Village of Great Neck residents push for more traffic signs

Robert Pelaez
Village of Great Neck Clerk Abraham Cohan, said that more residents have come forward to advocate for an increase in traffic signage throughout the area. (Photo from the Island Now archives)

A petition signed by 10 Village of Great Neck residents seeks more traffic signs on Middle Neck Road to improve driver and pedestrian safety.

The petition states, “We the undersigned Residents respectfully request our Mayor and our Board of Trustees to consider adding Piccadilly Road & Wooleys Lane to the existing streets that restrict Right Turns at Red Traffic Lights.  Any other measures to improve pedestrian safety at all streets that intersect Middle Neck Road would be greatly appreciated. Many Thanks for your attention to our requests.”

The petition was presented at Tuesday night’s Board of Trustees meeting.  Of the 10 people  who signed it, nine reside on Essex Road, which runs into Piccadilly, which intersects with Middle Neck Road. Part of Essex is also split up and intersect with Wooleys Lane just south of Piccadilly.

No one who signed the petition was in attendance at the meeting and the signers were not immediately available for comment.

Village Clerk Abraham Cohan said more residents have been approaching the village about these areas and have asked that action be taken before someone is injured.

“We had a number of people come in and complain about the safety at the corner of Piccadilly and Middle Neck Road,” Cohan said. “People have expressed concerns about making a right from Middle Neck onto Piccadilly.  From these people’s perspective, it seems to be very dangerous.”

Deputy Mayor Bart Sobel noted that the issue of traffic on Middle Neck Road and pedestrian safety is something that the village intends to look into more, but he offered preliminary steps to take before agreeing to allocate funds for additional signs.

“I think this is something we should review with either a traffic consultant or we could at least use data that was provided by the county for the Middle Neck Road improvement,” Sobel said. “Before doing anything, we should determine if there is a particular danger presented at those intersections or not.”

Sobel said he did not disagree with those residents’ and their concerns, but urged the board and village to err on the side of caution and take proper steps to determine what the best course of action would be.

The Nassau County Department of Public Works conducted a Middle Neck Road traffic study through the summer and fall of 2019.  The department presented the findings and the best courses of action for the villages to take.

In their study, officials found that intersections on Middle Neck Road see more crashes per million vehicles than the statewide average.

Great Neck resident Jean Pierce, who has expressed her frustrations with drivers during Village of Great Neck meetings, implored members of the Public Works Department and Board of Trustees to walk alongside and across the studied intersections to see “just how dangerous they really are.”

Sobel concluded the discussion by asking the board to continue the discussion once Mayor Pedram Bral is present and after data has been reviewed.

Share this Article