As local individual residents and civic groups continue to express concern about traffic safety conditions on Salisbury Park Drive, the East Meadow Civic Association (EMCA) last week released a Salisbury Park Drive Traffic Safety Task Force report.

According to Richard T. Baggs, head of EMCA's Traffic Safety Task Force, the report was compiled after analyzing 10 years of statistical data from the Nassau County Police Department, for the years 1990 to 1999, and part of 2000. The report was prepared by EMCA members Richard T. Baggs, Robert J. Zafonte, Richard Cordozo, Edmond Gold, Marjorie Zaleski, and Michael A. Tama, Esq.

According to Baggs, the task force has found that over the past decade, approximately 480 accidents occurred along the drive, with at least seven accident-related fatalities, the latest of these occurring in the fall of 2000.

The report concludes that there was a significant decrease in accidents in 1999, but an apparent return to the pre-1999 accident trend in the first four months of 2000.

Baggs said last week that the aim of the report is to call attention to the need for greater safety measures on the road, to prevent more fatalities, especially as traffic increases with the approach of summer.

Úquot;In three words, we sum up our entire program - no more deaths,Úquot; said Baggs, a resident of Salisbury and 26-year veteran of the New York City Police Department.

Release of the report follows a March 6 meeting that EMCA held with local police and government officials, during which members raised their concerns about the need for more safety measures for the road.

The report cited specific recommendations. These include installing stop signs and white stop lines at every intersection of Salisbury Park Drive that is not controlled by a traffic light, prohibiting right turn on red at intersections, prohibiting passing from Carmen Ave. to Pilgrim Lane along the drive, and a public information campaign by EMCA to educate motorists and residents about safety considerations in the entire Salisbury area.

The East Meadow Civic Association, which serves the entire East Meadow School District, became involved in the Salisbury Park Drive traffic safety issue this past fall, after members were alarmed by the most recent accident-related fatality this past fall. The Community Association of Stewart Avenue (CASA), the civic association serving Salisbury, also continues to be a watchdog on this issue, as the group has worked with local police and government officials on safety matters concerning the drive over the past decade. Ongoing discussion of this matter is expected, as the Nassau County Department of Public Works Traffic Safety Division prepares the release of a comprehensive traffic safety survey of the drive. That survey is expected to be released later this spring.