Hicksville LIRR parking to be ADA-compliant

A Hicksville train station commuter lot has rows of parking spaces designated for disabled drivers but few of the access aisles we've come to expect. A reader suspected the arrangement was not up to the standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The reader was right. And the Town of Oyster Bay reports that Parking Lot H18 is being reconfigured so it meets ADA standards.

The lot needed to add many more of those striped access aisles so every car is next to one. To make that happen, town crews have begun re-striping the lot, town spokeswoman Phyllis Barry said.

Each access aisle will be wider than the minimum requirement, Barry said, at 96 inches. That's the width the ADA designates for a van-accessible aisle, one of which is required for every six handicapped spaces, according to a Justice Department spokeswoman. The ADA requires a 60-inch-wide aisle next to each of the other parking spaces.

The reconfiguration will result in fewer disabled parking spaces but the number will still meet the requirement for a lot of that size, Barry said. The former number had exceeded the requirement, she said.

In the old arrangement, a row of 17 blue-outlined spaces had only two access aisles: one after the first seven parking spaces, the second after the next four. The result: Only four cars could be next to an aisle.

A nearby section of 12 blue-outlined spaces had no access aisles.

SEE PHOTOSLIRR trains and commuters through the years

The reconfiguration comes after some confusion. Oyster Bay, in response to a Watchdog query, initially said the parking configuration met ADA guidelines. Two weeks later, the town reported work to re-stripe the parking spaces had begun.

The old configuration dated back decades and, Barry said, since the town had not received any complaints, "No one figured anything was wrong."

The town's other commuter lots are being inspected to determine whether similar reconfiguration is necessary, she said.

Barry said the town also is installing new signs on the disabled parking spaces after determining the old signs did not meet ADA guidelines.

Do your community's parking lots meet ADA standards? Tell us at watchdog@newsday.com.

Justice Department respondsThe Department of Justice, which enforces provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, offered this response to questions about the section of the act that governs parking space requirements:

"Each parking space must have an access aisle immediately adjacent to the space. They cannot provide ONE access aisle for multiple spaces . . . An accessible parking space consists of the parking space itself AND the access aisle.

"An 'accessible' parking space without an access aisle is not an accessible parking space that complies with the standards. (The access aisle is there to allow people with mobility disabilities to deploy a lift, to remove a wheelchair from the car and position it for transfer, or to otherwise have maneuvering space to enter and exit the vehicle -- this includes folks who use walkers, braces, crutches, etc.)"

Left-turn woes in SayvilleAt the intersection of Montauk Highway (County Road 85) and Railroad Avenue in Sayville, it is impossible for eastbound cars on Montauk to turn north onto Railroad Avenue. Only one car generally manages to turn left every light cycle. A second car usually runs the red light out of frustration rather than wait. There is already a turning lane, but there's really a need for a left-turn arrow.

-- Sheralee Malenovsky, Sayville

Suffolk County officials said that a traffic study will be conducted this summer at Montauk Highway and Railroad Avenue, which is the main intersection in downtown Sayville.

"Summer is the most appropriate time since it's the most heavily trafficked time for this thoroughfare," county spokeswoman Vanessa Baird-Streeter said. "From that data collection, we'll make an assessment if the turn arrow Mrs. Malenovsky is requesting is needed."

Baird-Streeter said the county received a letter from Malenovsky in December about her concerns on the intersection and replied to her with an acknowledgment letter. However, Malenovsky told us that she never received a response from the county.

Suffolk residents with concerns regarding traffic signals on county roads should call the county's Department of Public Works at 631-852-4010.