Rethinking Baldwin roadways

A noted transportation expert visited Baldwin and two other Nassau County communities last week in an effort to show local residents and leaders how to make their streets safer for pedestrians.

Dan Burden, the executive director of the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute, based in Washington state, focused specifically on Sunrise Highway, a major east-west road that spans Long Island’s South Shore. He cited issues with the highway that pose problems for pedestrian safety, and made suggestions on how to promote walking over driving.

Vision Long Island, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign and AARP hosted the “walkability assessment.”

Baldwin was the second stop on the tour, beginning at 11 a.m. on June 19 at the corner of Sunrise Highway and Grand Avenue. Budren, who also toured Valley Stream and Freeport, was joined by local residents, civic leaders and public officials.

It didn’t take long before Burden began noticing flaws in the intersection. He noted that some of the intersection’s crosswalks are too small, while others can be difficult for motorists to see. As he was discussing the crosswalks, he pointed out a truck that had stopped for a red light, but was in the crosswalk, forcing pedestrians to step further into the intersection.

As the group headed east on Sunrise, several people crossed the road mid-block and did not walk to an intersection. Burden said it’s unsafe to have pedestrians cross more than 14 feet at one time. He suggested a pedestrian island for the road, which would break up the distance a person would have cross in one stretch.

During a break in traffic, Burden took out his tape measure and determined the lanes on Sunrise were 12 feet wide, which are too wide by his standards. “If you want motorists to speed, you give them extra-wide lanes,” he said, noting that the speed limit at that point is 45 mph. “If you don’t want them to speed, you bring the lanes down to a reasonable size.”