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Last night was the second Middle Road Traffic Forum held at The Academy Street Gym. I did not attend, but the Suffolk County Department of Public Works' Chief Engineer was to present his finding and solutions to help ease the problem of speeding and reckless driving on Middle Road in Bayport.
This summer if you drove on Middle Road or the boulevard of death, as one WCBS TV reporter referred to it, you would have noticed the large police presence to catch speeders and slow down reckless drivers. This was all due to the the Traffic Forum, that held their first meeting in the spring. Although, the below information is from their first meeting, it is still interesting and worth reading if you live in Bayport.
For more information email BayportSafety@OptOnline.Net
The Bayport Safety Committee
The Bayport Safety Committee on June 16th held a well publicized, highly attended, robust community forum on traffic safety issues at the Academy Street Elementary School. The Committee also surveyed hundreds of Bayport residents on the quality of life issues related to vehicular speeding and reckless driving that affect our neighborhood. All viewpoints and related actual experiences on the topic were encouraged to be expressed. No opinions were neglected, it was an interesting evening.
The main focus of our concern has to deal with the historic heart of our community, Middle Road. This beautiful collection of 19th and early 20th century houses should be made into a "National Historic Registry District". It must not continue to be despoiled by the out of control vehicular speeding problem. The 30 m.p.h. posted speed limit is adhered to by less than 10% of the motorists who traverse this road, many of whom are our neighbors. Speeds of 50 to 65 m.p.h. are the norm. If a pedestrian is struck by a car doing 30 m.p.h., that individuals statistical chance of survival is 20%. Lower that to zero if the vehicle is a high-front van, SUV or landscaping truck. Thus safety for our families, friends and pets is our paramount issue. This is a topic on which there can be no logical disagreement. Where the trouble occurs is how to address the speeding problem--stoplights, stop signs, speed bumps, chicanes, rumble strips, police speed traps, better engineering or just good old fashioned responsible driving? That is the problem we face. We have analyzed our survey data, listened to forum participants and are now prepared to offer some remedies.
We are not traffic engineers or behavioral psychologists. Our proposal is not infallible, but reflects a prevailing majority respondent input. We are solely "concerned neighbors" who want to see a "common sense" solution to this traffic issue that will benefit all our residents. What once was a pleasant, bucolic, winding road has become at times a fearful, dangerous annoyance for responsible drivers and pedestrians. Excessive speeding, tailgating and illegal passing have become the norm not the exception on this stretch of road. It has become the "A-27-A By-Pass" for those wishing to avoid the traffic lights and congestion on Montauk Highway. The problems have been exacerbated by the increased traffic volume and lack of speed impediments on this 2-1/2 mile Middle Road/Gillette Avenue to Montauk Highway route.
Traffic calming encompasses what are called the 4 E's--Engineering, Enforcement, Education and Encouragement. Working off these categories we would like to offer our "street smart" recommendations for action:
ENGINEERING
Starting on the west end of Bayport by "Meadow Croft" and the "Loughlin Vineyard":
** Many people recreationally fish, bike, jog or walk on this natural stretch. Some type of engineered speed impediment should be incorporated into the roadbed by Brown's River to discourage vehicles from going over 30 m.p.h., thereby protecting these individuals.
** Following this open stretch there should be an attractive "Welcome to Historic Bayport" carved wood sign with "Speed limit strictly enforced" engraved underneath. An identical sign should be placed on Middle Road just east of Gillette Avenue.
** The next section of Middle Road from the first houses at Baywood Lane/Crestview Drive to Suydam Lane needs mitigation to slow the flow--this is a problem--McConnell Avenue is the most logical place for a stop sign, it is a dangerous curve, however the street does not align well for signage. Our committee could not agree on another stop sign location.
** All our other stop sign proposed placements correspond with pedestrian crosswalks at busy, important neighborhood locations. Edgewater Avenue--a 3 way stop sign (Bayport Commons and a school crossing), Snedecor Avenue--a 4 way stop sign (Methodist Church, Tiny Tots Nursery and a school crossing), Bayport Avenue--a 3 way stop sign and overhead red flasher (old downtown, and dangerous curve), Gillette Avenue--a 4 way stop sign and overhead red flasher (important recreational crossing and dangerous curve).
** We feel the sidewalk gaps on the south side of Middle Road need to be remedied. This is a "pedestrian" school district without busing. Unfortunately these gaps make foot or bike transit dangerous for our children, a situation that even in this tough fiscal climate needs to be addressed. The existing contiguous sidewalks on the north side of Middle Road also need routine maintenance (i.e. pruning and crack repair). Our pedestrian crosswalks need clear delineation with more durable paint, not decals and where appropriate "right of way" road cones.
** Trying to make a turn on Montauk Highway is a motorist nightmare. We feel the south turn signal at Gillette Avenue serves a very beneficial purpose. We would additionally add one east bound at the same location so drivers could turn north onto Gillette with ease and confidence. At Montauk Highway and Bayport Avenue we would add both north and south turn light signals. At Snedecor Avenue a south turn light should be installed eastbound. The same signal should be placed at McConnell Avenue. These additional turning lights would diffuse the traffic that now gravitates to the southbound Gillette Avenue signal for safety reasons. These measures would lessen the traffic burden on both Gillette and Middle Road.
** The Town of Islip program that planted 58 new trees curbside on Bayport Avenue should be expanded to as many other streets as is fiscally possible. Visually they help slow traffic.
ENFORCEMENT
** We cannot expect to always have police on demand when conditions cry out. The proposed stop signs would reduce the need for speed patrols. However, the reckless drivers who disobey our school crossing guards while also running stop signs and speeding still need to be ticketed. We would ask for police resources to be deployed during the school year from 7:15 to 9:00 a.m. and 2:15 to 6:30 p.m. Some people need $100 speeding tickets and penalty points on their licenses to get the message.
** Increased DWI patrol on weekend nights.
** One of the biggest speed culprits is the S-40 Bus that uses Blue Point Avenue and Middle Road as an "alternate route". Ridership on this diverted route leg appears to be minimal. It should be kept solely up on Montauk Highway instead of our narrow residential roads.
EDUCATION
** Our teen-age students are the next generation of motorists. Offer a mandatory driver education program at the High School, as well as a refresher defensive driver course for older folks.
ENCOURAGEMENT
** Develop a public safety program for our schools as well as residents. This is a wonderful area we are fortunate enough to reside in, why not a campaign touting "Drive at 25" and enjoy the scenery. Life is short enough--this is often forgotten when speeding to a child sports event or stressful job. There is something to be said for the slogan--"Stop and smell the roses".
CONCLUSION
The Bayport Safety Committee has been formed to make the community aware that there is a serious quality of life problem that taints our enjoyment of the wonderful benefits of living here--traffic anarchy. Many neighbors through the years have perished in horrible accidents. It is not "if" there will be another tragic case of a poor resident being killed or maimed but "when". It could be a member of your family, a close friend or a neighbor on the next block. We have the power to fight this inevitability. The "status quo" is not acceptable. No more road mayhem, let's slow things down.
NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT------NOT ANOTHER 20 OR THIRTY YEARS FROM TODAY!
Bayport Safety will walk the streets this summer to enlist more support. We welcome all the help we can garner. We will petition our present as well as potential future political leaders to help achieve our goals. Come September we will hold a second community forum and possibly a fundraiser. We already have promised donations for our "Welcome to Historic Bayport" sign proposal as well as the "public awareness" campaign. We have struck a responsive chord amongst the citizenry. We are also exploring the possibility of turning the responsibility for Middle Road from the County to the Town of Islip. It is easier to fix a neighborhood problem at the grass-root level. The responsiveness of the individuals sitting as well as aspiring to be members of the Islip Town Council at our forum was heartening. We look forward to a better, safer future.
