Massapequa parents demand child-safety zone

The deadly stretch of Sunrise Highway where Massapequa parents have called for the busing of students who otherwise must walk across the road is undergoing safety improvements, state Department of Transportation officials said.

But the DOT has stopped short of designating the area a child-safety zone, which residents said would encourage busing. DOT spokeswoman Jennifer Post said the designation is "a determination that the school district makes," a statement residents dispute.

"We have met with many people in the community, and we have agreed to make some engineering improvements," Post said Tuesday.

"When it comes to the safety of children, why are you balking?" he asked Thursday.

Post said signals in the area have been adjusted to give pedestrians more time to cross and more time to enter an intersection before vehicles turn right. The DOT also is considering holding a Governor's Traffic Safety Committee-hosted pedestrian safety assembly at Massapequa High School and increasing targeted law enforcement of traffic violators, she said.

The six-lane Sunrise has just 13 of 15 criteria points necessary to receive child-safety zone designation.