She didn't stop until lane change was made

We've said it before: Readers who are persistent are more likely to taste success when solving a problem. Take Rita Stein of Roslyn Heights. A year ago, we featured her request to change the pavement markers on both southbound lanes of Mineola Boulevard at Jericho Turnpike. The left turn lane was designated for drivers turning left onto Jericho and vehicles continuing south. The right lane was for drivers turning right only. That meant drivers continuing south had to wait for the ones making a left to turn after oncoming traffic cleared. She thought it made more sense to have through traffic in the right lane, especially since it is a No Turn on Red corner.

When we contacted the state Department of Transportation about Stein's request, spokeswoman Eileen Peters wrote in an email that the DOT's evaluation of the site indicated "the number of vehicles turning right was significantly higher than the vehicles turning left," and that changing the lane designation "would increase congestion for the entire intersection and cause additional area delays." So it rejected Stein's request.

That didn't make sense to Stein, who is a lawyer, and she asked to be put in touch with Peters. After that, there was no stopping Mrs. Stein.

According to her records, she called Frank Pearson of the DOT's traffic safety department on June 18, 2010. When she didn't hear from him by June 29, she faxed him her complaint. She recalls that she indicated, "If we could not resolve the matter I would need a list of all other streets in Nassau County with similar traffic directions, etc. and a copy of the manual, directive, order, statute that sets the criteria."

On July 7 last year, she received a letter saying the DOT had scheduled an investigation based on her request. On Aug. 30, she sent a Freedom of Information request asking for the results of the investigation. On Nov. 3, she got a letter saying the investigation was complete and that the DOT would make the changes she had suggested. Between Nov. 10, 2010, and April of this year, she contacted the DOT at least a half-dozen times because the work still wasn't done. About two weeks ago, she saw the arrows had been repainted with the lanes designated the way she thought they should be.

When we asked Peters about the change, she emailed that her response to us last year was based on a "file study" of the intersection. The new one, which also included traffic counts, crash data and "on-site observations of motorists, revealed that the through/right lane was indeed warranted."

Good for you, Rita Stein.

There's a dangerous, dead tree near the curb by my house. It's leaning against the utility pole and has dropped limbs onto my driveway. I've been asking the Town of Brookhaven to remove it since July last year. Some of the tree was cut down, but a large portion of it remains. I called in May and was told it would be several months before tree trimming crews would be in the area. When I expressed my fears of falling limbs, I was told I shouldn't park my car in the driveway! It's still there.

-- Brian Wegenaar, East Setauket

The tree was taken down within a couple of weeks after we spoke to Lori Baldassare, the town's deputy superintendent of highways. She said an inspection determined that the dead tree wasn't dangerous, so the work would have to wait until workers were in the area. "Brookhaven is a huge town," she said. Crews address one area at a time, so the work is done more efficiently, she said.

Residents with tree problems on town property should call 631-451-9200.

There's a Verizon pole on my property that carries the utility lines to my neighbor's house, which is set back from the road. The pole is rotted and leaning on my fence and the electric wires are hanging low enough to touch. I called LIPA, they said it was Verizon's problem. I called the Town of Islip and they said they'll take care of it. It's been a year and three months and the pole is still hanging by the wires.

-- James Orlandi, Central Islip

Verizon crews put in a new pole -- on the neighbor's side this time -- soon after we called spokesman John Bonomo. But LIPA needed to move its wires, so Verizon contacted the utility asking them to expedite the transfer to the new pole and take out the pole. On Wednesday, we got an email from Bonomo saying LIPA workers had completed the job. We love it when these two companies work together quickly to solve a problem.

For issues concerning Verizon, call 800-VERIZON; for LIPA, call 800-490-0025.