Resident worried about Newbridge Road changes

I travel Newbridge Road every day south of Hempstead Turnpike. Last summer, the two lanes each way on Newbridge Road became one lane each way. This was a bad idea. It makes getting out of side streets difficult because the lines of traffic are endless during rush hours, and it's causing dangerous traffic situations, such as tailgating and improper use of the turning lanes. Please help correct this poor lane-usage decision and bring back the original four-lane road before serious accidents occur.

-Lori Hoffman, East Meadow

BOTTOM line, Mrs. Hoffman, the road's staying the way it is. Here's what state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Eileen Peters wrote in an e-mail:

"As the result of a comprehensive investigation and in response to elected officials' and community safety concerns, in August 2010 the NYS Department of Transportation reconfigured approximately one mile of NY Route 106/Newbridge Road travel lanes between NY Route 24/Hempstead Turnpike and North Jerusalem Road . . . to curtail speeding and reduce crashes."

That was the DOT's reasoning behind the change, which in DOT jargon is called a "traffic calming design," turning four lanes into one lane in each direction, with a center lane for left turns. Peters wrote: "After several initial complaints mostly from aggressive drivers who could no longer pass motorists driving at the speed limit, it appears motorists have adjusted . . . and it is operating as intended." We don't know how the DOT knows the complaints came from "mostly aggressive drivers . . . " but that's another issue.

If readers need help navigating the new configuration, Peters offered this: "The continuous center turn lane should actually ease left turn movements from side roads since it now provides a 'halfway' area to wait for a gap in traffic and safely enter the travel lane. This is an exclusive left turn lane that can be entered and exited at any point to safely wait for a left turn opportunity. It is illegal to use it as a travel or passing lane."