Ramping up more convenience at Cedarhurst Long Island Rail Road station

Long Island Rail Road officials received an in-person look at safety concerns at the Cedarhurst train station.

State Assemblywoman Melissa “Missy” Miller toured the station on March 22 with LIRR President Phil Eng and Senior Director of Government & Community Affairs Hector Garcia concerning the ramp that is supposed to be handicap accessible and its location in relation to the station’s main building and ticket machines.

The ramp is off Washington Avenue, while the ticket machines and main building are off Chestnut Street. Miller said that the distance between the machines and the ramp is too far. “The distance that the passengers at Cedarhurst who have to use the ramp have to travel to the main platform is unfair and ridiculous,” said Miller, a Republican from Atlantic Beach. “I think President Eng realized during our tour that it is quite the distance from the ramp to the main building.”

Miller said she has heard from her constituents for more than two years on this issue. “I’ve been in contact with the LIRR since I’ve been elected ( in 2016) and it was great to finally get them to visit the station in-person,” Miller said.

Eng also thought that the meeting was productive. “I appreciate Assemblywoman Miller taking the time to meet with me at the station and to discuss concerns from her constituents,” he said in a statement. “Keeping an open dialogue with elected officials and customers is important to me as we continue to make improvements system-wide to better serve our record-breaking ridership.”

Accessibility is also a problem. To get up the ramp, one must travel by a narrow sidewalk and vehicular traffic. Cedarhurst resident Ellen Wolff was one of the constituents that contacted Miller about this issue. She’s a photographer who at times commutes to Manhattan while carrying heavy equipment. She lives on Maple Avenue, which is not far from the station. “I’m usually about an eight-minute walk from the station, but with all my equipment, it takes me around 20 minutes to get to the station,” she said. “I’ve just been dealing with this for years but enough is enough at this point, the ramp needs to be closer to the train station.”

Miller said that the LIRR told her that the ramp is in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities and transportation. Miller thought the response did not suffice.

“Even though the LIRR said it was ADA compliant, I felt that there answer wasn’t enough,” she said. “I know the difference between ‘good enough’ and ‘just enough.’ Their response wasn’t good enough.”

MTA spokesperson Sarah Armaghan said that beginning in late spring/early summer, engineering crews are scheduled to perform maintenance work that includes addressing safety concerns regarding platforms, handrails, pavers and curbs; re-establish the yellow safety line along the platform edge, replacing damaged Plexiglas panels in the platform shelter and re-secure under-platform fencing where needed.

Miller said that she also discussed with the LIRR officials the next step for the ramp. “We discussed a long-term plan that would include a permanent cement ramp that would be built near the station’s building and ticket machines, but realistically that would take over a year to complete,” she said. “But something needs to be done in the short-term because the current setup of the ramp is a lawsuit waiting to happen.”

Have an opinion issues at Five Towns LIRR stations? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.