The Traffic Safety Task Force formed by the East Meadow Civic Association, in recent weeks, has been calling for more action by Nassau County to improve traffic safety conditions on Salisbury Park Drive. The group has issued an interim report of traffic safety conditions on the road, citing six deaths on the road due to accidents over the past 10 years, and has called upon the County Department of Public Works (DPW) to finish its ongoing comprehensive study of the road. The study, being conducted by the DPW's Traffic Engineering Division, was expected to be completed this spring.

"It's a three-prong situation - the county police, the town, and the county DPW. The police have been responsive. The town has been super-responsive. Now we're looking for that report from DPW," Robert Zafonte, president of the task force said last week, adding, "The report is way overdue."

Among the recommendations which are of priority to the task force are: 1) Stop signs with attached signage that reads "Cross Traffic Does Not Stop" to be installed at every intersection of Salisbury Park Drive that is not controlled by a traffic light. Also, white stop lines to be painted onto the pavement; 2) Eliminate right hand turns on red signal in all directions at the intersections of Salisbury Park Drive where the present traffic control is a traffic light, i.e. Stewart Avenue, Carman Avenue, Friends Lane, Old Westbury Road, and Newbridge Road. Also, eliminate right on red at the intersection of Carman and Stewart Avenues; 3) Install a double yellow solid line from Carman Avenue to Pilgrim Lane along Salisbury Park Drive, and Do Not Pass signs; 4) Large lens traffic signals at intersections timed to "rest in red operation" in all four directions for an interval sufficient to ensure vehicular and pedestrian safety.

While acknowledging that police have increased enforcement of the 30 mile per hour speed limit, the group wants increased attention placed on the road to prevent accidents. "We're trying to say there's a direct correlation between the amount of enforcement and accidents," said Zafonte. He noted that the Town of Hempstead has been responsive to the task force by replacing street lights on the road and installing a new larger traffic lens.

"Our policy, the whole time, has been, no more deaths," said Richard Baggs, another member of the task force. Baggs feels that the stop lines and double yellow lines are of particular importance for preventing accidents, but that these cannot be installed until DPW issues their report, which was due in the spring. "They told us the spring. Spring is over," he said. "It appears to be they're dragging their feet." A call to the DPW's traffic engineering department for a response was not returned as of press time.

While the EMCA task force calls for the DPW report, other civic leaders in Salisbury also continue to express concern about traffic safety on Salisbury Park Drive, and continue to work with the local agencies on the issue. "I wish that things could have moved along faster, but I understand the constraints that the agencies were under," Beverlee Szimanski, president of the Community Association of Stewart Avenue (CASA), commented this week. CASA has worked on the issue for the past decade, for example by successfully pushing for the 30 mile-per-hour speed limit along the road. Szimanski also noted that she was pleased with the installation of one larger traffic lens requested by her organization, and awaits a second one.