Bringing safety to Shore Road thoroughfare in Sea Cliff, Glen Cove

Neighbors organization cites speeding, reckless drivers

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Concerned by the vehicle and pedestrian congestion that often crowds the thoroughfare comprising Shore Road and The Boulevard, which runs between Sea Cliff and Glen Cove, Shore Road Neighbors, a local group formed earlier this year, has created a petition aimed at making traffic conditions safer in the area.

“I’ve lived here for 14 years, and the traffic has gotten gradually worse,” said the group’s founder, Lora Cusumano, who lives on Shore Road. “There’s a tremendous amount of walkers, bikers, children, dogs and increased construction from the Garvies Point and Livingston Building developments.”

The group’s mission is to bring “safety, beauty and enjoyment for all” to the thoroughfare’s recreational waterfront, which encompasses the Garvies Point project, John Maccarone Memorial Stadium, a number of marinas and boating rental shops, The Cove restaurant and Sea Cliff’s Boardwalk Pavilion.

The petition covers different “logistic improvements” to enhance both safety and overall quality of life, such as additional traffic and business signage, painted crosswalks and decorative LED lamp posts, increased police presence and the adoption of a consistent speed limit. The speed limit is 30 mph on Shore Road, but 25 mph on The Boulevard.

“We feel that it is important to have the items on the petition taken care of now, to start behavioral changes today and create better safety precautions before the traffic increases over the next several years,” Cu-sumano said. “I’m always fearful that a person will get run over. These drivers don’t stop.”

While promoting the group’s petition to neighbors in mid-October, Cusumano met a woman whose dog had been struck on Shore Road on Oct. 18. “There was an accident involving a dog and a van,” said Detective Lt. John Nagel of the Glen Cove Police Department. “A woman was walking her poodle, and a white van came down [the road] . . . killing it.”

Shore Road Neighbors held its first open meeting in April, and residents shared their concerns about the traffic on Shore Road. Among the attendees was Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, a Glen Cove resident. She said she found the turnout at the meeting “encouraging.”

“I appreciate the time and effort made to organize this group of concerned neighbors,” DeRiggi-Whitton said. “Shore Road is a beautiful road to live on, and we want to make every effort to help calm the traffic.”

The meeting yielded proposals for traffic-calming measures, including a streetscaping project on the road. Harold Lutz, the county’s director of traffic engineering, had said that such a project would require a “traffic study . . . to determine next steps.”

A study conducted by the Glen Cove P.D. this summer revealed that the percentage of peak vehicle volume on the road was greater than the percentage of vehicles that were speeding, evidence that congestion is a larger problem than speed. DeRiggi-Whitton said the county would take suggestions from its civil engineer on ways to mediate the volume issue, and that funding to repave the road is already in place.

“We were also able to put a street project in for next year’s capital budget with Nassau County that would address traffic calming and pedestrian safety issues, and improve sidewalks, drainage and lighting,” she said.

Repaving of Shore Road and The Boulevard is slated for 2019, with a waterfront streetscaping project to begin the following year.