Nassau County Executive Laura Curran announced the award of a $150,000 grant to the Town of North Hempstead to construct a walkway allowing pedestrians easier access to the Roslyn train station’s easter half.
The bulk of the parking and access points for the train train station, located in the unincorporated portion of Roslyn Heights, are on the western side of the tracks themselves. The eastern platform is fenced off at one end, despite being adjacent to a residential neighborhood that includes the Laurel Homes development, the Friendship Baptist Church of Roslyn, the town’s Department of Public Safety office and the pedestrian-friendly Town of North Hempstead Public Mall that runs between Orchard Street and Church Street.
Currently, the only way for somebody in the neighborhood to access the platform is to walk a significant distance out of the way to a ramp by the intersection of the tracks and Railroad Avenue, or just cross the busy intersection to the western side entirely.
Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth thanked Curran and the county for the grant in a statement, and said the walkway would greatly improve pedestrian safety.
“I am so appreciative of County Executive Laura Curran and her team for recognizing this area of Roslyn as one suitable for transit-oriented development,” Bosworth said. “The Roslyn train station is in close proximity to homes, businesses and schools, so this pedestrian walkway will make it easier and safer for our residents to get to and from where they need to go.”
The grant, one of seven $150,000 grants allotted out to Nassau municipalities, is part of a countywide initiative to increase walkability and downtown development. Besides the train station, grants were also awarded for improvements in Long Beach, Farmingdale, Freeport, Hempstead Village, the Town of Hempstead and the Town of Oyster Bay.
“With the growth of our Main Street business districts comes the need for pedestrian safety improvements, traffic calming, parking access and more and I am proud to help ease these growing pains for several communities with these strategic investments,” Curran said at a press conference announcing the grants. “We must continue to capitalize on New York State’s investments in the LIRR and push our towns, villages and local developers to build ideal destinations for commuters and residents that attract the next generation and boost our local economy.”
Pedestrian safety becomes an increasingly important issue as communities continue to develop around their downtown areas and attempt to attract railway commuters, Vision Long Island Sustainability Director Elissa Kyle said.
“One of the biggest things that ties downtowns together is the walkability, making it easier to get from place to place in a way that’s safe and comfortable,” Kyle said. “It’s great that the county decided to help some of the growing pains.”
