LIRR tree trimming in Lynbrook went too far
The area behind Ron Sme was cleared of trees and other vegetation to prevent train wheels from skidding, but Sme said the LIRR's "trimming" was excessive.
Newsday photo by Alan Raia
On Sunrise Highway in Lynbrook, the LIRR removed every bit of vegetation near tracks in late 2007, including the 30- to 50-year-old trees. It looks like a scene from the 1930s Dust Bowl. The LIRR said there would be some trimming, but it does not seem proper to butcher the landscape.
--Ron Sme, Lynbrook
We made a bunch of calls to the LIRR over a month-long period before we got answers. Spokesman Sam Zambuto said the railroad is now hammering out a beautification plan with local officials and residents.
The tree-cutting was part of a vegetation management program to address “slip-slide” concerns, a condition where train wheels skid on acceleration and braking due to an oily residue from crushed leaves, Zambuto said.
The Lynbrook area between Denton and Ocean avenues was one trouble spot on the Long Island Railroad’s Babylon branch.
Workers cut tree limbs that were entangled in overhead signal lines and others that were hanging over the tracks. Zambuto didn’t know the number of trees removed, but Sme estimated 20 were cut.
The phone number for LIRR’s vegetation management program and replaning efforts is 718-558-8228
--MICHAEL R. EBERT
