The new left-turn lane in front of Rich Gallipoli's home in Melville forces him to lean into traffic to retrieve mail.
The Town of Huntington recently painted a left turn lane on my street for a planned traffic light at the corner of Republic Road and Marcus Drive. This new lane starts directly in front of my home, moving the southbound through-lane directly up to the curb. There is no longer a shoulder area or parking lane, and I now have to lean into traffic to retrieve mail from my mailbox. The turn lane has created a dangerous situation for me and my family. This is a disaster waiting to happen.
Huntington Town Supervisor Frank Petrone listened to the concerns expressed by Newsday and Gallipoli, and then reviewed the new traffic configuration with his traffic safety people.
As a result, “The markings [for the left turn lane] are going to be grounded out (removed) within the next week,” he said.
“There’s definitely a light merited, but...I’m not sure you need a turn lane at this point,” Petrone said. If through monitoring it’s determined that one is necessary, the town can find a way to incorporate it so traffic isn’t moved closer to the houses on Republic Road, he said.
The supervisor’s staff will also ask the U.S. Postal Service whether mailboxes for the homes can be moved farther back from the curb.
The town installed the left turn lane in November after employees from the adjoining business area sent a petition requesting one, town traffic safety engineer Gary Gil said. Based on recent traffic patterns and accident data from 2002, the latest year available to him, the left turn lane would make the intersection safer, he said.
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Comments (10)
you should've already had a mailbox with 2-doors, front and back, so you dont have to go into the street and collect your mail
this left turning lane should REMAIN in place...judging from google maps and the newsday video your home has just recently been built
boo-hoo the cars are closer to your property line....YOU moved there...YOU moved across the street from one of the largest industrial business parks on LI!!!
How can ONE resident outway the safety of HUNDREDS of employees !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
click this to see the map of the intersection:
http://maps.google.com/maps?num=50&hl=en&safe=off&q=Republic+Road+and+Marcus+Drive+melville&ie=UTF8&ll=40.759131,-73.415258&spn=0.00193,0.004989&t=k&z=18&om=0
This is the kind of stuff the Neighborhood Watchdog is going to do? Give me a break!
Sacrifice traffic safety and capacity for this? The Town should buy a double door mailbox.
Mr. Supervisor, please show SOME guts!
Is it even legal for the mail carrier to stop his/her vehicle at that mailbox to place mail in it? That's a through-lane! Also, I wasn't aware that you needed permission to move your mailbox.
While they're putting up traffic lights, might I suggest another at the corner of Maxess Road and Ruland Road by that corner deli?
It's HELL trying to make a left out of Maxess to head towards Pinelawn in the morning.
http://www.2600.com/offthehook Blank expressions are Off The Hook.
This man has a right to get his mail with no incident. He bought the house under the conditions of the street with NO LEFT TURN. Give himn a double door mailbox?? That's the stupidest idea I have ever heard. He has the right to object to the new lanes being put in front of his house. Some of the other idiot posters would care if they put a stop sign right at their house, or rearranged traffic so more went down their street. Give this guy a break. All he wants to do is live in the house he bought for his family-safely. You other posters above are idiots and care only about your commute. Who's selfish?? You are dummies. Give the guy a break.
Don't listen to my wifes comments above. She is mentally unstable. Do what you need to do TOH.
Hey Linda Weinberg,
If this guy truly cared about the safety of his family, why did he move to this house in the first place.
Republic Rd. isn't some small side street in a residential area, the roadway is 4 miles long, heavily trafficked, has only 4 other single family houses on it not to mention its surrounded by a massive industrial park.
These 5 homes should have never been build here in the first place.
Hey John,
The facts are they did build the houses there and he did buy that house and had every expectation to keep his family safe. Its the employees of the industrial park who are selfish and don't care about Huntington and the safety of its residents. All they care about is leaving work as quickly as they can. Maybe they should get a better work ethic and then they wouldn't want to leave so quickly. The industrial park houses nothing but criminals and degenerates anyway. Get a life John!!! F U to the employees.
okay i think you ment going to work...the turning lane was put in for drivers on their way to work ( YOU cant even get the basic facts right)
how do you balance the safety of hundreds/ thounsands of employees in the area to that of ONE family...that lane didnt just benefit employees but EVERYONE who drives though this intersection.
The Town of Huntington, especially Frank Petrone, should be embarrassed and ashamed to giving in so easily to bad press from newsday...there is no way the left turning lane was a hazard, removing it increases the likelihood of accidents once again.
I seriously doubt that the Supervisor or any of his staff even talked to any traffic engineers, they were more concerned with TOWN VOTERS than TOWN SAFETY.
PUT THE LANE BACK!!!
call or e-mail:
William Naughton
Highway Superintendent
Dept: Superintendent of Highways
Huntington, NY 11743
Phone: (631) 351-3076, E-Mail: wn@tohhighway.com
Dept Hours:
Monday thru Friday 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM