By Mike Schnitzel
Oakland's caution stems from the fact that C.J. has almost been hit three times by cars while attempting to cross the street. Oakland, a mother of two, lives on Jedwood Place near South High School, and traffic is a nightmare that her family, among many others on the street, has to live with on a daily basis.
"There used to be more security guards on [Jedwood], but they've cut down on the budget," said Oakland. "The road curves from [Mill Road] to the school, and you've got people who are inexperienced or driving fast coming around the corners and kids [who are crossing] can't see them. It's an accident waiting to happen."
Unfortunately, accidents have already happened in the area, as recently as Halloween. Fifteen-year-old Stephanie Rivera of Valley Stream was trick-or-treating with three friends that night when she was struck on Mill Road near South Drive by a small black sedan that quickly sped off. She suffered a broken arm and hip in the incident.
As a result, parents and District 24 officials lined Mill Road outside Robert W. Carbonaro School on Nov. 4, holding signs reminding drivers to be mindful of their speed in the 20-mph school zone. During the rally, a motorist was issued a ticket by one of two patrol cars standing by.
Rivera was hit 11 years to the day after Valley Stream resident Sarajean Grainson's son, Nicholas Piazza, now 27, was struck on Mill Road as he walked home from South with three friends. "He was walking with three boys, she was walking with three girls," Grainson said at the rally. "They both got hit by small black cars within 11 years of each other on the same day, three hours difference."
Carbonaro PTA Co-President Renee Socci described Mill Road as "absolute chaos" throughout the day. "There are parents who live down the street who drive their kids to school so they can get them to school safely," said Socci.
Alice Quaranto, who lives on Jedwood, has four children, and her two oldest, Nicole, 9, and Danielle, 7, attend Carbonaro. "This problem has been going on since I moved here over 10 years ago," said Quaranto in a phone interview. "We have a terrible situation in the mornings. [Drivers] kind of ignore any sort of speed limit, especially if there's a teenager driving."
Town Councilman James Darcy is familiar with the traffic problems around Jedwood and Mill Road, and has been working on the situation for several years. Darcy said that signs have been put up cautioning drivers, and that his office has tried to get the police to beef up enforcement in the area. "We've had engineers look at solutions to slowing down traffic," he said, "and we've considered possibly using speed bumps or rumble strips."
Darcy added that all of those suggestions had been rejected "for one reason or another."
"We turn all requests like those over to the traffic department, because they have the knowledge and expertise to make a recommendation on the situation," Darcy said.
According to South High School Principal Dr. Stephen Lando, the school has done as much as it can to help alleviate traffic problems. Lando has opened a second entrance for the morning, so students can come in through either the Jedwood Place or Gladys Circle entrances.
According to Lando, the main problem is that Jedwood is a residential street. "When people choose to park their cars out on the street, it creates a bottleneck and backs up traffic," he said.
Lando also encourages parents to car-pool, and to pay attention to signs that have been posted urging cautious driving in the vicinity of the school. He said that there is a collaborative effort between the Nassau County Police Department and the school to improve the flow of traffic, and that the Fifth Precinct's Problem-Oriented Policing unit extended the signal light time at Mill Road and Jedwood in the morning in an attempt to ease congestion.
"You're dealing with the age-old problem of traffic and schools," said Fifth Precinct Inspector Wayne Atkins. "We have a post car assigned down there, and periodically we have an enforcement car that will go down there and give tickets."
Quaranto and Oakland said they would like to see that happen more often. Oakland said she hasn't seen a patrol car in the area in ages, and believes the police don't take her complaints seriously enough.
Atkins said that the police are always seeking a solution, whether it be through enforcement or education. He noted that many of the people who get ticketed when an enforcement car is in the area are people who live on the street. "We could put a car [on Jedwood] every day, and while it's there people will behave," said Atkins, "but when it's gone, people will just speed again. It seems everybody has become less respectful of the law when it comes to driving, and it's a shame."
Quaranto suggested posting a stop sign at the intersection of Jedwood and Cluett Road. "I think that might help with the speeding situation, but it might make traffic worse," she said. "My ultimate goal is to get [the school] to stop having drop-off or pick-up on Jedwood."
Lando believes that having two entrances available for drop-off in the morning is a step in the right direction. "It seems to me that the two points of entry have increased traffic flow," said Lando, "and it seems that it is only about 15 minutes each morning that traffic caused by the school is heavy."
Nicole Falco contributed to this story. Comments about it? MSchnitzel@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 265.
