Salem Road is the longest street in the East Hills community. It is a straightaway used by resident drivers as a fast route. It is sometimes used by commercial vehicles as a detour. School bus drivers go shockingly fast once they discharge their passengers. Cars drive by at sometimes alarming speeds, leaving in their wake children, dog walkers, joggers, cyclists and baby strollers. Heads turn and necks crane when people hear the whoosh of a vehicle speeding by.
The increasing speeds at which people drive send an unfortunate and misguided message to others, including residents, delivery trucks, landscapers, etc.
This is a request for consideration of this problem, which is at its worst when schools are not in session. Since drivers tend to go as fast as conditions allow, it appears that this situation merits deterrents. Action taken will serve as a reminder that this community is inhabited by people of all ages and lifestyles who expect to feel safe and secure. A few suggestions.
• Install gentle but effective residential speed bumps.
• Increase the frequency of stop signs.
• Enforce speed limits of 25 MPH
My parents were among the first families to move into the community of Strathmore. The year was 1947. As we all know, young, postwar couples embraced the homes that Levitt built, enabling them to pursue the American dream.
One day, the peace was shattered when a child was run over in the street. The shock was severe to those who moved here to feel safe and secure. Some did something about it. They got together and decided that back yards are safer for children to play in than front yards.
Five contiguous homes on Salem Road built a long, concrete path that ran through all of their backyards. The path became well known. Cars would slow down on Salem Road to catch a glimpse of children playing, skating, hopscotching, socializing, biking, doing homework and flipping baseball cards.
It was a beautiful thing from a bygone era.
What continues to bind us, however, is our shared belief that behaviors must conform to our mutual safety, security and serenity.
Joan Auerbach
