NISKAYUNA, N.Y. – The tragic death of 25-year-old Christopher Reith of Latham, who was killed in a motorcycle crash on Route 7 Monday evening, has reignited demands from Niskayuna residents for urgent safety improvements along the busy roadway.
For many in the community, the crash was another painful reminder of the dangers that Route 7 poses. Resident Henry Rashid, who has lived on Randall Road for seven years, said this latest tragedy marks the sixth death in just three years. He witnessed the collision while attempting to turn onto Route 7.
“We are depressed. Everybody in this neighborhood, we are looking for people from the State to come out and help us,” Rashid said. “People got killed. Nobody cares. The State says there is no fund. People got killed. State don’t pay attention, State don’t have no feelings whatsoever. This is not right.”
Another resident, Gary Zakrzewski of Mohegan Drive, said he heard the impact as it happened. “Something has to be done, whether it’s speed bumps, a light or something but something’s got to be done,” he said. “We’ve seen too much and this last time was a thud that I’ll remember forever.”
Town Supervisor Erin Cassady-Dorian echoed the frustration, pointing to years of failed efforts to get the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) to take action. “It just feels very heavy because we know we play a role in making sure that things stay safe on Route 7 and we’ve been very frustrated trying to get things done,” she said. “We can have the best ideas, we could get the best sums of money to put those ideas into action, but we can’t do anything without the Department of Transportation specifically allowing it.”
Last year, the DOT rejected a nearly $4 million grant request to improve Route 7, but the town has since received funding from the Capital Region Transportation Council to conduct a traffic and safety study that will incorporate community input.
“There’s a lot of aggressive driving, a lot of speeding,” Cassady-Dorian added. “The road really hasn’t been looked at from a design perspective since the early 90s and things have changed.”
As the town and residents push for solutions, many hope that Christopher Reith’s death will finally spur the state to take action before more lives are lost.
Leave a Reply