By Nick Buglione
The East Meadow Civic Association organized the meeting, which was held in a resident¹s home, along with Hempstead Town Councilman Gary Hudes (R-Levittown), who offered some possible solutions to the situation.
Some 15 residents attended, citing the high volume of traffic among their chief concerns. Located just off busy Merrick Avenue and south of Hempstead Turnpike, Lloyd Court is a winding, S-shaped road lined with homes.
When Merrick Avenue is backed up with traffic, cars frequently turn down the court in search of alternative routes, residents said. ³People use it as a cut-through to get to East Meadow Avenue or even Front Street when Merrick Avenue is backed up,² said George Pajot, who hosted the meeting and has lived on Lloyd Court for 10 years. ³This has been an issue, but it¹s gotten progressively worse.²
Lloyd Court is across the street from the Merrick Avenue baseball fields. Over the last few years, a number of buildings have gone up around the fields, including the Bristal and Sunrise assisted-living facilities, which have added to traffic in the area, Pajot said. What¹s more, a recently erected senior apartment complex is set to open this summer, according to Pajot.
Though the speed limit on Lloyd Court is a clearly marked 15 mph, it¹s frequently ignored, he said. And when drivers on Merrick Avenue miss their turn or want to head back in the other direction, they usually choose Lloyd Court to make the U-turn. ³A lot of people on Merrick Avenue use Lloyd Court to make U-turns,² said Robert Zafonte, president of the East Meadow Civic Association.
Pajot said that on five occasions, his car has been hit by passing vehicles while it was parked on the street, three times by speeders and twice by drivers doing U-turns.
Parking poses another safety problem on Lloyd Court, residents said. People often park along the court¹s curves, making the road significantly narrower and even more dangerous to drive down. ³Some people are concerned because there are children that play [on the street], others are concerned with not being able to get out of their driveway,² Hudes said. ³This street is not a straight roadway. It¹s a little more problematic.²
Hudes said that he¹s already asked the Town of Hempstead to conduct a traffic survey on Lloyd Court to explore possible solutions. He expects the study to be completed sometime in May.
Some residents are lobbying to make the court a one-way street going toward Merrick Avenue, which would prevent drivers on the busy thoroughfare from using it as an alternate route. Though Hudes said the town will explore that possibility, it might not be feasible. ³Some people want it to be a one-way, but that¹s not likely to happen, because you have to look at the impact it will have on other streets,² Zafonte said.
Other residents called for speed bumps, but were told the town doesn¹t install them on its streets for safety reasons. ³Hempstead Town will not do speed bumps,² Pajot said. ³The danger is if someone comes at night and doesn¹t know it¹s there.²
Hudes believes the problems can be solved with a few simple modifications, including posting larger stop signs and speed limit signs. He also suggested painting stop lines on the pavement and double yellow lines on the road. ³By painting the double yellow lines, it tends to define the roadway and slow cars down,² the councilman said.
³A great deal of the problems they had have to do with enforcement,² Hudes continued, adding that he will be working with the Nassau County Police Department to step up patrols on Merrick Avenue. He¹s also going to ask the county Department of Public Works to put up a no-U-turn sign on Merrick Avenue at the corner of Lloyd Court. Merrick Avenue is a county road.
A few residents living at the beginning of the road have asked the town to remove the no-parking signs in front of their homes. Years ago there was a problem with people parking on the block for the entire day, and car-pooling to work. To rectify the problem, the town restricted parking in front of the homes. Since it¹s no longer an issue, residents want those parking spots freed up. ³The people that live there should have the freedom to park in front of their homes,² Zafonte said.
Comments about this story? NBuglione@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
