By:Jeff Lipton
More than six months ago, the county's traffic engineers "improved" the intersections around Broadway in Hewlett. But residents and shopkeepers said what they really did was turn the area into a traffic nightmare.
Now, a petition is being circulated in an effort to convince county officials to reverse what they did.
The county had installed two additional turn lanes around Piermont Avenue and West Broadway in an apparent attempt to increase safety and improve traffic flow. But the sequence of traffic lights in the area are so messed up that traffic is backed up for blocks on Broadway, said Mark Weiss, a trustee of the Village of Hewlett Harbor, who is spearheading the petition drive. He said the re-calibrated lights have made the lives of residents and shopkeepers miserable, and he wants the county to correct the problem.
"The traffic around Burger King is really horrific," said Weiss. "With petition in hand, we are asking Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi to make it better."
Weiss launched the petition drive about three weeks ago, collecting more than a couple of hundred signatures from residents and business owners. He said those who oppose the current traffic set-up could sign the petitions at Walls' Bake Shop, 1336 Broadway in Hewlett, and at Ciao Italia restaurant, at 1230 Broadway in Hewlett.
Weiss said motorists sometimes wait more than 10 minutes stuck in traffic, backing traffic up beyond Franklin Avenue on Broadway. Residents have particularly suffered, he said, adding that shopkeepers have also felt the impact. He said shopkeepers are complaining that customers have to put up with the wait and may choose to shop elsewhere to avoid the aggravation.
"Sure, we're feeling it," said Mark Schechner, owner of Walls' Bake Shop. "What used to take a couple of seconds for the light to change, now is taking an awful lot of time. You could spend five minutes waiting for the light to change. Obviously, they didn't do a good job. At this point it's a big annoyance."
Nick Scarcella, a chef at Ciao Italia, said, "I see cars backed up passed Franklin Avenue. It's pretty bad. Many customers are complaining. Something has to be done."
Weiss said he would urge county traffic engineers to visit the area to see what residents and shopkeepers are so angry about.
About a year ago, residents had complained that the area needed safety improvements to aid pedestrians and motorists alike, so crosswalks and turn lanes were installed and traffic lights were re-timed.
But Weiss said the county's "improvements" only added to the problems. "Residents are in an uproar in this community," Weiss said. "What is going on here now is unconscionable."
He said the congestion is so bad that police, ambulances and firefighters are having a difficult time passing through the intersections during emergencies. "It's a very dangerous situation at this point," Weiss said.
"The county has to do something in the interests of public safety, local commerce and our quality of life," said Weiss. "People are actually telling me they are not shopping here because of the traffic congestion. The impact of this is beyond belief and over time the impact could be devastating. If residents have to wait an extra 10 to 15 minutes, they are going to make plans to shop elsewhere, which is unfair to the merchants. You can't allow the shopkeepers to bear the brunt of a bad decision by the county.
Weiss added that the county should be doing everything it could to try to help local residents. "I know County Executive Suozzi to be a community-minded person and I believe he understands the value local shopping areas have to the community," Weiss said. "I'm hoping the county sees the absurdity of their decision. These intersections have always been a problem but it was better before than it is now, since they made the changes."
He said he has viewed the traffic in the morning, afternoon and evening and the "situation is sometimes laughable. I just hope the traffic department sees the gross error in their judgment."
Warren Sloane of Fortunoffs Hewlett said the traffic is often bumper-to-bumper and the timing of the traffic lights is worse than ever. He said the gridlock is so bad that motorists cannot exit the parking lot onto Piermont Avenue between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Joe Gelb, president of the Hewlett Business Association, called the traffic congestion "just terrible and disgraceful."
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