Active Transportation Study for Downtown Amityville

The Active Transportation Study for Downtown Amityville is enabled by a grant obtained by Suffolk County from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC). It will result in an action-oriented plan and recommendations for walkability and bikeability with conceptual designs of proposed roadway treatments and modifications in the downtown area as shown in the boundary map.

Through a Request for Proposals process, Suffolk County selected Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. (GPI), a Long Island-based transportation planning and engineering firm to develop the Active Transportation Study. GPI and Suffolk County in cooperation with the Village of Amityville are placing high emphasis on not just informing, but properly engaging residents and stakeholders in the study process. Public meetings and walk audits will be organized so that concerns and suggestions are adequately considered in developing the study recommendations. An online public engagement tool allows ongoing map-based feedback and discussions.

Attractive and thriving downtowns typically have one thing in common: a high degree of walkability. In walkable downtowns, people of all ages and abilities feel safe walking to restaurants, businesses, schools, and many other community destinations/assets.

Active transportation goes beyond walking. It encompasses other human-powered transportation modes, most notably cycling. Furthermore, as the vast majority of public transit users also walk or cycle as part of their regular trips, active transportation includes connectivity of walking and cycling infrastructure to public transit as well.

Active Transportation in the Context of the Amityville Downtown Revitalization

The Village of Amityville has taken significant steps towards the revitalization of its downtown. The Village of Amityville Downtown Redevelopment Committee was formed to attract new business and development to the downtown area, promote walkability and pedestrian improvements, and establish a community-based vision for the future of downtown Amityville. The Committee has identified a strong community concern that Broadway (NY State Route 110) – Amityville’s Main Street – is too wide and auto-oriented, and it has expressed interest in pursuing a road diet.

In 2020, the Village completed a walkability audit in partnership with the AARP and Vision Long Island. This audit recommended reducing vehicle speeds along Broadway, obtaining an accurate traffic count for Broadway between the forks at Park Avenue and Albany Avenue via a traffic study, and other recommendations based on educated assumption and field observations. This Active Transportation Study is building on the AARP study, with a particular focus on the streets shown in the map.

The Village is the recipient of a $10 million New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) award. In December 2022, eleven projects were selected for DRI funding, including some that are seeking to improve walkability, safety and improved walkways, such as ‘Complete Streets on Broadway’, ‘Revitalizing the LIRR Station and Enhance Connections to Downtown’, and ‘Village Wayfinding’.

Complementary Transit Enhancement Plans

The Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning is progressing a project for bus rapid transit (BRT) along the Route 110 corridor that will include two stops within the Village of Amityville to be implemented in 2025: One station in downtown Amityville and another one just outside of the northern study boundary. As part of Suffolk County’s Reimagine Transit initiative, Suffolk County Bus has improved service frequency and reduced wait times in the fall of 2023.

All of these planning efforts will contribute to expand mobility choices – including bicycles, scooters, electric-assist bicycles, electric scooters, and other small, lightweight, wheeled conveyances – and help to revitalize the downtown and support the Village’s downtown revitalization goals.

Active transportation means mobility options powered primarily by human energy, including walking and bicycling. The development of walking and bicycling infrastructure is intended to provide additional opportunities for walking and bicycling. This includes effective plans that aim to:

• Connect destinations within and between communities, including schools, workplaces, residences, businesses, and recreation areas;
• Integrate active transportation facilities with transit services to improve access to public transportation; and
• Support the revitalization and further development of downtown and other community areas.

Active transportation improvements are typically linked to a community’s traffic safety commitments as well as regulations, design policies, regulations, and even financial incentives to facilitate a significant increase in walking and bicycling.

Active transportation improvements benefit the entire community, as they are intended to advance the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, accessibility to jobs and key destinations, economic competitiveness, environmental enhancements and quality of life.

Benefits of Active Transportation

The Active Transportation Study engaged the Amityville community through a series of public events aimed at gathering input to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety and mobility.

April 25, 2023: A public information meeting and nighttime walk audit through the downtown area allowed participants to experience pedestrian conditions firsthand.

June 17, 2023: Two walk audits, organized alongside the Amityville Village Farmer’s Market, explored downtown areas north and south of the Long Island Railroad (LIRR). A staffed tent provided information on the Active Transportation Study and collected public feedback.

The walk audits gave participants a direct view of pedestrian challenges, including safety concerns caused by poor lighting, deteriorating sidewalks, and vehicle speeds that made walking and crossing roadways difficult. These observations were invaluable, as over 50 Village residents and stakeholders made their voices heard by sharing detailed observations, voicing concerns, and offering actionable suggestions to enhance active transportation in Amityville’s downtown area.

December 3, 2024: The Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning, in collaboration with GPI and the Village of Amityville, hosted a final public meeting at the Amityville Fire Department. This meeting unveiled draft recommendations for the Active Transportation Study, which were significantly shaped by public input. The presentation can be viewed here: Village of Amityville Active Transportation Study

The team extends its gratitude to all participants, including those who used the online Public Engagement Tool.

Residents and stakeholders provided location-specific concerns and suggestions to improve active transportation in the Village's downtown area using an online public engagement tool. The online feedback complements the in-person input gathered in a public meeting and three walk audits conducted in the spring of 2023.

Over six months, from April to October 2023, more than one hundred interactions were recorded on the online public engagement tool. These interactions included 50 location-specific suggestions and comments, as well as over 60 likes. Suggestion clusters were observed for downtown areas that are already relatively busy, such as Broadway, Oak Street, Park Avenue, and Ireland Place - which are destinations in the Village’s core business district - and the Village’s LIRR Station, which serves as the multimodal transportation hub of Amityville. However, several active transportation suggestions were also made for Merrick Road, the busy corridor to the south of Amityville's downtown, and Broadway in North Amityville.

The main concern was improving the safety of pedestrians in the downtown area, which was often linked to high vehicle speeds, particularly on Broadway and Oak Street, which serve as the main downtown thoroughfares. Input included aspects such as sidewalk quality, street crossings (crosswalks and signals), and lighting conditions. Several suggestions were made, such as lowering the speed limit, increasing police presence, providing additional pedestrian signals and crossing guards, repaving sidewalks, and installing new lighting. Additional crosswalks were suggested to improve pedestrian safety and connectivity, for example, on West Oak Street connecting the library and the south side of the street with its bus stop.

For more information on the study please contact:

Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning
(631) 853-4800
EDP@suffolkcountyny.gov

Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. (GPI)
(631) 587-5060
Amitywalks@gpinet.com