Jericho Turnpike is now the deadliest road in Suffolk County for pedestrians, according to a recent safety report.
The road was the place of 11 pedestrian deaths between 2009 and 2011, according to the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing car dependency, which used data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
Jericho Turnpike, which stretches through Commack and Smithtown, is ranked third overall as the most dangerous road for pedestrians in the Tri-State area, up six spots from last year's study. Nassau County's Hempstead Turnpike took first, with 14 deaths between 2009 and 2011.
Overall, 110 pedestrians were killed on Suffolk County roads in those three years, according to the report.
Town of Smithtown officials named pedestrian safety one of town's biggest transportation issues, according the draft Transportation Study for the town's Comprehensive Master Plan update.
Some suggested changes from the town include increasing use of mass transit such as the Long Island Rail Road and Suffolk County buses, concentrating on building traffic-oriented developments near train stations and other hubs, and more traffic calming measures like speed humps and narrower roads to slow drivers and increase pedestrian safety.
