Drivers in Williston Park, East Williston and Westbury will soon get a reminder to watch their speed that will be hard to miss.
The Town of North Hempstead plans to place about two dozen radar-activated speed signs around the town with a $100,000 grant from the state’s Division of Criminal Justice Services, which state Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola) helped secure.
The town decided to pursue the grant after seeing an uptick in the number of traffic fatalities caused by excessive speed, spokesman Sam Marksheid said in an email.
“We hope that the new radar activated speed signs will encourage those taking to the roads to practice safe driving habits,” Bosworth said in an Oct. 7 press release.
The three villages chosen as the first recipients for the signs, which show drivers’ speed as they pass them, are those that need them the most, Marksheid said.
East Williston Mayor David Tanner said the village is getting one solar-powered sign, which will be placed in the southbound lane on Roslyn Road.
The signs are a “first step” in getting a handle on the increase in traffic the village has seen over the past couple years, Tanner said.
“We can’t build walls around our community, but at the same point there are things we can do to let people know that you’re not on a major highway when you go through our village,” said Tanner, adding that East Williston is also working with the county to develop more ways to control traffic.
Williston Park will also get one sign, which officials hope to move to different locations, Mayor Paul Ehrbar said.
When Bosworth and Martins approached village leaders with the idea, Ehrbar said, they thought it would be a good way to make Williston Park’s streets safer for its many seniors and children.
“We’re looking to do anything we can to control and slow down traffic in the village, and we thought it would be a good opportunity,” Ehrbar said.
