Last Thursday morning the Manor Oaks PTA held a meeting to discuss the excessive speed limit they feel that the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) maintains in front of the Manor Oaks School and Hillside Library complex on Hillside Avenue.

The speed limit is posted as 40 miles per hour, but after some study, the DOT established that the speed most people have been clocked driving in that area is well over the 40 mile speed limit, and in fact, closer to 50 miles per hour.

The members of the PTA invited engineers from the DOT to the meeting to address its members as to why they cannot lower the speed limit at the Manor Oaks School area for the safety of the children, which they stated in a previous letter sent to the PTA.

Engineer Richard Cousin opened up the meeting by first explaining what the DOT has done up to this point. He said they had been contacted by the PTA and told of the situation. Cousin said, "Let's say what we have done in front of the school up to now and then I will explain why we can't lower the speed limit."

He went on, "Up to this time we replaced a damaged pedestrian signal pole on Manor Court when it was reported the kids were swinging on and somehow became loose. We also adjusted the signal timing on that light to allow, when the push button is activated, 25 seconds rather than the prior time of 16 seconds for the school children to cross the street. According to our standards, you should be able to cross at four feet per second to get across the roadway. But, since we are dealing with young children, we did allow a little more time and added nine extra seconds for a total crossing time of 25 seconds or an ability of 100 feet."

At that point Cousin handed out "pedestrian crossing cards" for clarity in using the push button system.

"Further, " Cousin said, "we installed a new crosswalk that is now all peeled up on Manor Court. We know it is in bad condition and has to be replaced. What happened there was we put it in immediately on notification, but it was the wrong season. The asphalt was too cold and the tape didn't stick and the cars chewed it up. As soon as the weather breaks we are coming out there to replace it."

Cousin continued, "We were notified that there weren't any speed limit signs out there. There were a few, but since there was so much concern and the police said they had an enforcement problem, we did add some more speed limit signs. So now as you drive up and down 25B (Hillside Avenue) you will see a lot more speed limit signs and we have made them larger. "

Cousin said, "We made arrangements for MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Association) Long Island Bus, at your request, to move their Eastbound Route 25 B Stop from the west side of Manor Court to the east side because a lot of people said the kids were having trouble since the kids couldn't see around the bus."

When asked if this had been accomplished Cousin said that the DOT has put up its parking restrictions and now the bus company has to come and move their sign and as yet that has not been done. Cousin said that he did contact them again and they assured the DOT that as soon as their schedule allows, they will make that change.

Cousin also mentioned that the DOT left its parking restrictions on the west side to give more sight distance at the intersection.

Cousin continued, "We also notified the police department of the excessive speed, not just in front of the school, but on the whole stretch of 25B. Our speed data shows that they are doing between 46 and 49 miles per hour in front of the school. That is an enforcement issue."

Cousin also explained that the DOT has a Capital Improvement Project scheduled for 25B that will add a left-turn lane at Manor Court and larger traffic lights that will go from eight inches to 12 inches. He also said that they will reconstruct the pavement to improve the skid resistance and also reconstruct all the pavement markings in the area and will also landscape the medians, which has been known to reduce traffic speed." Cousin finally addressed the main question asked, at the outset of the meeting, why the speed limit cannot be lowered.

Cousin explained that the New York State Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices provides warrants for installation of a school speed limit and that can only happen if all the following conditions exist: * the zone contains a marked cross walk. * the crosswalk is supervised. * the school has one or more grades below grade 10. * there is no nearby traffic control signal, pedestrian overpass or underpass or bridge suitable for pedestrian use.

Cousin went on, "There is a signal at the intersection of Route 25 B and Manor Lane, therefore, it would be inappropriate to install a school speed limit in this area and that also precludes the need for a flashing beacon on a school speed limit sign."

It was pointed out that such a traffic light exists, as well as a flashing light, a crossing guard and a school zone, on New Hyde Park Road, in front of the New Hyde Park Road School.

Cousin explained that New Hyde Park Road is a county road and he has no idea why they deviated from the manual, but that he would look into it. He explained that the state sticks with the manual because a lot of engineers give their input into the manual and is now in the process of being updated."

North Hempstead Town Councilman Angelo Ferrara said that he felt the county, in the case of New Hyde Park Road, responded to the wishes of the community and that to follow a manual to the "letter" was foolish since the main concern was for the safety of the children attending the Manor Oaks School and the Hillside Library, which is part of the Manor Oaks School facility. He said he felt if the county felt it was necessary enough to change the manual for the New Hyde Park Road School then the state should do the same for the Manor Oaks School. He received a big round of applause after his statement.

Ferrara added that he would be in touch with the Regional Director of the DOT, Craig Siracusa, P. E., to see what help the town could be in declaring the road in front of the Manor Oaks School a "school zone."

Quite a few audience members then recounted accidents they had been in or near accidents at the location of the light or on either side of it. One woman brought pictures that showed cars, due to their excessive speed had careened into the backyards of residents with homes on the west side of Hillside Avenue, due to their inability to stop when traveling excessive speeds.

Cousin said they did research the number of accidents in the area and said that there were not that many accidents reported in the area. He said they look for a pattern of accidents. He said, "The pattern of accidents can pinpoint the conditions in the area; light glare, etc."

Cousin said, "We don't randomly set speed limits for one very specific reason. It is very hard to enforce unrealistic speeds. To set the speed limit at 30 miles per hour doesn't automatically ensure that people are going to adhere to that speed. Most people do maintain the speed they feel the most comfortable traveling."

Cousin pointed out that the safest traffic control method is to use the push button to control the light and it is'necessary to instruct the children to use the push button correctly. Cousin said, "It shouldn't matter what the speed limit is on that road, no child should be in the roadway unless all the cars are stopped at the stop light."

Ferrara added, "That's great in a book, but that's not reality!"

Also present at the meeting were two officers from the Nassau County 3rd Precinct; Police Officer Christopher Cleary and Problem Orientated Officer (POP) Steve Markakis who then spoke to the problem of the speed limit in the area.

Both Police Officer Cleary and Markakis said that periodically they station speed monitors in the area that tabulates the speed the cars are doing in a 40 mile per hour speed zone.

When asked why the crossing guards could not issue tickets POP Officer Markakis explained that she is just there to cross the children and cannot leave her post to issue speeding tickets.

He said that they do monitor the area in front of the school, as often as possible, but was not able to quote how many tickets had been given for speeding in that area.

It was suggested that speed bumps be placed in the area, but Cousin said they are not used on main arteries because if someone is speeding and does not yield to the speed bump they will cause more accidents than to slow traffic.

New Hyde Park/Garden City Park Superintendent Joseph Rudaitis said, "With this manual, that you seem so bound to follow, is there any provision that discretion can be used in special cases, or are you obligated to follow this manual with no exceptions, ever, throughout New York State.

Cousin replied that in the manual a school speed limit can be established only when all the provisions stated above are followed.

Rudaitis said, "You said that the county broke with those rules?" Cousin replied, "I can't understand why they broke with engineering judgment to do what they did on that road and I can't speak to why they did that."

Rudaitis answered, "I would simply ask that you would take Nassau County Legislator Richard Nicolello's comments back to the DOT." (Nicolello commented that since they did deviate from the manual on New Hyde Park Road that perhaps this, here, too, something might be accomplished by not following the manual so strictly.)

Rudaitis said, "There is an irony in your remarks; first you say that you were surprised to see that 85 percent of the traffic in that area travels at such a high speed, but then you say that the stop light is there and that should force drivers to reduce their speed. Common sense dictates that if the speed limit was lowered, people would travel at a lower rate of speed."

Cousin disagreed with Rudaitis, stating that since people are used to traveling the speed designated now, they would not lower their speed.

DOT Engineer Hashem Marsi said that perhaps after the Hillside Avenue Capital Project is completed, in a year or two, the DOT would be able to come back and look at the speed limit problem again.

However, none of the PTA members felt that they had received satisfactory answers and indicated that they intend to write additional letters to their elected officials and to the members of the civic associations to see if they could help in this endeavor.

The visit from the DOT was orchestrated by Chairpersons of the Health and Safety Committee of the PTA, Stephanie Regalbuto and Connie Negrow and they too, will continue to work on the campaign to lower the speed limit in front of the Manor Oaks School.

(Fact: After the meeting we drove by schools in Herricks and on Herricks Road in front of the Center Street School the speed limit is 30 mph and later resumes to 40 mph. On Jericho Turnpike, the speed limit, in the vicinity of Chaminade High School, the Jackson Street School and the Middle School of Mineola, has been lowered and is then resumed at 40 mph.)