Traffic light added at DBW, Elmont Road

When four Elmont high school students were struck by a car in October 2018, leaving two in critical condition, community members began to call for safety improvements to Elmont’s streets, as many residents and local students have grown fearful of walking along these roads.

After years of comprehensive road studies and walkthroughs between local elected officials and residents, a recently installed traffic light in front of St. Boniface Church, located off of Elmont Road and Dutch Broadway, will be functional within the next two months.

Mimi Pierre-Johnson, president of the Elmont Cultural Center and a community leader, welcomed this development and said that traffic safety has been one of the Elmont community’s “top priorities” for years.

Before the pandemic, Pierre-Johnson said, she and other community members were mobilizing to act on this issue. After the Town of Hempstead participated in a walkthrough of the area, the speed limit on Dutch Broadway near Elmont Memorial High School was set at 20 miles per hour, lower than the previous speed limit of 30 miles per hour.

Pierre-Johnson and community members saw this as a step forward, but they planned to push for further reforms before the pandemic struck, delaying their efforts. Pierre-Johnson stressed that while she is grateful for the new traffic light, the community hopes further safety measures will be added to additional streets across Elmont.

The process of studying the dangers of a road or intersection and installing safety features such as a traffic light “often takes too long,” Pierre-Johnson said. “The number one issue is implementation,” she said, stressing that communication between the local, county and state levels of government is essential, and that a failure to get all parties on board has stalled efforts in the past.

“Everyone drops the ball when it comes to implementation… another year goes by,” she said, adding that she hopes further changes are not hindered.

“Government work takes time,” said Nassau County Legislator Carrié Solages, who deemed the situation an emergency in 2018 after the four local students were struck. “We are now seeing the seeds we planted start to grow,” he said of the new traffic light.

Pierre-Johnson said the major concern of the community is the safety of children walking to and from school. “When I drive now, my mind goes differently,” Pierre-Johnson said, adding that Elmont residents are fearful of walking along many active streets across the community. “It’s a fearful thing for parents and students,” she added.

“Along this intersection and as you go east on Dutch Broadway you will see a number of traffic and safety improvements. But it’s up to motorists to drive more carefully,” Solages wrote in a Facebook post, stressing that safe driving is key to the safety of students and residents walking and driving along Elmont’s roads.

Pierre-Johnson agreed, saying she often warns residents of the potential consequences of reckless driving. “Don’t be the person who kills your child’s friend or neighbor,” she said she often tells local residents.