By Alex Costello
Frankel and her husband, who uses a wheel chair, can't make it to the crossing guard stationed at the corner of Waukena Avenue and Oceanside Road because the sidewalk, which is cracked, is too narrow to permit the wheel chair. The couple is forced to cross the street by George Place.
“There’s not any kind of traffic signal, any at all, between Waukena Avenue and Mott Street,” Frankel said. “And when we cross over to get to the Young Israel of Oceanside, the traffic is horrendous and we can’t get through.”
Frankel and her husband, are not the only pedestrians worried about making it across the street safely. According to David Warshaw, the president of the Young Israel of Oceanside, some members of Young Israel travel to the Orthodox services by car and park on George Place when the lot at the Young Israel is full.
“If you’re an older person or you have a handicap, it makes it even more difficult,” said Warshaw. “I find myself dodging cars sometimes just to get across. And certainly for an older person who doesn’t have that ability, it can be quite difficult.”
And even crossing at the intersection can be difficult. When there is no crossing guard present, the pedestrian crossing signal is very short--starting to flash red when people are still in the street.
“We stand in the middle of the street and raise our hands and we say, ‘Stop,’” Frankel said. “...some are very nice and stop and some just go along.”
Concerned members of the Young Israel have tried to get the problem addressed, but it isn't easy for them. A few weeks ago, County Legislator Denise Ford was supposed to come to Oceanside and see the problem firsthand, but she canceled five minutes before she was supposed to arrive.
According to Ford, she canceled because she was planning on going out there with the Commissioner of Public Works, Ray Ribeiro. He had called her the day before to cancel because he had a scheduling conflict, and Ford wanted him to be there when she went out. However, she didn't realize that Frankel had gathered a group of people to meet with her.
"She had something that came up at the last minute," said Warshaw. "But we had about 15, 20 people there from the synagogue who were concerned. It really is very difficult to get across."
The issue has now been brought to the attention of County Legislator Jeff Toback, an Oceanside native. "There very likely is something we can do to help," he said.
Ideally, Frankel feels that a crossing signal, which would require a traffic light, would be the best solution to the problem. However, it is not the only one she has considered. She also believes that a "Stop for Pedestrians" sign would would help them. "I’m not asking for a stop sign to hold up traffic," she said. "I’m asking that when people are there to cross the street, the traffic should know they have to stop."
But, according to Toback, that might not be the best solution. "Those 'Stop for Pedestrian' and 'Crosswalk' signs are useful on smaller, less trafficked roads than Oceanside Road," he said.
"The issue with that area is that the residents had asked for a crosswalk to be put on Oceanside Road over by George Place, and I sent it over to our Department of Public Works," Ford said. "They went out and examined everything, and they said no because they felt that the safest place for residents to cross is at the intersection [of Oceanside Road and Waukena Avenue] because there is a crossing guard there."
A solution to the problem might not be as complicated as getting a light installed or signs posted. It might just be a simple repair. "When we went out and took a look at the condition of the sidewalk, I said to Ray [Ribeiro], 'Look, it’s not even wide enough for people in wheelchairs or with carriages,'" Ford said. "When you looked at this, he agreed that work had to be done on the sidewalk."
"One of the problems we have around here is that we have so much government that it’s often times hard to tell who’s jurisdiction [things are]," Toback said. "Traffic lights are the county’s jurisdiction, signs are the town’s jurisdiction, generally speaking. So depending on what the potential solution is, it might be a combination of county and town working together."
Comments about this story?ACostello@
liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 207.
