Sipes Family Creates Facebook Group Calling for Main Street Safety Improvements

Lavena Sipes, the mother of , has brought her plea for greater Main Street safety to the Internet by creating a community-oriented group on Facebook aimed at this issue.

Sipes’ passion for greater Main Street safety intensified with at the same intersection where she lost her daughter.

“When Seamus Byrne died on February 27 in the same intersection as my daughter 15 months and three days before him, we were shocked, saddened, and angered,” Sipes said. “When we met Seamus Byrne’s family we saw the same pain and anguish we have been going through since losing Courtney. Many people express the common belief that something else needs to be done to prevent these accidents and deaths. We saw this as something we could do to make a difference. It’s a way to bring the community together to share ideas, comments and thoughts, and communicate any related events.” 

Sipes created the group, titled Smithtown Residents For A Safer Main Street, on Saturday, March 5. In a period of six days, the group has grown to 70 members.

“It’s grassroots, it’s not about politics, it’s not like the Republican Party or the Democratic Party or even the Independent Party in Smithtown – these are just people, it doesn’t matter what party they belong to, they’re all getting together and saying enough is enough,” said Mark Mancini, Smithtown resident and member of the Facebook group.

Mancini said he ran for town council in 2009 and making Main Street safer was his platform, a platform he still believes strongly in today. In the past, Mancini said residents were concerned about Main Street safety but not as vocal about it as they are today.

“I’m seeing something different, I’m seeing people actually say, ‘we’ve got to change this.’ There’s definitely a different tone to people,” he said. “I think that the mentality is changing a little bit. I really think that the momentum is there and people don’t want to see this happen again.”

Lifelong Smithtown resident Lauren Mikulasovich, who is one of the 70 members of the group, said this group could act as a catalyst for change.

“I think it’ll play a big role in getting things done faster if there’s a big backing or big support,” Mikulasovich said. “I think things will get done mast faster and we’ll be heard more in a big group.”

Sipes said the group provides an opportunity for the community to have a collective voice.

“We have heard so many conversations and comments from residents that they do not feel safe on Main Street and that they think changes need to be made,” Sipes said. “Change starts with action … Coming together as a community will give residents a voice and the opportunity to make a difference. If people aren’t happy with the Main Street we have today, they should speak up and take action to make it what it should be for tomorrow, for our children and our children’s children.”

While Main Street at Lawrence Avenue has been the location for two fatal accidents in 15 months, Mancini said it’s not the only intersection that needs safety improvements – it’s all of Main Street.

“I think other intersections have been lucky, I would think that if you go down towards Landing Avenue where it meets that road there are accidents there all the time – I wouldn’t doubt if there was an accident there every week … Before I was even around people were complaining about this in the 1970s and 1980s, about this road. Four lanes were put in after the 1970s and they don’t work, it is way too crazy for this high pedestrian area,” he said. 

, including the installation of a fence on south side of the road between Lawrence Avenue and Landing Avenue, increasing pedestrian crossing time, installing a Leading Pedestrian Interval that provides a “walk” sign seconds before vehicles get a green light and installing timers to let pedestrians know how much time they have to cross the road and more.

Sipes said Smithtown should not have to wait any longer for any further safety improvements to be made on Main Street.

“Nothing will bring Courtney or Seamus back to us, but change begins somewhere, and we simply must figure out a solution to prevent future deaths,” Sipes said. “We can no longer wait for the right change to happen. I don’t want to be sitting here in the future asking ‘after three, four or five more deaths since Courtney’s, when will something be done?’ The time is now to make Main Street safe.”

The Facebook group, Smithtown Residents For A Safer Main Street, can be viewed by clicking here.