New traffic light installed to reduce accidents

It is a collective responsibility, and when we have many people carrying the load, the load becomes lighter.”

Legislator Carrié Solages

Recent history of pedestrian-related incidents

- In 2016, Gabrielle Christina Johnson, 12, on her way to school, was standing at the corner of Village Avenue and Elmont Road — where there was no crossing guard — waiting to cross the street. She stepped off the curb into the street while the light was still green and was struck by an oncoming SUV. She died soon after at Franklin Hospital.

- A car struck four Elmont High School students near the intersection of Dutch Broadway and Elmont Road in 2018, critically injuring two of them.

- A pedestrian trying to cross the street was left in critical condition in 2019 after a police ambulance struck him at the intersection of School Road and Hempstead Turnpike.

- A 58-year-old woman was crossing Hempstead Turnpike at the intersection of Elmont Road in 2019 when she was struck and killed as a car was making a left turn onto Hempstead Turnpike.

- In 2019, a 72-year-old man suffered multiple traumatic injuries after a vehicle struck him as he attempted to cross Linden Boulevard at 239th Street.

- A 53-year-old man suffered severe trauma and died in November 2021 after a car struck him on Elmont Road near School Road.

—Ana Borruto

In response to a wave of traffic accidents in which pedestrians were seriously injured or killed, a new traffic light has been installed at an intersection close to Elmont Memorial High School.

Nassau County Legislator Carrié Solages and other neighborhood activists introduced the stoplight, at the intersection of Dutch Broadway and Diamond Street, near the high school on Elmont Road.

Solages said the traffic light should be in operation this week, just in time for the holidays, when traffic accidents tend to be more common due to higher volume on the roads.

“We came together after many years, saw many tragic accidents in which young people were hurt or even died at the hands of drivers,” Solages said. “We now have this improvement that will allow our young to commute safely to school, to work and also enjoy the beautiful community that we have.”

Traffic safety has become a top priority for the Elmont community in recent years following several pedestrian accidents and fatalities. One incident occurred in 2018 near the intersection of Dutch Broadway and Elmont Road, where a car struck four Elmont High School students, leaving two in critical condition.

Mimi Pierre-Johnson, president of the Elmont Cultural Center and a community leader, was heading home with her son at the time, witnessing the car whip off the road, flip into the air and strike a tree, utility pole and the four teenagers standing on the nearby sidewalk.

“It happened in front of my son, and so for the longest time he would not cross the street,” Pierre-Johnson said. “It was traumatic for both of us because I wouldn’t even let him walk. I would take him to school.”

In 2016, a 12-year-old girl was crossing Elmont Road at Village Avenue on her way to school when she was struck and killed by an oncoming vehicle. According to a previous Herald report, there was no crossing guard at the intersection.

“A number of people in the community helped with the funeral,” Solages said. “We’re responsible for each other’s children. It is a collective responsibility and when we have many people carrying the load, the load becomes lighter.”

After years of comprehensive road studies and walkthroughs between local elected officials and residents, a traffic light was installed in February in front of St. Boniface Church, off of Elmont Road and Dutch Broadway.

The speed limit on Dutch Broadway near the high school was also lowered from 30 to 20 miles per hour.

Other traffic lights have been added in neighboring communities over the last couple of months, including along Merrick Road in Valley Stream and Burnside Avenue in Inwood.

“This is an important step in ensuring that our communities are safe and sound,” Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages said. “It’s very exciting that we have this traffic improvement — as a mother who takes her kids to Dutch Broadway, I’m constantly worried about crossing this road.”

The elected leaders are also petitioning to add speed humps and other devices to make town roads safer. Other speakers urged drivers to be aware of the speed limit and to resist distractions, such as using a cellphone while driving.

Pierre-Johnson said implementing these long-awaited safeguards was necessary to protect young people and others living in the area.

“We feel confident now that they have a safer street to go to school and go home from school,” she said.