

Total

1

SR�\24 (Hempstead Tpke, Conklin St.)

Nassau, NY

7

2

4

13

2

SR�\27 (Sunrise Hwy)

Suffolk, NY

3

4

3

10

3

US�\130 (Burlington Pike)

Burlington, NJ

2

4

3

9

3

Atlantic Ave

Brooklyn, NY

2

3

4

9

3

3rd Ave

Manhattan, NY

4

2

3

9

3

SR�\25 (Middle Country Rd)

Suffolk, NY

3

1

5

9

7

Broadway

Manhattan, NY

3

2

3

8

8

US�\30 (White Horse Pike)

Atlantic, NJ

3

3

1

7

8

Middlesex, NJ

3

3

1

7

Ocean, NJ

0

4

3

7

8

US�\1

Route 549 (Chambers Bridge Rd, Brick

Blvd, Hooper Ave)

US�\9

Ocean, NJ

5

1

1

7

8

US�\1

Union, NJ

3

0

4

7

8

Kings Hwy

Brooklyn, NY

2

1

4

7

8

Merrick Rd

Nassau, NY

3

2

2

7

8

7th Ave

Manhattan, NY

1

4

2

7

8

Hylan Blvd

Staten Island, NY

4

3

0

7

17

US�\322 (Black Horse Pike)

Atlantic, NJ

3

3

0

6

17

US�\9

Middlesex, NJ

5

1

0

6

17

4th Ave

Brooklyn, NY

3

2

1

6

17

Ocean Pkwy

Brooklyn, NY

1

3

2

6

17

Amsterdam Ave

Manhattan, NY

3

2

1

6

17

17

Bowery

SR�\27A (Montauk Hwy)

Manhattan, NY

Suffolk, NY

1

3

2

1

3

2

6

6

8

County

4

Table 1. Most Dangerous Roads for Walking (CT, NJ, downstate NY) Cont��d

Rank Road

24 Route 4

County

Bergen, NJ

2006

1

2007

2

2008

2

Total

5

24

SR�\21 (McCarter Hwy)

Essex, NJ

1

4

0

5

24

US�\9

Monmouth, NJ

3

1

1

5

24

US�\46

Morris, NJ

3

1

1

5

24

Union, NJ

3

1

1

5

Union, NJ

2

0

3

5

24

SR�\27 (St Georges Ave)

SR�\28 (W Front St, South Ave, North Ave,

Westfield Ave)

Grand Concourse

the Bronx, NY

0

2

3

5

24

E. Gunhill Rd.

the Bronx, NY

4

1

0

5

24

Neptune Ave

Brooklyn, NY

0

4

1

5

24

SR�\25 (Jericho Tpke)

Nassau, NY

3

1

1

5

24

Queens Blvd

Queens, NY

2

1

2

5

Route 1 (Boston Post Rd)

Connecticut

(statewide)

2

5

1

8

24

With the exception of the routes in Manhattan and Brooklyn, each of

these roadways typify the high�\speed arterial found to be the most dan�\

gerous type of road for pedestrians (see next section). And even in

Manhattan and Brooklyn, the most dangerous routes are multiple lanes

across and busy with speeding traffic.

Hempstead Turnpike, Nassau County, the region��s most dangerous road for walking, with 13 pedestrian fatalities

over three years. Long crossing distances are difficult to navigate, particularly for the elderly, the disabled, and

children. Wide streets and rounded corners encourage speeding traffic.

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