Lido Boulevard Speed Limit Reduced

Earlier this week, the Hempstead Town Board passed a law earlier this week reducing the speed limit on Lido Boulevard to 30 miles per hour between the Loop Parkway and Blackheath Road in Lido Beach.

A string of accidents on the road going back years prompted the change by the town board. In addition, Long Beach middle school and high school are both located near Lido Boulevard, as well as Lido Elementary School, prompting concern from parents about students crossing the road to get to and from school. And they're not unfounded concerns — in 2012, a 14-year-old was injured while skateboarding to school.

"More than 700 Long Beach middle school and high school students travel on foot and bicycle during rush hours, so I am extremely pleased that the town has taken the necessary steps to make this trip safer for the students of our community," said Long Beach Schools Chief Operating Officer Michael DeVito. "As a school district, we remain committed to continuing our bicycle and pedestrian safety awareness program for students and are hopeful that the reduced speed limit along Lido Boulevard will also change the mindsetof drivers."

"I applaud the Town Board yesterday for unanimously passing new regulations lowering the speed limit to 30 miles per hour on Lido Boulevard from the Loop Parkway down to Blackheath Road," said Town Councilwoman Erin King Sweeney, who represents the area. "These new limits will protect public safety and save lives."

Civic groups have spent years trying to make Lido Boulevard safer. A few years ago, a center median was added to a long stretch of the road to stop people from making illegal U-turns. The speed limit reduction is something that groups have also been pressing for.

"It is our hope that with the passage of the 30 m.p.h. speed limit along the length of Lido Boulevard, drivers will finally understand that this road is not an extension of the Loop Parkway," said Elizabeth Murdy, Lido Dunes Civic Association president. "Lido Boulevard is a road that runs through neighborhoods and alongside schools. Children as well as adults cross this road regularly and we need drivers to be aware of the speed limit."

"Having grown up blocks from Lido Boulevard, I know fully well the dangers of speeding in this school zone, used by hundreds of children," said state Sen. Todd Kaminsky. "Lowering the speed limit is the appropriate thing to do."

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