New Hyde Park residents are raising the alarm over speeding cars, illegal trucks and cars racing down their streets.
Over half a dozen residents who live on or near South 16th, 17th and 18th streets off of Plaza Avenue in the village came to the New Hyde Park Board of Trustees meeting Thursday night to express concerns about speeding cars and illegal trucks driving down their streets.
Resident Jim Gardner led the coalition of people speaking out about the issue, as he has at multiple other Board of Trustees meetings. He also spearheaded the effort to create shirts that read “No Thru Trucks” across the front, which four people wore at the meeting, to raise awareness about the problem.
Large trucks are not permitted on the streets. Gardner and other residents called it a safety concern that trucks continued to drive on them despite signage. The group of residents also expressed extreme concern over car drivers speeding on the road and those engaging in intentional car racing on the streets.
A resident who lives near Plaza Avenue said groups of residents and nearby auto dealers doing test drives were intentionally racing cars down Plaza Avenue, creating incredibly unsafe situations.
“I have had three cars come through my fence since I’ve lived here,” she said. “I’ve just wanted to make my voice is heard, because it does get a little frustrating.”
Another resident said he had lived on the street for decades and that these issues had persisted for years, fluctuating in severity. He said this made it even more pressing and critical that the board address it properly.
Mayor Christopher Devane said he took their concerns very seriously and was committed to holding the nearby auto dealers and truckers accountable to the highest degree possible. He added that he had been in constant conversation with Gardener, working to solve the issue and had issued many tickets to those breaking the law, but that only the police department could ticket for speeding.
“We will do everything we possibly can,” Devane said. “I am very much an advocate of giving tickets.”
He emphasized that he couldn’t fix an issue if he didn’t know it was happening and encouraged residents to contact him directly any time they witnessed a truck driving down the road, a car speeding or people racing cars down the street.
“If you call me, I can be there in three minutes, and I will deal with the situation,” Devane said. He said he believed the best way to handle the issue was through enforcement, and said the village and police department would write as many tickets as they could related to the issues.
Gardner said a large electronic sign recently placed on the corner of S. 16th Street and Plaza Avenue by a problem-oriented policing officer had been significantly helpful in curtailing the trucking issue. He urged the mayor to make the sign permanent and place additional signage or police patrols in the area.
Devane ended the meeting by reiterating that he would do whatever he could to solve the issue and would talk with the board to explore all available avenues.
