Gillen Announces Bipartisan Traffic Safety Legislation; Joins Village of Hempstead Officials to Encourage USDOT to Provide Federal Funding for Road Safety on Long Island

HEMPSTEAD, NY - Today, Congresswoman Laura Gillen (NY-04), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, held a press conference alongside Hempstead Village Mayor Waylyn Hobbs, Jr., Hempstead Village PD Chief Richard Holland and community leaders to announce the introduction of H.R. 3440, the Bipartisan Traffic Safety Enhancement Act.

Gillen and Hobbs also announced that the Village of Hempstead has applied for a USDOT Safe Streets for All federal grant. Gillen wrote a letter of support for the Village advocating for fair and full consideration of their application, which would enable the Village to develop a comprehensive Safety Action Plan to audit road safety and help manage speeds at high-crash corridors.

Below is a copy of her remarks as prepared for delivery and
a linkto the full video of the event:

"I'm proud to be in Hempstead today to announce new major actions to improve the safety of our roads and help save lives. Thank you to Mayor Hobbs, Police Chief Holland and Pastor Stewart for joining me today.

"We're standing just steps away from one of the most dangerous intersections on all of Long Island.

"The intersection at North Franklin Street and Jackson Street - just across the street - had 183 crashes, including two fatal crashes and 12 with serious injuries, between 2014 and 2023.

"The Village of Hempstead has had 51 preventable traffic fatalities from 2018 to 2022, part of an Island-wide crisis that has ripped families apart and caused unimaginable sorrow.

"Improving the safety of Long Island's dangerous roads has been one of my top priorities in Congress. Every seven minutes on Long Island, there is another serious crash. That is totally unacceptable. It's time for us to take action.

"In March, I wrote to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy calling on him to take immediate action to address the crisis on our roads.

"I'm glad to report that he also sees the urgent need for action and made a commitment to me, in writing, that the federal government will coordinate with New York State to ensure that resources are used to better understand and reduce traffic crashes on Long Island.

"Today, I'm proud to be announcing the introduction of my new, bipartisan legislation - H.R. 3440, the Bipartisan Traffic Safety Enhancement Act, to help replace dangerous intersections, like those right here in Hempstead, with roundabouts, which are proven to reduce roadway collisions.

"I introduced this bill with Republican Representative Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania, who I serve with on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and we will be pushing to include this bill in this year's upcoming Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill.

"This bill would specifically authorize the use of federal dollars to construct roundabouts - one of the 28 proven safety countermeasures recommended by the Federal Highway Administration to reduce traffic collisions and vehicular fatalities.

"I will be urging the New York State DOT to use more of their federal highway dollars to construct traffic circles and roundabouts at selected intersections to ease congestion and help save lives.

"In his letter, Secretary Duffy highlighted the 2025 federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program, which funds local efforts to prevent roadway fatalities and injuries. In March, the Administration announced more than $980 million in available funding in Fiscal Year 2025 for the Safe Streets program.

"I wrote to every town and village in the Fourth Congressional District urging them to apply, and I want to congratulate Mayor Hobbs and Hempstead for taking the initiative and putting together a strong proposal.

"I was proud to write a letter of support to Secretary Duffy for the Village's application, and today, Mayor Hobbs and I are announcing that Hempstead Village has applied for more than half a million dollars in new federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to implement a comprehensive Safety Action Plan to audit road safety and help manage speeds at high-crash corridors.

"If Hempstead is awarded this critical Planning and Demonstration Grant, it will help unlock millions of dollars in future Federal funding to implement major road safety projects.

"The Village will use federal dollars to install and test key new infrastructure on Village Roads like curb extensions, traffic barriers, pedestrian crossing and stop signs, as well as to conduct targeted speed enforcement and visibility campaigns.

"I want to thank the Nassau County Department of Public Works, Cynthia Brown and the New York Coalition of Transportation Safety, and a number of area schools who all joined me in submitting letters of support to USDOT.

"Improving our infrastructure and curbing reckless driving is especially critical for students walking or taking the bus to school, who are especially at risk of being killed or hurt in accidents involving high-speed, dangerous drivers.

"These resources are desperately needed here in Hempstead - and we cannot afford to wait any longer. I plan to raise this with Secretary Duffy directly when he comes to testify before Congress at the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee next Wednesday.

"Making our roads safer is a bipartisan issue that affects all of us. I'll continue to use my seat on House Transportation and Infrastructure to push for policies that keep Long Island's drivers, passengers and pedestrians safe.

"Thank you all for joining us today."