Long Island lawmaker calls for congressional hearings on road safety 

A New York federal lawmaker Friday called for a congressional hearing on road safety following what she called the "deeply alarming" rise in fatal car crashes on Long Island.

The request was among several measures laid out Friday by Rep. Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre) to stem the tide of traffic deaths in the region. Others include pushing to install roundabouts at dangerous intersections, including on Sunrise Highway, increasing police enforcement, and lowering the state’s legal blood alcohol limit.

"The sudden rise in deadly accidents on Long Island streets and roadways is deeply alarming and demands action," Gillen said at a news conference near Sunrise Highway in Rockville Centre. "Failure to secure our roads has led to thousands of lives being cut short, families being ripped apart, and a terrible void left in too many of our communities."

Gillen, who sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, wrote to committee chairman Rep. Sam Graves, a Missouri Republican, calling for a hearing "on nationwide road fatalities" ahead of the House’s forthcoming negotiations for a surface transportation reauthorization bill. Her letter cited Newsday’s ongoing Dangerous Roads series, which found that road deaths have risen since the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 2,100 people killed and 16,000 seriously injured in crashes over a decade.

"This is not just a local problem; it is a national crisis," Gillen wrote in her letter to Graves. "As you know, traffic fatalities across our country are far greater than they were ten years ago."

Justin Harclerode, a spokesperson for Graves, said his office "will take a look at the letter," but also noted that just two months ago the committee held a hearing on roadway safety that was attended by Gillen. 

Gillen's office pointed out that the February meeting was only before the highway and transit subcommittee, and that Gillen is seeking a meeting of the full Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Harclerode said, as part of negotiations for a federal roads bill, Graves "will be soliciting input and priorities from all members of the Committee, and the House in general, from both sides of the aisle."

Gillen last month also wrote U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy seeking a federal investigation into the "unacceptable increase in fatal traffic crashes on Long Island."

The congressional hearing would be part of a "comprehensive road safety strategy" that would include supporting state legislation to reduce the legal blood alcohol content limit for driving in New York to 0.05%, from the current 0.08%.

Gillen said she also wants to give police departments on Long Island "the tools and resources they need" to conduct "high visibility traffic enforcement," which she said could act as a deterrent to reckless drivers.

Lynbrook Police Chief Brian Paladino, who spoke at the event, said government investment in his department has already made a big difference. With "software and computer programs" funded through a state highway safety grant, Paladino said Lynbrook was able to reduce the number of crashes in its village from a high of around 1,600 crashes to about 900 last year.

"We found this success with just being out there, being visible and enforcing," Paladino said.

Gillen said she’s also working on a bill that would include new federal incentives for localities to build roundabouts to slow down traffic on some high-speed roadways, like Sunrise Highway. She acknowledged that her proposal could cause concerns among municipalities "worried about cost, about construction, about reconfiguring their roadways."

Assemb. Michaelle Solages (D-Elmont) said that, with "buy-in from everyone," it’s possible to enact infrastructure changes that slow down traffic, as was done at a dangerous Elmont intersection where four high school students were injured in a single crash in 2018.

"You haven't heard the community complain about traffic or slowing down. They were a part of the process," Solages said. "It’s been proven to be done before, and I think we could do it again, because everyone knows of an intersection or a place that's dangerous."

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.