Community Watchdog: When old tree's a safety hazard

We have a large old tree that grew at an angle over the street. It's dangerous because it's dying and the limbs and branches keep falling and are close to the utility wires and a transformer. It needs to be taken down before it falls and brings down all the wires on our block, I've called the Town of Islip but no one can help me.

- Charles Smith, Ronkonkoma

The day after we called LIPA, a crew showed up and took down the rotting tree.

"We contacted our Hazardous Tree Program. They came out to survey the situation, and it was determined that the tree was in danger of falling, and if it did, it would compromise LIPA's electric system," LIPA spokesman Mark Gross said. "So we contacted the customer, told him we wanted to remove the tree, asked him to sign the permission form giving us authorization, and we proceeded to remove it. From what I understand, the customer was very happy."

Their timing couldn't be better - it was the day before the March 13 storm that took out hundreds of trees across Long Island.

Road condition worsens

Middle Island Road in Medford is becoming increasingly unsafe and in awful condition. There are only dividing lines on part of the road and people speed up and down at all hours. I've called the Town of Brookhaven since 2004 asking for road lines to increase safety. I'd also like it paved because of the potholes.

- Vanessa Herman, Medford

As a result of our inquiry, the Town of Brookhaven's Traffic Safety Division has launched a traffic study to determine if center line markings are warranted on Middle Island Road.

According to town officials, the road's average daily traffic must exceed 3,000 vehicles - the minimum volume required to install center line markings under Federal Highway Administration guidelines.

As a second resort, we called the Sixth Precinct Police to see if they could improve the road's safety. Insp. Robert Oswald, the precinct's commanding officer, immediately deployed a speed-detecting machine and asked COPE officers to boost patrols.

"COPE [Community Oriented Police Enforcement] was there . . . and has scheduled selective enforcement for the future," Oswald said.

Town traffic safety director Lynn Weyant said line markings were installed on a quarter-mile stretch of the road several years ago to create a left turning lane for northbound traffic entering Medford Pond Apartments, which were completed in 2007.

Regarding paving, town spokeswoman Gretchen Penn said that Middle Island Road - from Granny to Horseblock roads - is a "high priority" this year, but final decisions haven't been made yet.

Anyone with concerns about road markings on Brookhaven Town roads should call 631-451-6480.

Lights, lanes don't line up

I am writing about the dangerous placement of traffic signals at the main entrance of Stony Brook University on Nicolls Road. The lights do not line up with the lanes below. If you're traveling in the second lane from the left, it appears that you have a green light to turn left. But, in fact, that light is for the cars going straight. I've personally witnessed two near misses because of these signals. It just seems a minor adjustment is needed.

- Jules Lewis, Coram

After we contacted the Suffolk County Department of Public Works, the university's entrance was evaluated. The good news is officials agree that an adjustment is needed. The bad news is, it's not a quick fix.

Chief engineer Bill Hillman said it has been a common practice to slightly shift signals away from the center of travel lanes so drivers riding behind large trucks could see the lights. "I think in this case it was done in excess," Hillman said.

Unfortunately, Hillman said the solution in this instance is not simple. Some signals have multiple heads that direct traffic in several directions at once. Repositioning them could cause more problems.

Hillman said county engineers will have to determine how "to reconfigure the entire signal base" sometime this spring.

Anyone concerned about signals on county roads should call the Department of Public Works at 631-852-4010.