The Davis Lane parking situation was up again for discussion at the July 17 Village of Roslyn board of trustees meeting. For now, the village plans to keep the current policy in place, one that allows for some limited parking on Davis Lane. At the September meeting, the BOT will decide to extend or terminate that policy.

At the July meeting, Janet Insardi, the Roslyn resident who has lobbied for the policy change, reported on what has happened since the new parking rules were implemented six months ago. Ms. Insardi said she had hired an engineer to make a study of the Davis Lane situation. According to that engineer's findings, the Davis Lane area, Ms. Insardi said, has seen no traffic problems or "unsafe conditions," namely because the parking rules apply for the hours of between 3 and 6 a.m. and because parking is allowed far from other homes or establishments, such as the Bryant Library and the Roslyn Presbyterian Church.

Referring to a recent article in The Roslyn News, Ms. Insardi said there has been no graffiti on vehicles parked on Davis Lane. The change in policy, moreover, has been seen in only two new signs being put up and so, there have been no aesthetic problems resulting from the new rules. For the record, Ms. Insardi then submitted a letter from her engineer to the BOT, one that outlined the traffic situation. She also thanked the BOT for trying to balance the needs of the Historic District to that of the community at large.

Philip L. Franckel, an attorney who also resides on Davis Lane, said that he was requested by three of his neighbors to make a comment at the BOT meeting. A thirty-one year veteran of the Nassau County police department, Mr. Franckel said he had two objections to the current parking situation. One was "security," the fact that robberies often take place where parked cars are located. The other was for aesthetic reasons. Davis Lane, he noted, has no sidewalks, no signs, no cars parked on the street, contributing to what Mr. Franckel called its "country life" atmosphere.

Mr. Franckel added that he had "some sympathy" for people who live on East Broadway and have parking difficulties. He thought the village should request that the Town of North Hempstead issue parking permits to houses with no parking, allowing such residents to use municipal parking lots. Trustee Nolan Myerson himself noted that the area in question sits near to a municipal parking lot.

Other residents mentioned safety issues. Ms. D. Yehuda of 35 Davis Lane said driving down that street can be a "very dangerous" experience, especially when making a certain curve. Vision is limited for drivers and maneuvering to the left to avoid a parked vehicle only makes it worse, she said. This situation, Ms. Yehuda added, becomes more dangerous at night.

Responding to a question from Trustee Myerson, Ms. Yehuda said there were street lights on Davis Lane, but not at the portion of the street in question, where, she said "you can't see anything." Ms. Yehuda said there shouldn't be any parking on Davis Lane.

Andrea Conetta, another Davis Lane resident, said that five people on her block asked her to speak against the new parking rules. She said the current situation affects the entire area, from the beginning of Davis Lane to the bottom of East Broadway, a place where people are dropping off kids at the nursery school and going to church at various time periods.

Echoing Ms. Yehuda, Ms. Conetta said that Davis Lane contains a "blind spot" which can be especially dangerous when school buses are in operation. Ms. Conetta quoted a neighbor who said, "something is going to happen [on Davis Lane] and it's not going to be pretty." Safety concerns were on the mind of other local residents, one of whom called Davis Lane "pretty much of a drag strip" due to its hilly nature. Another resident noted that because Davis Lane has no sidewalks, children are forced to walk on the street while on the way to the library or other destinations. That alone is a safety hazard and according to the policy's opponents, having parked cars on Davis would only increase the risks.

In her response, Ms. Insardi said that as far as security is concerned, she would put something in her car window to handle that potential problem. Ms. Insardi also reiterated that she only wants parking between 3 and 6 a.m. and that an engineer has found that there has been no accidents, no adverse incidents since the new parking rules have gone into effect. What traffic problems there are relate to the parking situation for Growing Tree Nursery School and the library. The parking space in question, she said once again, is far away from those two places.

Trustee Myerson also reiterated that parking is only for three early morning hours. The blind spot on Davis Lane, he said, is something the BOT would have to study. Mayor John Durkin said the BOT would reserve a decision on the 60-day limit rule. In the meantime, they would investigate alternative proposals.