The following is a summary of the statement made by Members of the Board of Trustees of the Traffic Commission at the Traffic Commission (TC) Meeting of November 19, 2009:

Before the start of the 2009-2010 school year, a number of families in the Estates Section of Garden City were notified that their children would no longer be receiving bus service to and from school when they had received bus service last year.

These children would therefore be required to cross Nassau Boulevard at Stratford Avenue to attend the Stratford Avenue School. The parents deem this crossing to be a very dangerous intersection. A number of parents sought to have the School Board (BOE) reverse itself and restore the bus service. The BOE denied their request and referred them to the Village TC to request a school crossing guard.

The Traffic Commission asked the Garden City Police Department (GCPD) to conduct an evaluation of the intersection using the same point system established by the NYS Department of Transportation (DOT). The BOE also used this same system for its own survey of the intersection. The GCPD determined that the intersection qualified as a Child Safety Zone with 13 points. The DOT guidelines require 12 points for grades K through 8 to qualify as a Child Safety Zone. The BOE’s evaluation for the same intersection was 8 points.

My concern, and the concern of all the TC Trustees, is the safety of the children and what will be the safest method for them to travel. We believe that method is on a bus as opposed to crossing a heavily traveled 4-lane intersection. This situation is especially disconcerting since according to many parents, the very buses that they had been using traverse the very same route with more than needed empty seats.

Another reason that the TC would like to reach the right determination as to whether or not the area constitutes a safety zone is because the GCPD advises that once a school crossing guard is placed at the location the possibility of ever designating it as a safety zone is nullified.

Following the attendance of parents at the last meeting of the TC, the matter was discussed with Village Administrator Robert Schoelle. Mr. Schoelle in turn discussed the matter with School Board President Colleen Foley and Superintendent Feirsen. It is my understanding that both parties rejected the GCPD’s 13 point evaluation and held firmly to their own 8 point evaluation. It is also my understanding from Village Counsel that the NYS Education Law gives the BOE the authority to make the safety zone determination. While it has also been reported to the TC that both Superintendent Feirsen and School Board President Foley concede that this determination is solely within their province, it has also been reported that the intersection will not be declared as a safety zone nor will the bus transportation, previously provided to these children, be restored.

From our perspective, there is something drastically wrong with this picture. The response by the BOE and the handoff to the Village is inappropriate. In our opinion, we are sure the BOE’s primary concern is the safe passage of our children to school. There appears to be a viable solution available especially where the buses, according to the parents, are running the same route in question and are passing these children with an abundance of empty seats.

In view of the fact that the BOE has not presented any evidence to support its position that the intersection does not qualify as a safety zone, GCPD Commissioner Cipullo has recommended that the Village request the impartial assistance of the AAA to evaluate the intersection.

The Traffic Commission will discuss this proposal with Administrator Schoelle, who will then seek to obtain the BOE’s cooperation to accept the AAA evaluation as dispositive of the issue of whether a Child Safety Zone should be designated in this location.