(The following letter was written to North Hempstead Councilman Fred Pollack and is printed here at the author's request.)

The proposals of one, having a stop sign on Bayview going south and two, having a no left turn sign when leaving Bayview going onto Maple Street are, in my opinion, not the solution to this intersection's problem.

Ideally, there would be a traffic light at this intersection. Perhaps a red/orange flashing light would suffice, where one traffic flow would stop and go and the other use caution but keep going. If that is not called for by our traffic people or in their opinion not feasible, then I suggest that intersection be left as it is. I use this intersection perhaps a couple of times a day. I personally use it to avoid not only the traffic on Plandome Road but also the traffic at the Plandome Road/Northern Blvd. intersection. This back road route to Terrace Manor and/or Macy's, Citibank, the Mobil station, the office buildings of doctors and/or brokers, etc., is really preferable to adding traffic to already overpopulated roads, i.e., by going through town on Plandome Road and then west onto Northern Boulevard.

If there were a "no left turn" onto Maple, then when I take the back roads to avoid Plandome Road traffic (which is what I do often when coming from the Plandome Deli and/or Raindew and the municipal parking and those shops on Locust), I would have to go over to East Shore Road, take a left and enter into the never-ending, incredible traffic traveling south from Great Neck, etc., down to the incredibly busy intersection of Northern Boulevard/Community Drive/ East Shore Road. This intersection is already a nightmare! Then when I turn onto Northern Boulevard and head east toward West Drive in order to enter Terrace Manor, the traffic is so heavy so as to take many minutes to reach my turnoff. I then would just add more to that traffic and stay on the Northern Boulevard traffic flow for a much longer period than if I came south on Maple and then left/east for about a block to my West Drive turnoff.

The proposed no left turn would definitely not improve the situation as much as it would harm that on East Shore Road/Community Drive and Northern Boulevard. I also believe that you would have people making U-turns after the stop sign proposed but before East Shore Road in an effort to go south on Maple Street (I'm pretty sure I would!). This would create another danger.

My fear for putting up a stop sign on the southbound side of Bayview Avenue would be that at times it would back up to just after the Long Island trestle's sharp curve and those cars approaching the trestle would not be able to slow down in time to avoid backending those stopped, just beyond sight, for the stop sign. Here I am talking about good weather, too. Just imagine that scene in bad, snowy or rainy weather!

I do not think I will be able to make the hearing on this subject if it is June 12, hence this letter. I would appreciate your taking my comments into consideration before voting on this most serious intersection and the proposed solution. There might be another way!

Phyllis J. Clark

cc: May W. Newburger, Supervisor

All town board members

James Cunningham, president

Council of Greater Manhasset Civic Associations

Inspector Peter Matuza, 6th Precinct

Eileen Brennan, Manhasset Press