Smithtown planners say drivers will see less traffic on the roads if the town was willing to install more sidewalks, but they'll need to be cost efficient.
A draft Transportation Study completed to update the Town of Smithtown's Master Plan suggests that sidewalks are much more important than town officials previously realized. The study claims that 10 percent of overall trips a person makes are on foot.
"Safe and convenient pedestrian circulation is necessary for economic health of downtowns. Further, local traffic could be reduced if sidewalk systems were complete around schools and other centers," reads page 54 of the Transportation Study.
Planners estimate that 30 percent of streets in Smithtown have sidewalks, and only 80 percent of those streets have sidewalks on both sides. Overall, there are 268 miles of sidewalks in the Town of Smithtown.
The Transportation Study suggests town officials consider installing sidewalks along First Avenue in Kings Park. The sidewalk would help close a gap in existing network to allow walkers off Pulaski Road, past the train station into residential neighborhoods to increase mobility in Kings Park's downtown area.
Jericho Turnpike, which runs along Kings Park's border, was ranked the deadliest roadway for pedestrians in Suffolk County, the third overall most dangerous road for pedestrians in the Tri-State area in 2013.
Patch has reported on several deadly pedestrian accidents including a Commack driver striking and killing a Kings Park man in December 2011 and an elderly man killed walking along Jericho Turnpike in May 2012.
We'd like to ask, do you think First Avenue in Kings Park needs to have a sidewalk? Do you think Kings Park could use more sidewalks?
Tell us in the comments below.
