by Chris Munzing
The plan, designed by engineering and surveying firm Nelson & Pope, calls for three phases over the next five to six years, covering the stretch of road from Maple Boulevard to the Loop Parkway. The proposed plan would reduce the number of lanes in each direction from three to two, add a concrete median, add a bike lane in either direction and feature speed limit reductions, an increase in the number of signs and speed reducing devices.
The plan was designed with the goal of forcing people to slow down, not just telling them to. By making the road smaller, the Nassau County Department of Public Works expects that drivers will naturally slow down. Peter Gerbasi, DPW commissioner, said that its goal was to make people uncomfortable, and therefore make them slow down.
The first phase of the plan would involve simply re-striping the road, eliminating the right lane on each side and converting it into a five-foot bicycle lane separated from the road by a three-foot painted median. There would also be a six-foot shoulder between the bicycle lane and the sidewalk. The 11-foot-wide center turn lane would remain.
In phase two, the center turn lane would be removed and replaced with a painted median. Phase three would be the most drastic change to the road. The center median would increase in size from 11 feet to 16 feet and would no longer be just painted on. A raised, landscaped median would divide the road, similar to Broadway in Long Beach but without the parking. Rumble strips, which can be found on most highways, would be added along the right side of the outside lane to prevent people from drifting in and out of their lanes and serve as a wake-up call should a driver doze off at the wheel or be driving while intoxicated.
There would also be an increase in the number of signs and speed awareness devices, which tell drivers their speed and are attached to light poles. The signs displaying the 40-mph speed limit for Lido Boulevard as you come off the Loop would be placed on the Loop itself, to prepare drivers for the reduction in speed. The plan also calls for the speed limit to decrease to 35 mph at Donna Lane and to 30 mph at the Long Beach School Bus Depot, making for a gradual slow-down instead of a sudden one.
Gerbasi didn't have exact financial figures for the plan, but estimated the cost of phase 1 at a couple of hundred thousand dollars, phase 2 at $1-2 million, and phase 3 at several million dollars. Gerbasi said that the plan had to be done in phases not only to make sure the re-striping is effective before it does anything else, but because of the fiscal situation the county finds itself in. We're kind of broke, Gerbasi said, only half-joking. If we make the project too big, we can't get anything done.
Gerbasi believes that this plan will drastically reduce the number of cars speeding and driving recklessly, and therefore reduce the number of accidents the road sees. But he also said before the presentation of the plan started that the meeting was just to feel out the public and get their opinions on the plan.
If you find people are willing to commit to change, are willing to upset the apple cart, then you can make progress, Gerbasi said. If the people don't want this, we're not going to do it. We will try to come up with something more acceptable.
Gerbasi did say, however, that this is the first time the problems on Lido Boulevard have been taken this far by the county. This is radically different than anything Nassau County would have done in the past, Gerbasi said.
The plan does not need any legislative approval. The DPW can go forward with it if it feels that the community is on board, it will reduce speed and increase safety, and if the funding is there to do it. Zapson has already poured $60,000 of discretionary funds into the project. Gerbasi added that the DPW was applying for grants and cobbling together funds. He made no secret of the fact that the county's situation would play a large role in the project getting off the ground.
Judging from the questions and responses from the crowd, the reaction to the plan was largely positive. Susan Russo and her husband, Vincent, live on Biarritz Street in Lido Beach and know how people drive on Lido Boulevard. People run the light all the time, said Susan. It looks like a highway. Overall, the Russos were thrilled with the plan, though Susan suggested some trees at the point where the Loop meets Lido Boulevard. She thinks that making people feel like they're in a neighborhood would make them slow down.
Mike Fichtelman of Luchon Street in Lido Beach was vocal in his support of the plan both during and after the presentation. I think it's great, he said. The idea of phasing it in is an excellent one. I can understand people want to get somewhere quickly, but not to die doing it.
Albert Fischer of Eva Drive in Lido Beach thinks the plan is good, but doesn't believe that it addresses everything it should. By and large, I think it should do something, but I don't think it'll do everything, he said. There are areas that haven't been discussed. Whether it's lights, lowering the speed limits, going to two lanes, I don't know.
Some residents expressed outrage that they would be unable to make a left onto Lido Boulevard due to the median, and would be forced to turn right and wait for a traffic light to make a U-turn. Gerbasi addressed those concerns by saying that everyone is going to have to sacrifice a little to make the road safer. Are you going to be inconvenienced a little? Yes, he said. If there was a perfect solution, and we could just do it with signs and reducing the speed limits, we would have done it already.
After the meeting, Zapson said that he was very pleased with the response from the community. Zapson, who has been working on a Lido Boulevard solution for years, said it was great to see something finally happening. It's something I've been working on for a while and it's great to see it gel, see it come to fruition.
