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Fair Fixing a dangerous crossing
Lawmakers, engineers discuss ways to improve traffic controls at intersection near high school
In what may be a rare case of speedy government cooperation, town and county officials last week determined that a troublesome intersection at Baldwin High School needs better traffic controls.
Both Nassau County Legislator Laura Curran, a Democrat, and Hempstead Town Councilwoman Erin King Sweeney, a Republican, attended a meeting last Friday and said the results of the session were positive.
“I think we’ll be seeing something done sooner rather than later,” said Curran, who represents the 5th Legislative District. She said there was a “spirit of cooperation” in the room, where about 20 town and county traffic engineers and other experts met to discuss who was responsible for each section of the roads in question.
The problem with the roads — Ethel T. Kloberg Drive at Grand Avenue — is that the regulations and controls specific to a school zone are insufficient, making it dangerous for pedestrians and motorists to get around. On Sept. 18, a high school student was injured when she was hit by a car in the area while walking to school, district spokeswoman Cristina Schmohl said.
After the mishap, Superintendent Shari Camhi took to the Internet, posting a note on the district’s website, baldwinschools.org, asking the public to participate in a letter-writing campaign to Shila Shah-Gavnoudias, commissioner of the Nassau County Department of Public Works, seeking better signage and signals.
A sample letter, posted on the website, notes that the entrance to the high school is “surely a tragedy waiting to happen.” It continues, “We need signs indicating a school is nearby. We need clearly indicated crosswalks. We need a lowered speed limit for the school corridor and stoplights that are synchronized properly to stop all vehicles long enough to give time for pedestrians to walk across the street. We need you to expedite this process.”
Curran said she did not know how many people wrote letters, but added that some came in the mail as well. Asked if a letter-writing campaign would help, she said, “It can’t hurt.”
