Pedestrian Crossing Sign Vanishes Days After Installed

Of the two pedestrian crossing signs installed last week on Main Street, only one remains.

“I would venture to say it was stolen,” said Smithtown town councilman Robert Creighton.

According to Creighton the signs were put in place at the request of residents who complained that drivers on Main Street were not stopping to let pedestrians cross and because it was a dangerous crossing. But only days after installed, one sign disappeared.

Each sign cost more than $300. Creighton says the sign is being replaced and is on order.

Creighton says they obtained permission from the state Department of Transportation to install the signs, but the state does not share the cost.

Local resident Diane Tabone told Patch in an email that she was glad the signs were installed, but was disappointed that one was already missing.

“What a shame.  It really does slow down traffic and make a safer walk for all of us,” said Tabone.

Gabe Hamill, owner of Main Street Pizza says the bright green sign had been hit several times in it's short stint on Main Street.

“Everyone who is leaving Carlson and making a left onto Main kept hitting it. ... Go figure. Lucky they aren’t pedestrians,” said Hamill.

Hamill thinks the signs are needed and are a good idea.

“I think I need a six-pack of them to keep putting out. They can drop me off a dozen. Maybe sooner or later people will slow down,” he said.

According to Tony Cannone, traffic engineer for the town of Smithtown, these signs are the first of their kind to be used in Smithtown. The signs, which weigh about 25-30lbs. sit on the road and are made to be temporarily installed.

"Based on what I know about traffic safety, it makes no sense that the signs would have been destroyed,"

Cannone said according to the manufacturer specifications, the signs are made to withstand impact and are expected to be impacted at times. Cannone, who installed the signs on Main Street said that he thinks the sign was stolen.

"It was gone within 24-48 hours after I put it up. The other one is still there and in pristine condition," said Cannone.

The town has made similar attempts in Smithtown to try to remedy an unsafe Main Street that has gone from not just unsafe but deadly with three fatalities on that stretch of road in just under 24 months.

Measures such as installing a fence to prevent jaywalking and reducing the green phase of traffic lights to allow pedestrians more time to cross have been implemented. In June,

Hamill says cars often speed by and don’t stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk and hopes it won’t take a death to get change implemented.

“People don’t get it. It is a state law that is not enforced, like talking on your cell phone,” said Hamill.