Beware, Pedestrians: The Most Dangerous Roads in Bergen

A study released Wednesday concludes Bergen County's most dangerous roads for pedestrians are Route 17, Route 93 and Route 4.

Thirty-four pedestrians were killed on Bergen County streets between 2008 and 2010, according to figures cited in a study released by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. Route 17, Route 93 (Grand Avenue) and Route 4 all accounted for two deaths apiece, statistics show.

Compared to other areas of the state, Bergen's roads are relatively safe for pedestrians. A total of 435 pedestrians died on New Jersey roadways during the study's three-year range. Fatalities in 2011 increased slightly from the previous year, according to Department of Transportation figures.

The most dangerous road in the state is found in Burlington County, Highway 130, the site of 10 fatal pedestrian accidents. Route 1 and Route 9 in Union County each claimed nine pedestrian deaths between 2008 and 2010. Several other Middlesex County and Union County roads appear on the top ten most dangerous, which is devoid of any Bergen County roads.

Pedestrian safety is an issue of great concern to Fair Lawn's borough council. Both and spoke out publicly about their intentions to increase pedestrian safety during their council campaigns last year.

In recent months, Fair Lawn has been awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in pedestrian safety grants from the state to make improvements on and by adding bump outs, an enhanced crosswalk and pedestrian crossing timers.

Bump-outs, also known as curb extensions, are used as traffic calming devices on busy roadways. Their purpose is to provide an additional element to shield vehicles parked on the street and enable pedestrians to make shorter, safer crossings at intersections.

Check out the analysis of the most dangerous Bergen County roads here.