Eye on Huntington: Main Street and New York Avenue

I am standing at the corner of Main Street and New York Avenue in front of Ann Taylor Loft in the heart of Huntington on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

You get a great view from this unique intersection. Drivers can follow State Route 25A from the tip of the North Fork to the city or from the Route 110 from the Great South Bay to Long Island Sound, with both passing through intersection. Given the vehicular traffic on Long Island it might be faster to do it on foot.

I look south down New York Avenue and a line of cars are backed up, slowly negotiating their way to Main Street. One lucky driver just snagged a spot in front of the Mediterranean Snack Bar as a Range Rover exits and forces its way into the crawling traffic.

 The cars are double parked outside Little Vincent's Pizzeria with customers jumping out to pick up pies. Seems like everyone else is slowing down just to get a whiff of that great pizza!

The sidewalks are crowded too, on either side, and on every corner. The people sometimes stand three deep on a busy holiday weekend waiting for the traffic light to change if they wait at all. Looking north on New York Avenuee, pedestrians are browsing through the book stalls lined up out in front of the Book Revue searching for a summer read. Walking west, I head towards the Golden Dolphin Diner for a cup of coffee it is slow going until you cross over Woodbury Road.

I wonder what the answer might be to this problem. Is Huntington a victim of its own success?

On the one hand, I am happy Huntington is alive and well. Most main streets in Long Island towns have for rent signs or have been boarded up, but Huntington seems to be hanging on even in these tough economic times.

Traffic is a problem and it has been growing steadily over the last ten years. The Town of Huntington, along with local business, and community groups have come together to develop a plan called the Town of Huntington Horizons 2020, a copy of which is attached to this document.

A stated goal in that plan is for Huntington officials to: work with state and county agencies to retrofit the road network with state-of-theart signalization and other targeted improvements to enhance operational efficiency and reduce traffic congestion.

But the plan has been in the works for nearly five years and may not be put in to effect until 2020 or even 2025. Let's hope that's not too late.