I wanted to thank our Nassau County Legislator Ellen Birnbaum for presenting the Middle Neck Road Traffic Safety Evaluation and initiating the important discussion in the community that is long overdue.
Special thanks for the live stream of the meeting (helpful to those who couldn’t attend) and for listening patiently to the concerns of the residents.
The presentation included suggestions in accordance with complete streets – a worldwide approach to fight street congestion and to make the urban landscapes more human by giving safe space to all street users, not only cars.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed the Complete Streets Act on Aug. 15, 2011, requiring state, county, and local agencies to consider the convenience and mobility of all users when developing transportation projects that receive state and federal funding. Nassau County adopted a Complete Street Policy in 2013.
A complete street is a roadway planned and designed to consider the safe, convenient access and mobility of all roadway users of all ages and abilities. This includes pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation riders, and motorists; it includes children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.
It’s a must in family-oriented community like Great Neck. The size of the Great Neck peninsula is also perfect for bicycling and walking.
The complete street approach means the adding of bicycle lanes on MNR. A long-overdue step, considering the growing numbers of bicyclists and the growing local population.
With the increasing congestion and the number of accidents, the call for designated bike lanes is delinquent. The more residents live on the peninsula, the more obvious is the quest for alternative transportation, less space-consuming and less air and noise polluting.
Aside from condemning the rows of buildings through eminent domain for street expansion, it’s pretty much the only way to increase the capacity of the local streets.
The arguments in favor of bike lanes are manifold:
– Biking reduces pollution and noise, increasing nearby property values.
– It poses far less of a threat to pedestrians.
– Bicycle parking needs less space. Twelve bicycles can fit into a space needed to park a single car.
– Bicycle lanes can accommodate more people moving at the same time.
– Cyclists improve local businesses: they are closer to shops similar to pedestrians, easier to park for a cup of coffee or shopping.
– Biking promotes social interaction: people see and greet each other; they can stop for a chat.
– Biking makes life in Great Neck more affordable since obviously it is much cheaper than driving a car.
– Biking is appealing to younger people, making Great Neck more attractive to them.
The ultimate success of the bike lanes will be determined by the level of protection it provides for the bikers. I implore the Nassau County to design protected bike lanes behind the parking lane, to ensure the safety. Only if cyclists will feel safe on the bike lanes will the Great Neckers switch to the bikes en masse.
Whoever wants to support local businesses, have to support bike lanes as a way to bring customers closer to the shopping doors and windows.
And whoever wants to show a sustainable way to support the local development, must provide alternative ways of transportation for the growing population of the peninsula.
Kate Goldberg
Great Neck
