Controversy on Lower Main Street

Lower Main Street in Port Washington has a facelift of sorts. There's now a left-turning lane onto Shore Road – a measure to help alleviate heavy traffic. Parking spots in front of the local merchants have been eliminated, making way for the new traffic pattern. And there's the new parking lot for those visiting the shops in the area.

But the impact on local businesses and pedestrian safety have some stakeholders concerned.

Some Lower Main Street business owners, for instance, are not happy with the changes. In particular, many are upset that there is no longer a painted crosswalk between and , though there is a walk signal.

Susan Micelotta, who owns , has seen a decrease in sales since the parking spots were removed. 

“I think the parking lot is a wonderful thing but, there is no crosswalk to get to the other side of the street," she said.

Asked about the impact the changes on Lower Main Street made to business, she said, "In my regard, no it didn’t help.”

She added: “Possibly it could help if the proper things were done, but they expect people to park in the parking lot across the street, walk over to where Ralph’s is, cross the street to the side of Mediterranean Market, and then back over to the Dolphin to get to my side of the street. Which isn’t happening.”  

The current setup is hazardous, she said, adding that cars and trucks trying to make a right turn from Shore Road might not make it safely.

“It’s a very dangerous situation," she noted. "Someone’s going to get hurt. Their intention was to alleviate traffic, and that’s not happening.”

Leslie Stern, social media manager of a neighboring business, , voiced similar anxieties.

The lack of a crosswalk by the new parking is problematic, she said, “If anything it’s counterintuitive.”

While it may be too early to determine the the effects on traffic conditions, Stern expressed concern for the safety of customers walking to the shop.

Chief William J. Kilfoil of the says he has monitored the situation closely for the past two weeks.

“We do have some concerns about it," he said. "After looking at it, it appears the turning lane from Shore Road to westbound Main Street is giving difficulty to the drivers trying to maneuver it – that’s a 105 degree angle.”

While respecting the Town of North Hempstead's aim to improve traffic flow, Kilfoil also noted that the lack of a crosswalk could pose a hazard.

“I have to think about driver safety and pedestrian safety – that’s my job,” he said.

Councilman Fred Pollack said he has received both positive and negative feedback.

“There’s a small group of merchants who were opposed to it before and are still opposed to it,” he said, “The Port Washington Police Department has voiced some concern, and I’ve gotten a few, maybe as many people saying it’s great.” He added that in his experience the less people contact him about an issue, the more they are content with the change, as is the case for him at the moment. 

"Everyone has a different opinion," said Port Washington Police Commissioner Angela Lawlor Mullins, noting concerns about cars and trucks turning uptown in front of Ralph's Italian Ices, where there's a bench frequently populated with children. New problems may surface when school starts in the fall, and there are mores buses and students at that intersection.

"Various adjustments have to be made," she added, noting that the police had met twice with North Hempstead officials.

Pollack said a traffic-engineering firm would likely be retained within the next month to gather new data and professionally assess the location so that the Town can move forward with any needed improvements. 

Meanwhile, Lawlor Mullins encourages community members to contact the police commissioners with concerns. They can also attend the Aug. 9 police commissioners meeting at Police Headquarters at 9 a.m.

Who to contact regarding changes to Lower Main Street:

Officials in the Town of North Hempstead:

North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman, kaimanj@northhempsteadny.gov, 869-7700

North Hempstead Councilman Fred Pollack, pollackf@northhempsteadny.gov, 869-7706. 

Port Washington Police Commissioners:

Commissioner Angela Lawlor Mullins, LawlorMullins@aol.com, 516-410-0830. 

Comissioner Dave Franklin franklinpwpc@aol.com in the comments section below. 

Editor's Note: This article has been updated with contact information of government officals and police commissioners.