As a "last minute request," residents of the Pool Drive area recently asked the Village of Roslyn board of trustees if speed bumps could be constructed on that road, namely as a way to ensure traffic safety. The request was part of a long-running debate over safety issues resulting from the increase in traffic volume on Pool Drive that takes place during the summer months, when parents are picking up their children at the Shibley Day Camp.

In recent months, concerned parents have secured approval for the construction of several stop signs along Pool Drive. However, the speed bump proposal is not likely to fly. Several reasons were given. BOT member Marta Genovese, who has some legal experience on these matters, noted that the New York State legislature must approve any speed bump request. Any law they approve would be written by the state Department of Transportation. It is far too late for any of that to happen this year.

Beyond that, there is the larger question of liability. With a speed bump, a small village of Roslyn could find itself contending with significant legal problems. For example, when a car manages to be damaged by a speed bump or, more likely, when a pedestrian "trips" on a speed bump, then village hall is stuck with liability woes. Speed bumps can mean bigger problems not just for parents, but also for speeding teenagers.

Wendy Chaite, a Pool Drive area resident, claimed that a neighboring village in the Roslyn area has already put up their own speed bumps. When she asked how that was done, a BOT member maintained that sometimes village governments do things which "may not be legal."

Village Attorney John Spellman said that speed bumps, with their obstructions in the roadway, could create a serious sidewalk problem. More importantly, any insurance company the village might want to hire would express their concerns over the speed bumps and the liability problem they represent.

BOT member Marshall Bernstein added that liability possibilities would be heightened by the problem of speed bumps and teenagers, not only in cars, but also on bikes and skateboards. Nolan Myerson said that the group of concerned parents should come up with alternative plans, such as getting license plates of cars that drive too fast on Shibley Drive and then reporting those cars to the owner of Shibley. Lester Arstark, the village's liaison to the 6th Precinct, said that even though parents may create the traffic problem, the entire situation is the responsibility of the owner of Shibley.