Assistant Principal Cathleen Potorski wants a traffic light to help students cross Wantagh Avenue.
I am the assistant principal at Island Trees Memorial Middle School in Levittown and for 25 years I have been writing to legislators regarding the unsafe traffic conditions in front of our school on Wantagh Avenue near Hempstead Turnpike.
It’s dangerous. The speed limit is 30 and the traffic moves much faster. It is nearly impossible for students to cross the street. Sometimes, the cars often do not even stop for the crossing guard who has been struck twice.
We need a flashing yellow light in front of our school with a push button to turn the light red for pedestrians, but we’ve been told it would cost $100,000 and there is no funding for it.
Wantagh Avenue is a busy four-lane street as we saw on a recent weekday. Some drivers were reluctant to stop for crossing guard Theresa Joseph and beeped at her as she stood in front of them with her hand up, or driving around her.
But whether or not assistant principal Potorski is successful in her quarter-century quest for a traffic light depends on Nassau County, which controls all traffic devices between Queens and Suffolk.
Deputy County Executive Ian Siegel, who oversees parks and public works, said based on the last traffic study in 2000, the county decided a traffic light wasn’t needed. However, Siegel said a new survey will be done before the end of the school year. “We’re going to restudy it," he said, and the county will base its decision on traffic volume, accident rates in the area and pedestrian traffic.
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Comments (6)
Kate Murray is busy putting up ball fields all over Wantagh Avenue to help contribute to the congestion and dangerous illegal parking but does nothing to help out with a traffic light for the school?????
there is no reason to put a traffic light at the school - there is a light about 50 yards away at the corner of straight lane and wantagh avenue. students can walk a few feet to cross wantagh avenue there. there are enough traffic lights on wantagh avenue south of hempstead tpke as it is, and if the school is concerned they should ask the police to monitor the area instead (which they often do).
NO TRAFFIC LIGHT...
There is a traffic light 100 ft south of school property, at the intersection of Straight Lane and Wantagh Avenue. There is another traffic light 500 ft north of school property, at Hempstead Turnpike and Wantagh Avenue.
Utilize the existing traffic lights and remove the the crossing in front of the school. If this pedestrian crossing is so dangerous then why not remove it.
Use NCPD Officers/ AMTs and teachers to educate the dangers and fines for students crossing Wantagh Avenue illegally.
Click here for a Birds-eye view of the school and intersections:
http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=qsmdbk8w7p2d&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=21297211&encType=1
or here on google maps:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=straight+lane+and+wantagh+avenue&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=33.160552,79.892578&ie=UTF8&ll=40.72251,-73.498385&spn=0.007741,0.019505&t=h&z=16&iwloc=addr
Kate Murray didnt put those baseball fields all over Wantagh Avenue, they've been there long before Murray and go back to the building of Levittown.
how about more cops on wantagh avenue and especially in front of the school. the way people drive today is out of control. i have seen way too many people doing over 60 on that road.
there is no reason for that, put the cops on that road and watch how many tickets they write. maybe then people will slow down
More cops in the area would be great.In response to the two people who posted no traffic light necessary (ellby and ryan) your statement "If this pedestrian crossing is so dangerous then why not remove it" and have the kids cross where? The light at Hempstead Turnpike and Wantagh Avenue is a main intersection, which if you have children I'm sure you would not want them crossing at that location. Not only is this a prime light for people running the red or speeding up on the yellow, this is also an mta bus stop on both the east and west side of the Turnpike. Not to mention being that far from the school would make these kids prime targets for possible abductions. There are several sex offenders living in the area. The intersection light at Straight Lane and Wantagh Avenue has no break in traffic flow. If your coming off of Straight Lane your allowed to make a right on red thus keeping the traffic moving with little break. Plus the cars ignore kids crossing and make the right while these kids are standing in the middle of Wantagh Avenue trying to get across. Ive been beeped at for letting kids cross because the person behind me wants to turn, seriously why would a motorist care if a kid is trying to cross just so long as they make the light and get where they need to go. Hey its not your kid in the middle of the road! A light in front of the school would be a perfect way to slow down traffic and keep the kids/parents and our crossing guard safe. One more point, I've also seen the crossing guard herself almost get hit trying to stop cars so the kids can cross. Hopefully Mrs. Potorski will suceed in getting this done. Island Trees is very lucky to have her as she truly cares about the well being of the students.