Chuck Schumer Cares About Safe Streets…

…in Smithtown, Long Island.

In a letter to NYSDOT Commissioner Joan McDonald and Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez, Schumer said NYSDOT should work with local officials and FHWA staff to create a safety strategy focused on “safety for pedestrians and downtown walkability for small businesses and Smithtown merchants.” He highlighted the width of the road (40 feet, with four lanes of traffic) as one of the key factors leading to dangerous driving, as well as utility poles that reduce visibility and traffic lanes which he said are too narrow.

Emphasis mine.  The road in question, Smithtown’s Main Street, is an undeniable death trap, with three pedestrian fatalities since 2010.  In May, a nine-year-old girl was seriously injured when she was struck by a car there.

“It’s long past time for the road to be redesigned, no question,” Schumer said. “It shouldn’t take another tragic loss for this road to be fixed.”

You’d think Schumer would be able to hold PPW up as a shining example of what can be accomplished before a tragedy strikes.  If only the street didn’t run right in front of his apartment building.