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How many lanes was the road and how fast was the car that hit her going?
Just IMO, I think 30 mph is max for pedestrians and cars to be mingling in the same roads. 20 mph preferably. If cars frequently go above that speed in a place where people regularly walk then an accident is bound to hapen some day.
It was a two lanes/double yellow line local road. If you Google Quaker Path Stony Brook and zero in on Quaker where Huyler Ct is, that's approximately where the accident took place. People walk on the shoulders to get to get back and forth from the LIRR and SBU. The posted speed limit is 30. The morning of the accident, a distracted driver veered into the path of an oncoming car. She was struck by one of the two vehicles.
The ironic twist is that this was a woman who fought to have sidewalks installed by the junior high to allow children safely walk to school.
I agree that 30 mph is too fast where pedestrians and vehicles mix. Even reduced to 20, people are still going to exceed the limit. This is a road which would benefit by construction of a sidewalk because it is one of the main ways to get to 25A and places mentioned earlier.
One thing I have noted, is that a brand new sidewalk was installed last summer parallel to 25A and the LIRR. I've seen a lot of people use it and fewer people walking or biking on 25A. BUT no one has cleared it of snow. Now 25A has slush, cars, ice, and people walking where there is no safe shoulder.
It would seem, since there's no money to be made off of building these kind of quality of life features, there's no political interest. LI's politicians are so lame.
I actually agree with someone else's comments that sidewalks will only jack up the taxes especially in areas where homes are spread out. I think it could make sense in a few streets that lead to the LIRR and therefore used by a lot of walking commuters but otherwise it's hard to justify financially.
Another thing you need to consider (especially with bike lanes) is the speed of the cars that share the roads with the cyclists and pedestrians. A road shared with cars that routinely go above 30 mph is a place where accidents are more likely to happen. So you can't mix walkers and bikes without somehow reducing the speed of the cars.
you must live in a special town. although my street was a dead end, we had to stay on the sidewalks because of the careless drivers speeding to the beach at the end of my block and i was hit by a car when i was a child. let me congradulate you for lving on a block where sidewalks were something you mocked at.
How many lanes was the road and how fast was the car that hit her going?
Just IMO, I think 30 mph is max for pedestrians and cars to be mingling in the same roads. 20 mph preferably. If cars frequently go above that speed in a place where people regularly walk then an accident is bound to hapen some day.
There is an issue in NYC and San Francisco where bikers get hit by cars even if they are in bike lanes. Not sure how this will go in Valley Stream.
No one gets hit on dedicated bike paths such as West Side Greenway simply because there are no cars.
So is there a place in Western Suffolk where one can walk/bike from home to a train station ?
No one gets hit on dedicated bike paths such as West Side Greenway simply because there are no cars.
Right but one cannot plaster the entire NYC with dedicated bike paths either. What about many parts of the outer boroughs? Bikes will need to share streets with cars for the most part and that means minimizing the speed of cars in places where they do mingle. Same with pedestrians.
LI has very few places you can put a greenway as well and in denser areas like Westbury one will definitely have to resort to bike-car-pedestrian street sharing to get to places of importance.
No one gets hit on dedicated bike paths such as West Side Greenway simply because there are no cars.
So is there a place in Western Suffolk where one can walk/bike from home to a train station ?
Not only are there no train stations that you can bike to (I suppose if I lived in my dilapidated, old village, I could walk), safely, there are no bike lockers or even racks once you arrive. There was some proposal on the table by LIRR to establish bike lockers at some stations, but the numbers were limited and the means of availability was very 'suspect'. I believe it was a play for Federal grant money that probably would wind up in someone's pocket. Needless to say, like any other quality of life improvement on the LIRR, it never became reality.
A number of months ago, there was an article in the NY TIMES about how people were finding 'safe' ways to bike into NYC for commuting purposes. THe story gave several examples of a growing number of commuters biking in from Northern NJ and even Westchester. It noted the absence of any such trend from LI, though, citing the lack of any 'safe' route into the city from the east. If I find the link, I'll post it.
No one gets hit on dedicated bike paths such as West Side Greenway simply because there are no cars.
So is there a place in Western Suffolk where one can walk/bike from home to a train station ?
In THEORY one COULD ride a bike from my house in West Islip to the Babylon train station. In reality it is a very different story and it would be quicker to drive. For starters large swaths of sidewalk between West Islip and the actual downtown portion of Babylon Village are never shoveled when it snows - particularly along the boatyard on Montauk Highway - which more or less forces you to walk or ride in the highway itself.
I think there is a lot of potential -- NY has very little space and with enough will it became fairly safe to ride/walk in NYC....
I think there are some places where it makes a lot of sense to have a dedicated path. For instance one such path could go through Huntington to Huntington LIRR station... another one can go through Cold Spring + Huntington harbor to the Huntington LIRR station. I think it would also make sense to have some paths that go to a beach from the village center
I think there could be a long path running along LIRR on the south shore connecting different towns and also beaches on border islands
We can also look at Westchester that has several paths running alongside Hudson -- these paths used both for transportation and recreation.
I think sharing is OK too but a biker needs to know that for most part of his ride he is reasonably safe. There should also be small number of main bike "highways" that take you to most popular destinations.
As far as lockers at train stations ... Huntington LIRR station advertises that they actually have spaces for rent -- I do not know if it is true or not ...
I for instance was planning on using a foldable bike -- -that way I also have a ride from penn station to my work place in Eastern Midtown.
Build it and they will come --- was the motto of Netherlands during the bike build up in 1970s and they came ...
I think there is a lot of potential -- NY has very little space and with enough will it became fairly safe to ride/walk in NYC....
I think there are some places where it makes a lot of sense to have a dedicated path. For instance one such path could go through Huntington to Huntington LIRR station... another one can go through Cold Spring + Huntington harbor to the Huntington LIRR station. I think it would also make sense to have some paths that go to a beach from the village center
I think there could be a long path running along LIRR on the south shore connecting different towns and also beaches on border islands
We can also look at Westchester that has several paths running alongside Hudson -- these paths used both for transportation and recreation.
I think sharing is OK too but a biker needs to know that for most part of his ride he is reasonably safe. There should also be small number of main bike "highways" that take you to most popular destinations.
As far as lockers at train stations ... Huntington LIRR station advertises that they actually have spaces for rent -- I do not know if it is true or not ...
I for instance was planning on using a foldable bike -- -that way I also have a ride from penn station to my work place in Eastern Midtown.
Build it and they will come --- was the motto of Netherlands during the bike build up in 1970s and they came ...
Are foldable bikes allowed on rush-hour trains? From what I have heard, you need permit to bring any bike on-board an LIRR starcruiser and you cannot bring bikes aboard rush-hour trains. Considering the LIRR's definition of rush hour, that cuts out maybe 99% of the trains you'd want to use.
Are foldable bikes allowed on rush-hour trains? From what I have heard, you need permit to bring any bike on-board an LIRR starcruiser and you cannot bring bikes aboard rush-hour trains. Considering the LIRR's definition of rush hour, that cuts out maybe 99% of the trains you'd want to use.
Allowed at all time per LIRR policy:
Folding Bicycle Policy
Folding BikeFolding bicycles may be brought on board train cars as carry-on baggage at all times except major bicycle events, such as the Montauk rides, when all bicycles are prohibited. Only true folding bicycles (bicycles specifically designed to fold up into a compact assembly, not exceeding 32 inches in width) are acceptable. Generally, these bicycles have frame latches that allow the frame to be collapsed, and small wheels. Regular bicycles of any size, with or without wheels, are not considered folding bicycles, and may not be stored as folding bicycles on board trains. The bicycle must be folded in the most compact position before boarding the train. Bicycles must be clean and free of excessive dirt and grease at all times. Folding bicycles may not be placed on seats and must not block aisles or vestibules. Folding bicycles do not require a permit.
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