by Jerry Burke, Chris Italia and Jeff Lipton
Driving around Long Island last week during the season's first snowfall was a nightmare for many motorists, who complained of slushy streets and unsafe conditions. By 3 p.m. last Thursday, most side roads in Franklin Square, Elmont and West Hempstead were covered with enough snow to make driving nearly impossible. In all, the towns received over six inches of snow.
Nassau County Police said that about 250 accidents were reported on Long Island for the day as snow began with the morning commute and continued well into the evening rush. "It was a huge jump in the number of accidents," said Fourth Precinct Capt. James O'Leary. "Obviously, the condition of the roads contributed to it and it was a combination of that and the motorists' failure to slow down in those conditions. It's kind of like a traffic nightmare. It was busy for us that day and it was all traffic-related."
Nassau County Legislator Jeff Toback (D-Oceanside) felt the county did an adequate job of cleaning the streets. "I was on East Rockaway Road at about 3 p.m. and there didn't seem to be a problem," Toback said.
With the snowstorm predicted well in advance, the Department of Public Works was more than prepared. "They had all the supplies they needed," Toback said. He also explained that county policy requires there to be more than a half-inch of snow on the ground before plowing begins.
"I was told there would be no pre-salting of any kind because it wouldn't be effective without enough precipitation," Toback said. "The salt would just be pushed to the curb and wouldn't do anything."
Toback also insisted that several roads were "fine" at or around rush hour.
Town responds to emergency
The Town of Hempstead, which took harsh criticism two years ago for not responding appropriately to a winter storm, was well prepared this time. The town equipped its workers with 50,000 tons of salt and 250 pieces of snow-clearing equipment, said Susan Trinkle, a town spokesperson. Salt spreaders and plows were on the roads at 1 p.m., when there was enough snow to clear.
"I know from our end we were definitely prepared," Trinkle said. "The staff was all set and ready to go." And she said the communication among the departments -- sanitation, highway and conservation and waterways -- was all very good. About 17,000 tons of salt were actually needed to melt the ice from town roads.
At rush hour, however, some motorists were angered at the amount of snow still on the ground. "This is ridiculous," said Sarah Wheeler, a resident of Island Park. "I'm almost afraid to leave my house, but this is what it's like all the time so it's nothing new."
"I just should have known better than to think the snow would be cleared on my way home," said Ben Valenti, a Baldwin resident driving on Merrick Road. "It's really not that bad -- you drive slow, take it easy and eventually I'll get home. Everyone I think is used to this by now."
After working through the night, the Friday morning commute was a lot less perilous. Salting combined with above freezing weather helped to clear what was left, though the bright sunlight caused a good amount of glare.
