More Accidents to Happen In Atlantic Beach?

The lights stay green on Park Street, and it's making Atlantic Beach a dangerous place for pedestrians, said Thomas Diceglio, who has attempted to fix the issue for years.

He attributes the problem to actuated lights — which only change when a car trips a sensor — installed by the county in 2006 and has petitioned to have them reverted back to the previously used timing system.

“When they changed the lights here, it destroyed my quality of life,” said Diceglio, who has worked as an inspector of traffic control for the Town of Hempstead for 13 years. “To see this continuing going on is very frustrating.” 

Today, Diceglio witnesses cars, buses and motorcycles regularly traveling 60 mph without getting stopped by lights, and attributes last year’s fatality in the village to the speeding problem. He even collected signatures for a petition, to no avail.

“It’s been mind boggling for the last six years, and people's lives are at risk,” he said.

Nassau County Public Works spokesperson Mike Martino explained that the county stands behind the semi-actuated light system, calling it the right choice for Atlantic Beach. The county does not have any plans of returning to the original timing system, he said.

“Yes, we have lights tripped by cars, and no, we're not going to remove them at this point,” Martino said. “I think as of now, the traffic people see this as the best way to handle the situation.”

Although Nassau does not plan on removing the actuated lights, Martino explained that the county is taking additional measures to make sure the roads in the area are safe.

“The DPW is currently in the process of procuring equipment that will allow these lights to be controlled and monitored on the county’s traffic management system," he said, "which will have a positive impact on drivers and pedestrians in the area.”

The board of trustees in the Village of Atlantic Beach have dealt with the speeding issue on their streets for several years, and Trustee Linda Baessler explains the board is open to any ideas that will help stop this problem.

She added that while the board has little control over what the county decides to do, she hopes the decision to use actuated lights is the right choice.

“As long as the technology works, and that stops speeding," Baessler said, "then I am for it.”