Thursday, October 1, 2026
A divided audience listened to another presentation on a proposal to regulate traffic on Grand Avenue last week, and reached no apparent consensus.
As proponents stressed that the recommendations were just that, the sometimes-contentious audience fired off questions and comments, many expressing displeasure about the proposed “road diet,” which would reduce parts of Grand from four lanes to two with a center turn lane.
The presentation, at a Community Coalition meeting on Dec. 2, began with Karen Montalbano, president of the Baldwin Civic Association, showing slides that outlined the plan, which supporters say stresses safety. She was interrupted by audience member George Verity, owner of Dawson Taxi, who said, “There’s [already] a light on every corner.”
Montalbano agreed that intersections had traffic signals, but added, “There’s things we can do to make it safer.”
“It would be safer with a cop on every corner,” Verity responded, “but I don’t see that here.”
A road diet is generally described as the removal of a travel lane from a road and the conversion of the space to other uses, such as bike lanes. Road diets are known to improve safety and reduce certain types of accidents, traffic engineers say, and also to calm traffic.
In the case of Grand Avenue, engineers recommend the elimination of two lanes of traffic at certain intersections — one northbound and one southbound — and the creation of a center turn lane. This, they say, will free up space for a bike lane or wider parking lanes.
Another point of contention was the cost of the project, which planners said they have conservatively estimated at $7 million. Nassau County Legislator Laura Curran of the 5th District, a strong supporter of the recommendations, told the audience that money for the project is already available in the county’s capital budget. If the funds aren’t used for the Baldwin project, she said, they will be used in another community.
“The thing I’m excited about is this will help Baldwin get a real main street,” Curran said. “This will attract private investment in the end.”
