By JOSEPH KELLARD
Residents asked why within a five-block section on Cortland, there are two back-to-back intersections with red-and-white signs.
Stop signs are sometimes installed by the initiative of the Town of Hempstead; other times by the request of neighbors.
Last month, stops signs were installed on Henrietta Avenue and Fourth Street intersection, which does not run straight across Henrietta. Drivers riding on Fourth must turn onto Henrietta and travel approximately five yards and make another turn to continue on Fourth. At this offbeat intersection, the new westbound stop sign on Henrietta stands midway, between Fourth and Third St.
"I feel the stop signs on Henrietta are unwarranted, especially the sign in the middle of the block on the northern side of the street, because no one stops at that sign," said one resident of Henrietta Ave. "It should be placed at the corner, rather than at the middle of the block. I think it's a foolish sign."
"I called the town and inquired about the stop signs, and they told me it's a busy street and they had done a study on the number of accidents at that intersection, and that's why they put the stop signs up," said another resident who lives near the new signs. "I personally have never seen any accidents here. I just think it's an odd spot to put up a stop sign."
Between 1994 and 2000, two accidents were reported at this intersection, said Police Officer Ron Walsh of the Fourth Precinct, who added that such intersections see few accidents.
These particular signs were installed "based on written requests from residents in the area," said Susan Trenkle, a spokesperson for the Town.
In determining what areas warrant a stop sign, traffic control inspectors are required to conduct a survey of an area with a plotted diagram, Trenkel explained. They analyze relevant information, including the number of accidents that occurred there over the past eight years, the angles of the roads, and obstructions to visibility caused by trees, bushes or other objects. In forming their analysis, inspectors consult the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which contains all national design, application and placement standards for traffic control devices. Among its instructions are, stop signs cannot be used to control speeding.
Stop signs were recently installed on Lawrence Avenue where it intersects with Murry Drive, a street situated in the middle of that avenue's five-block straightaway. Originally, residents from that neighborhood approached Nassau County Legislator Jeff Toback (D-Oceanside) about installing signs on Lawrence.
"I sent letters to everyone who lives from Henrietta Avenue to Harris Drive, from Lawrence Avenue to Fulton Avenue, and I wrote 'Some of your neighbors think there should be a stop sign along Lawrence, what do you think?'" Toback said, explaining the process by which the signs became a reality.
"Eighty percent of the residents were in favor of it. So I wrote a letter to the Town of Hempstead's traffic committee, saying 'I think there should be a stop sign there, please do a survey and let me know if you agree.'"
Martin Fern, a Lawrence Ave. resident, said the straightaway had become a speedway and residents wanted the stop signs installed "to control the speeders."
Elliot Taub, a resident of Concord Avenue, which intersects with Lawrence, also said that because Lawrence is a fairly wide straightaway and few cars are parked along the street, neighbors wanted the signs up for speed control.
While many residents wanted the signs installed either on the corner of Murry or Virginia Avenue, David Brody suggested that they be put up on Virginia, which is closest to his home at the corner of Concord and Lawrence. Between Henrietta and Concord, just before the straightaway, Lawrence is a winding street, and Brody said some drivers treat that area "like a race track."
"In the last year I've had three accidents in front of my house, and I've had people drive up on my lawn," Brody said. "A few years ago somebody lost control around the curve and took out a neighbor's brick wall. A couple of years ago somebody hit a tree and someone else hit a parked car. Somebody is really going to get hurt here."
Brody personally called and asked the traffic department to put up stop signs on or near his corner, which he believes would solve the speeding problems along Lawrence.
"They told me they can't use a stop sign for speed control," he said.
"From my understanding, being a lawyer and doing a lot of personal injury cases, the intent by the legislature for a stop sign is to control an intersection," Taub said. "It's really not to control the speed of traffic. But now I see this popping up all over town. It slows people down. And I guess, because people drive too fast, it helps."
Trenkel said that the Town abides by the standards it follows and cannot install stop signs for speed control; other factors must be considered.
"Some residents might view speeding as causing the accidents in their areas, and to some degree accidents are tied into the installation of stop signs, not the speeding," she said.
