By JOSEPH KELLARD
That's what Susan O'Sullivan, a resident of Knight Street, a side road off this main thoroughfare in Oceanside, believes are the main traffic problems along this stretch.
Serving as a "cut through" for motorists traveling to and from Oceanside, Island Park, Long Beach, Baldwin, Freeport and beyond, allowing them to avoid taking Merrick Road and Sunrise Highway, Waukena is among the more congested two-lane roads in town, particularly during morning and evening rush hours. Moreover, when the congestion is gone, many motorists speed down the street's straightaway at speeds, O'Sullivan estimates, of 60 to 70 mph in a 30-mph zone.
These and other traffic problems have been the subject of complaints by residents such as O'Sullivan at town hall meetings hosted by Hempstead Town Councilman Anthony Santino. At the most recent meeting, on May 15, O'Sullivan said that when she drives her children to the middle school in the mornings, a trip that should take her five minutes turn into one of 20 to 25 minutes because of the congestion. She said morning and evening traffic heading in both directions on Waukena, starting from both Brower Avenue and Oceanside Road, can sometimes backed up near Skillman.
O'Sullivan says that despite posted signs that prohibit trucks weighing 8,000 pounds or more from using the road (excepting local deliveries), she regularly sees 18-wheelers and oil tankers on the road, as well as dump, construction and flatbed trucks, all bearing materials that in total, she believes, exceed the weight limit.
O'Sullivan added that the town has been "very responsive" to her calls for more "no trucks" signs at the main intersections along Waukena, such as Oceanside Road, Skillman Avenue and Brower. In recent years, for example, the town posted a "no trucks" sign with the large overhead green traffic sign on Atlantic Avenue for motorists to see as they enter Oceanside from Baldwin. Trucks are permitted on Brower Avenue, the road that Atlantic Avenue turns into in Oceanside, but O'Sullivan claims that too many trucks still turn onto Waukena instead.
"This road was never designed to handle this volume of traffic," she said. O'Sullivan believes that correcting the problems of speeders and unnecessary truck traffic now lies with better enforcement by police, an opinion she voiced at the meeting.
"Years ago we had a lot more resources to address issues like speeding, with radar guns and such," Fourth Precinct Inspector Richard McGuire told O'Sullivan. "We don't have those types of resources now, but nevertheless this is an important problem, and we will address the speeding and other traffic enforcement issues on Waukena."
McGuire said that when police stop commercial vehicles that may exceed the weight limit, such as furniture trucks, in residential areas, most of them have some type of delivery near the main thoroughfare. "If it's some side street 15 blocks away, [the traffic violation ticket] will not be upheld in court," he said. "The ticket gets dismissed time and time again." He added that trucks such as oil tankers were among the exceptions, and that police will address this issue.
"I really think the police need to step up," O'Sullivan said following the meeting. "I know they say that Nassau County is in a budget crisis and that there's not enough manpower. Believe me, I understand what these woman and gentlemen face. However, something has got to be done. They've got to step up some kind of patrolling."
To address the speeders, Santino said at the meeting that the town could install a portable radar speed-check sign on Waukena. "It's not a cure-all, but it's somewhat helpful," he said.
Gary Sauer, the town traffic engineer, said, "[The check sign] has proven to be effective."
Both Santino and Sauer informed O'Sullivan that the town is already taking a traffic survey study of Waukena Avenue to see if there are conditions that might indicate that further traffic restrictions are needed.
"We are in the process of conducting an extensive survey to ascertain where would be a good location for an additional stop sign off of Waukena Avenue," Sauer said. "We're in the process of getting the accident records from the police department to determine what location to put it in."
O'Sullivan said that at her request, the town performed a survey last year to determine if the volume of traffic had increased on Waukena in recent years. "Their study concluded that the traffic flow hadn't changed," O'Sullivan said. "I appreciate the survey, but I question the results.
"I think the town is doing the best that they can, but there are limitations on them," she continued. "They are not able to get another stop light, which is Nassau County's jurisdiction. But I don't know what good another survey will do at this point."
