Safety mitigation needed by Hewlett High

The intersection of Broadway and Everit Avenue in Hewlett near Hewlett High School currently has no signage indicating a school crossing, no speed camera to monitor motorists, and no crossing guard to direct pedestrian and vehicle traffic passing through.
Since 2012, a total of eight pedestrians have been hit, not fatally, at the intersection — three in 2012, three in 2013 and two as of Oct. 1, 2014 — according to statistics provided by the Nassau County Police Department.
To help ease the traffic situation, a speed camera should be installed and fully operational by the end of 2014, according to county officials. In addition, a study conducted by the Nassau County’s Traffic Safety Board will be conducted between Hewlett Elementary School and the high school to determine the need for other speed monitoring methods, according to Kim Parahus, the director of school facilities and operations for the Hewlett-Woodmere School District.
“For signage, there’s no delineation indicating where the school zones are on Broadway,” she said. “We’ve requested a study to be done through the safety board, which should take about six months. Hopefully, at least a sign will be put in place after the study is completed. We also submitted a no left turn request.”
Michael Martino, Jr., a spokesman for the press secretary for the county’s Department of Public Works, said that the county has been evaluating the need for a left turn arrow for cars traveling west and turning south.

Insp. Kenneth Lack, commanding officer of the Nassau County Police Department’s Public Information Office, explained what is be needed for a crossing guard to be deployed at the intersection. “The school would request a study to be done at that location to be safer,” he said. “They should write a letter about this request to the [county police] commissioner and follow up with the Fourth Precinct. They together would make a determination based on the study.”
Susan Trenkle-Pokalsky, a Town of Hempstead spokeswoman, explained the process the district would need to take to get proper signage posted at the intersection. “The school or the residents who are requesting the signage would send a written request to the town,” she said. “Once that is received, it will be sent to our traffic control division and an inspector would be sent to survey the intersection. Broadway is a county road, so if the sign is indicated for Broadway, the town would then send a request to the county seeking permission to site the sign on their roadway. Everit [Avenue] is a town roadway so that step is not necessary for a sign indicated there.”
Monay Cowan, a Hewlett High junior from Valley Stream, thinks placing a crossing guard at Broadway and Everit Avenue is the best solution. “I’ve been suggesting this for years,” she said. “Why can’t we have a crossing guard? We really need it. Not only would they direct us through the intersection, they would help remind people to pay better attention and stay off their phones when they cross the street.”
Miriam Amato of Long Beach is a frequent patron of Ambiance Salon in the shopping plaza near the intersection. “A crossing guard is the best idea,” she said. “There definitely needs to be some sort of traffic control at this intersection. Not necessarily a speed camera, but definitely a crossing guard would be helpful.”

Have an opinion about on traffic in this area? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.

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Pedestrians struck at intersection of Broadway and Everit Avenue in Hewlett

 

Years	Number of times pedestrians were hit
2012	2
2013	3
2014	2 (From 1/1/14-10/1/14)

 Source: NCPD

Motor vehicle and pedestrian safety is an issue near Hewlett High School at the intersection of Broadway and Everit Avenue. None of the reported incidents have been a fatality.