After a tragic accident on County Road 48 in Greenport took the life of Laurel resident Howard Meinke, 86, Thursday night (see prior story), residents and elected officials alike are crying out for change at a location that has been the scene of three pedestrian fatalities in the past 10 years.
In 2007, Robert Haase, owner of Orient by the Sea, lost his father George there after they’d been enjoying dinner together at the Soundview. And in 2009, a man died who’d parked at the lot across the street and gone into the restaurant to use the phone, residents say.
But despite the fatalities, the speed limit on Route 48 remains 50 miles per hour, the same as it was in 2007. And although a crosswalk was created on the road, with two bright yellow pedestrian crosswalk signs, there is no blinking light or traffic signal at the location.
Lack of government action to change the dangerous situation has left some residents asking how much tragedy will need to happen before something is done. On Friday, Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski said he is working toward a solution.
The dangerous road conditions on Route 48, have been a subject of concern for the county for years, Krupski said today, adding that he’d met with Wiliam Hillman, chief engineer for the Suffolk County Department of Works, last year to discuss solutions.
“That section of road, the odd part is that normally, people want to see a road straightened because of dangerous turns. In this case, we’d like to try to move the road to the south to get it further way from the restaurant,” Krupski said. He was at the Soundview with Meinke Thursday night, but left before Meinke.
Plans have been discussed for a year to relocate the roadway southward, Krupski said, meaning that all parking would then be sited on the north side of the roadway and pedestrians would no longer have to cross the road on foot to get to their cars.
And, while there is currently a crosswalk, Krupski said “crosswalks don’t necessarily provide safety.”
Krupski, who was headed to Yaphank Friday to discuss the plans after Thursday’s accident, said that the project would mean “a major reconstruction job. It’s not like putting up a sign. But this is something that needs to be addressed.”
“Something should be done,” Haase said Friday morning, after hearing the tragic news. “Something should have been done a long time ago.”
Haase added that he felt terribly for Rachel Murphy, owner of the Soundview Restaurant and hotel. “It’s not her fault. She’s been on the phone for years, saying something should be done.”
Suggestions, he said, could include a lower rate of speed at the location or flashing yellow lights.
Residents, shocked and saddened by Meinke’s death, agreed.
“That’s such a bad spot,” said Susan Tyler, of Cutchogue. “They put down the bolder crosswalk and put in the bright crosswalk signs after the last vehicle versus pedestrian fatality there, but the speed limit is still 50 miles per hour. It boggles my mind. I drive through there at least twice a week and instinctively slow down, because it just feels like I’m going too fast. . . It’s terrible.”
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