Accident Survey Reveals Problems at Several Intersections in Central

A Garden City Police Department survey of the frequency of accidents on Cathedral and Hilton avenues does reveal problems at several intersections in the Central section.

During Thursday's meeting of the Traffic Commission, trustee Andrew Cavanaugh said he asked police commissioner Kenneth Jackson to do the survey after a resident shared his concerns with him. "It does show they are not uncommon at all, especially at Third and Fourth streets," he said.

Cavanaugh lived at the corner of Cathedral Avenue and Second Street for many years and said there is a traffic light at the four-way intersection. "Not quite sure how or what to do," he said. "Second Street certainly is a stop light. The others there are Stop signs on the cross streets but people for some reason lose attention and perception."

Accident records dating back to 2000 reveal 23 collisions have been reported between then and now at that intersection. There's never been more than three reported accidents in any given year at that location though and none have been reported so far in 2013.

Records also show that six accidents occurred at Hilton Avenue and Sixth Street in 2000, jumped to 10 in 2012 and two so far in 2013. Reports peaked at five in 2004 at that location.

At the corner of Cathedral Avenue and Sixth Street four accidents occurred each year in 2000, 2001 and 2002, jumped to six in 2003 and 10 in 2004 while 13 accidents were recorded in 2008 and 2010. Incidents dropped to six in 2011 and four in 2012. Four have also been recorded at that intersection so far in 2013.

Since January no accidents have been reported at Hilton Avenue at Second Street, Cathedral Avenue at Second Street and Cathedral Avenue at Fifth Street.

Records show that the most accidents occurred at Hilton Avenue at Sixth Street (68) and Cathedral Avenue at Sixth Street (94) since 2000. So far in 2013 two have been reported at Hilton and Sixth and none at Cathedral and Sixth.

Commissioner Jackson said most accidents are cited as "fail to yield." He noted that a 2007 survey revealed the average speed limit on Hilton Avenue was 33 mph.

"Observationally the problem is as much people coming out of the cross streets as it is coming up and down," Cavanaugh said, referring to Cathedral Avenue, a four-lane, county-owned road, and Hilton Avenue, a two-lane, village-owned road.

The police department's speed trailer is really not effective on four-lane highways like Cathedral and Rockaway avenues, according to Jackson, because it is "difficult to accurately record each vehicle because it will only pick up one vehicle at a time."

Jackson said the department plans on doing another survey.