New signs are part of initiative to enhance safety on the street.
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has installed a number of new "No Turn on Red" signs on Hempstead Tpke. and other streets as part of a "multi-agency initiative to enhance safety on the street."
The signs were added recently and aim to improve pedestrian visibility and safety, according to Eileen Peters, NYSDOT Public Information Officer.
Follow Levittown Patch on Facebook. No Turn on Red signs
are currently being installed at an additional 142 locations between the
Nassau/Queens border and NY Route 110 to bring the total to 232
locations.
"These
NTOR signs also work in conjunction with the leading pedestrian
intervals that are being installed on NY Route 24 at traffic signals to
encourage motorists to yield the right of way to pedestrians, and also
give pedestrians a head start in crossing a street before vehicles are
given a green light to proceed," Peters said.
In 2012, a report by the Tri-State Transportation Corporation (TSTC) rated Hempstead Tpke. as the most
dangerous road in the region. A number of pedestrians have been struck crossing the street. 19-year-old Island Trees High School student
Peter Thearle was
killed crossing Hempstead Turnpike at Gardiners Avenue on June 6, 2011, and 16-year-old Anthony D'Alessandro was
struck and killed crossing Hempstead Turnpike near Division Avenue in April of 2012.
Do you think the new No Turn on Red signs will help improve safety on the streets? Tell us what you think in the comments below. Become a blogger today!
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The deaths haven't served as a warning either. This past holiday season, I had to hit the brakes hard twice while driving on Hempstead Tpke when someone dodged across the road against lights and nowhere near a safe corner. I'm not saying that the "no Turn on Red" signs are a bad idea -- used properly and in the right locations. But better lighting, and perhaps harsher jaywalking fines should be included in this mix?
One comment does bring up the fact about that parking lot and it's exits. There's two exits where you can only go north, and the other exit goes east and west. For a parking lot that big, they REALLY need another exit - perhaps near the east end where the KFC is. But hopefully now that holiday shopping is over, things will calm down. And turning right off of Hempstead Tpke into a one-lane residential area should not have a No Turn on Red.
What a total waste of money!! And what a total waste of expensive gas, sitting in a runnung, non-moving car, while looking at a red light waiting to make a right turn when there are NO cars or pedestrians in sight!! How about a NO TURN ON RED WHEN PEDESTRIANS ARE PRESENT?? Now THAT would make more sense!! I am so sick of money being wasted because some beauracrat got some bright idea to show the county... LOOK... WE DID SOMETHING WITH YOUR TAX DOLLARS! Even though it makes no sense and was poorly thought out. And the issue oft the Target/Stop and Shop exit is something that REALLY needs to be addressed!! That is so poorly planned. And it is a major accident waiting to happen. I need to turn West leaving that parking lot, but many times I will turn East and make a UTurn at the next light, or go out the exit on Wantagh Ave. ny Dtop and Shop to go North across the Turnpike, and then through back streets till I can get back onto Hempstead Turnpike. AWFUL!! How many accidents/deaths will it take to make NYSDOT move their butts to correct THAT!! And, BTW, you are correct, the comments about the 2 deaths, one on Hempstead Tpk and one on Gardeners Ave. BOTH of those accidents happened when these young men chose to run across the streets, not at an intersection, but mid block!! There is NO WAY a NO TURN ON RED sign would have had any impact on those 2 tragedies. Come on people, lets make some noise about these useless signs that make traffic worse and the Turnpike MORE dangerous!! We can start with Kate Murray and Gary Hudes.
I'm a former Queens native, so I lived most of my life not being able to turn on a red. So to that extent, I agree with Ann's opinion above. That being said, it does feel as if the town legislators came up with a solution without actually addressing the real problem.
This government flunky must have gone to the same school as the idiots who put stop signs at every intersection in Levittown's side streets to slow traffic down but the end result is that over 50% of people who drive those streets do not even stop at the stop signs anymore. Or the same town official who received a complaint about dogs at the Acorn Lane Park and had at least 8 No Dogs Allowed signs posted throughout the area. I feel much safer now that there are no dogs at the park, just the usual drug-dealing, partying, alcohol drinking and sex that now occurs there at night.
otherwise posted for all of Long Island... It is that way in the 5 boroughs of the greatest city in the world....
DL
It's true there are people behind the wheels of vehicles that should never have been granted driver's licenses. The streets belong to everyone, both driver and pedestrian. Obviously you are conscious of the cars and are a safety-minded pedestrian. The fact is that the signs appear to be put in place primarily in response to accidents precipitated by pedestrians ignoring the rules, running out in the middle of the Tpke, weaving through oncoming traffic, etc. In other words -- the signs won't do a single thing to change that. The placement of some of the signs is also questionable, as (like it was mentioned above) its resulting in more congestion (such as by Target or the car wash). It seems like the signs were planted more to appease and were done without truly thinking of traffic patterns, etc. Maybe the solution is to put barriers up along the road dividers like they did on Queens Blvd in Forest Hills. They force the *reasonable* pedestrians to only cross in the legal locations. And of course stiffer fines for jaywalking. If it's a teenager that gets caught crossing illegally, the kid gets thrown into the patrol car, driven home, and the parents are handed the citation. Bottom line the responsibility must be shared. A couple of signs will not change a thing. Changing the mindsets of the drivers and pedestrians is the only real solution.
Guess the 'saving gasoline' reasoning no longer counts.
On Division ave use some common sense INSTALL A WALKWAY OVER THE TOP OF THE TURNPIKE. This can also be installed on Gardners ave as well as the area by Target. 3 overpass walkways would save a lot of pedestrian accidents on the turnpike