With the support of the Town of North Hempstead, the Village of Great Neck Plaza will now be able to go ahead with its proposed reconstruction and traffic-calming project for Great Neck Road, a portion of which extends beyond the village. The project, funded by a federal grant administered by the state, has met with much opposition over the last two years, mainly from neighboring villages, but following the hearing at Town Hall last Wednesday evening, Sept. 13, Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman and the town board voted approval.

Basically, this proposal keeps two lanes of traffic in each direction at the east and west ends of Great Neck Road, but cuts down to one lane in each direction before and after the commercial area. The project also calls for repaving the road, an improvement that everyone agrees is critical. Other traffic-calming devices are also included.

Explaining his decision, Supervisor Kaiman stated that he felt that the village had "set forth both sides adequately," and while there was no "easy answer," if they did nothing at this point, there would continue to be "a road that doesn't work." The supervisor recognized that there would be upsets no matter what the decision. And he also recognized that the project would result in a "nominal increase in traffic" and might impact surrounding areas, but that there are safety issues at stake and that this was a rare opportunity to change the structure of the road.

"If we were to build this road today what would it look like?" Supervisor Kaiman asked. "We have the responsibility to look at the information, and Jean (Mayor Celender) is very compelling," he added. And although he did acknowledge the many negative comments that came forth during the hearing, and he did admit that there are still issues to which they do not have answers, he did state that the Plaza had done much to address the vast majority of concerns.

Additionally, since the inception of the proposal and the last public meeting on May 13, 2004, town and county consultants were called in, along with the Plaza's consultants, and all found the plan to be the right way to proceed.

Every resident of the Great Neck peninsula was advised, via town mailing, of the Sept. 13 hearing.

A great majority of the approximately two-dozen speakers at the Sept. 13 meeting did speak against the project. Almost all of those speakers, however, were residents of Russell Gardens, with several from Great Neck Estates. Both of these neighboring villages fear that the proposal will send traffic onto their streets and many of the speakers claimed that Mayor Celender had simply found a way to finance the repaving by writing a grant for traffic-calming measures that they felt were unnecessary.

Other concerns included worries about double parking in one-lane areas (Mayor Celender explained there would be "bump-ins" at commercial areas), U-turn problems, exit plans, and more, not less, accidents. And while a major concern is safe street crossings for senior citizens, some who object to the plan suggested just lights.

A fire department representative from Manhasset-Lakeville, Kyle Duggan, said that fire equipment could get through one-lane streets by mounting the medians in an emergency. He did acknowledge, though, that, with one-lane roads, street closings would probably be more common with any emergency situation.

Tom Mazzola, an independent traffic consultant hired by the Plaza explained the basics of the project and the chronology of events to date. First, he explained that traffic calming is "the combination of measures that reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behavior and improve conditions for non-motorized street users."

He further explained that traffic-calming goals include: enhancing quality of life; incorporating preferences and requirements of the people using the area along the street or at intersections; creating safe and attractive streets; helping to reduce negative effects of motor vehicles on the environment; and promoting pedestrian, cycle and transit use.

Traffic-calming objectives include: achieving slow speeds for motor vehicles, reducing collision frequency and severity, increasing the safety and the perception of safety for non-motorized users of the street, reducing the need for police enforcement, enhancing the street environment, and increasing access for all modes of transportation.

The traffic-calming project guidelines state that the NYS Department of Transportation funding is 90 percent and the village contribution is 10 percent.

Traffic calming improvements on the first grant call for a roundabout at the Barstow Circle, overhead speed awareness devices, and pedestrian safety systems.

For the second LSSTC grant, the current safety concerns and deficiencies include the 80-year old pavement that has not been repaved by the county since the 1920's and is dangerous, as well as the median that is too narrow for pedestrians and has too many large openings that allow U-turns.

The current Great Neck Road safety concerns and deficiencies center on pedestrian crossing safety issues (Atria/shopping center intersection, Knightsbridge Road intersection, and pedestrian crossing difficulties), relatively low traffic and speeding, and a high accident rate.

To correct these issues, the revised plan as of June 2006 proposes the following: removes one lane in each direction (Cuttermill and Middle Neck Road intersections unaffected); provides thin asphalt overlay on pavement and new pavement markings; new, safer medians; permits U-turns in both directions at Knightsbridge Road and Jayson Avenue, and mid-block at #185 building; upgrades traffic signals and crosswalks; retaines on-street parking when possible, with a possible loss of 34 spots.

Mayor Celender and Plaza Trustee Gerry Schneiderman countered negative concerns, recognizing that the entire plan is difficult to understand and that the current plan is just still a "concept." They emphasized that just paving the road (which the grant does not permit) would not solve the problems on Great Neck Road. "We want safer driving for the 21st century," Mayor Celender stated.

And the mayor made it clear that the grant would not have been approved if it were not viable and important.

The mayor also addressed concerns about any problems once the project is completed. She did promise to address any and all possible problems. She termed the project an improvement for the entire peninsula.

Nassau County Legislator Lisanne Altmann, a proponent of the plan, spoke of support from the county, saying that the commissioner of public works has no objection to the concept of the plan but does need a more formal, detailed review.

As Supervisor Kaiman and each town council member voted support, Lee Seeman, the councilwoman for the district that includes the Plaza, reiterated that the new, improved road will be for everyone and that it is definitely "time for a change."

Following the meeting, Mayor Celender told the Record that "This approved traffic-calming plan, counter-intuitive by its very nature as a 'road diet' proposal, will serve Great Neck Plaza and the entire Great Neck peninsula by slowing traffic down to appropriate legal speeds without causing congestion. It will optimize vehicle flow,; provide an improved roadway surface with new pavement markings, identified crosswalks and new "LED" traffic signals; enhance the safety of vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists, and enable the streetscape to be beautified with new curbing and landscaping for a more aesthetic gateway to Great Neck."