Letters: Smithtown and pedestrian safety

In the article "Lane closure aims at pedestrian safety" [News, March 8], Newsday reported that the state is going ahead with its ill-conceived plan to close one of the two westbound lanes on Main Street in Smithtown because of three pedestrian deaths in the past two years.

Using this logic, they should close one of the eastbound lanes on the Long Island Expressway at Commack, because the driver of a car that had run out of gas was killed while walking on the shoulder, bringing a can of gas back to his car.

Four roads and two major shopping centers feed cars into the westbound lanes of Main Street. Closing a lane will cause monumental traffic backups during the day.

While I am sympathetic to the families of the pedestrians who were killed, closing lanes will not stop drunk driving or driving high on drugs, which were the cause of two of the accidents.

If the objective is to slow down nighttime traffic -- the speed limit is 30 mph -- that could be done with overhead, temporary "lane closed" signs to be used only at night.

Haig Chekenian, Smithtown
 

I took a trip on the Long Island Expressway and exited onto Maurice Avenue in Queens. I found speed bumps with warning signs every 300 to 400 feet. It slowed down all the traffic.

I think this would work for Smithtown's Main Street and provide a better solution for the safety of pedestrians.

Robert D. Krinsky, Smithtown