Earlier this month, a 25-year-old from Colonie died when a truck hit his motorcycle at a notoriously deadly intersection in Niskayuna. On Monday, a New York state assemblyman whose son died last year after being hit on the same Route 7 corridor, joined community members to demand that New York State take action.
For Assemblyman Robert Smullen, a Republican representing New York’s 118th District, the safety crusade on New York State Route 7 is personal. Smullen's 14-year old son AJ was one of three people struck and killed within the past year and a half by a vehicle along the 1.5-mile stretch of the state-owned highway running through Niskayuna. Smullen says the roadway has no traffic lights, no crosswalks and hundreds of daily drivers the state Department of Transportation admits regularly exceed the posted 40 mph speed limit.
"It is time to go beyond simply studying the corridor, it's time to take action. The lack of traffic safety and traffic calming measures that have led to multiple deaths on this tragic road must begin immediately. We have delivered a petition to the governor, provided information to the Department of Transportation and provided ideas to law enforcement agencies, all to no avail," said Smullen.
Niskayuna resident Joseph Yakel spearheaded a petition drive, garnering over 1,300 signatures that was sent to state officials. He says DOT responded by letter, saying it would again study the roadway.
"I asked you, Governor Hochul, to do something, and I'm not asking you now, I'm telling you, I'm demanding that you do something here," Yakel said.
Monday Morning, the DOT said it will address the Route 7 safety issues. Smullen hailed the announcement as "the first step in the right direction."
" I think it's just the beginning, maybe the first phase of four or five phases of a overarching process that the state should actually convene meetings, planning sessions, public comment, to make sure that of the three counties, the various towns that are there that it's all coordinated with the State Police," Smullen said.
Smullen’s son died in March 2024, roughly two weeks after being struck by a car at the intersection on Route 7 and Hickory Road.
In June, Smullen's Alexander John Smullen Traffic Safety Memorial Law passed unanimously in both the New York State Assembly and Senate. It awaits the governor's signature.
46th district Democratic Senator Pat Fahy says the legislation allows the community to employ signage to memorialize crash victims.
"Since Covid, we have very much gone in the wrong direction, not just in this state, but across the country, and we are again having record high traffic fatalities as well as about 1/4 of those include pedestrians," said Fahy.
The Town of Niskayuna says its "Safe on Seven" linkage study group is developing long-term infrastructure improvement proposals for the DOT that will make Route 7 safer for all drivers and pedestrians.
