Legislator says he called Blakeman’s cell phone because traffic study finding was ‘unacceptable.’
Following two recent fatal accidents on a stretch of Woodfield Road, Nassau County will add a traffic signal at a troubled intersection this summer, Echo has learned.
“There will be a traffic light installed” at the corner of Woodfield and Lindberg Street, Legislator John Giuffre told us in an exclusive interview ahead of Thursday’s public meeting on traffic safety in West Hempstead.
Giuffre said a recent traffic study following the death of a 12-year-old pedestrian last October found that a signal was not warranted, but “I found that to be unacceptable.” He called County Executive Bruce Blakeman directly, via his personal cell phone, and they agreed that it was needed.
“West Hempstead is a walking community,” Giuffre said, apparently referring to the large number of pedestrians observing the Sabbath and Jewish holidays by not driving. “People need to be able to cross the street.”
Giuffre — a Republican whose district includes West Hempstead, Franklin Square, Stewart Manor and other areas — noted that the engineering for the light “was difficult” because it is an “offset intersection” and required some consultation with the Department of Public Works to position it correctly. Guifre did not have an exact timetable for the modification, but said it would be some time in the summer. Asked if more lights could be added for additional safety Giuffre said “It’s a start, but traffic signals are a big deal to put in. There may be other solutions in the near future.”
Just over two months after the October death of Thomas Molina, a second West Hempstead resident, Michael Tompos was killed in a hit and run a short distance away. The LI Herald reported that there were 10 accidents near Woodfield Road and Hempstead Avenue last year, and five accidents near Woodfield Road and Chestnut Street.
Giuffre will formally announce the light and the traffic survey findings this Thursday evening, April 27, at a 7 pm meeting at the American Legion Hall convened by the West Hempstead Community Support Association.
