Road rage, school districts, regionalization

Road rage being on the rise can be linked to the towns’ attempts to control driving by reconstructing roads [“Avoid scourge of LI road rage,” Editorial, Nov. 1].

Look at Baldwin’s redo of Grand Avenue, for example, with its streetscapes plan. At several places, the road narrows from two lanes to one without much warning. Drivers are forced to merge in a very short distance. That distance is shorter than the prescribed way to signal a lane change and is not easily compatible to a zipper merge. That is where the rage begins.

Drivers think someone is cutting in front of them. If you look at southbound Grand Avenue at Prospect Avenue, it is now one lane each way. Sometimes, to make a left turn it may take three light sequences to get through the intersection. That creates frustration, which can lead to road rage.

Was the streetscapes plan done at the behest of the road construction lobby, not really benefiting vehicle and pedestrian safety? That plan does nothing to help the blighted vacant stores in the area. And now, that plan will redo Grand Avenue in North Baldwin, too. Single lanes there will lead to even more road rage.

— Timothy Myles, Baldwin

Where do I start? Every day, I see aggressive driving. I see cars and trucks going through stop signs and red lights. I see cars being cut off so the aggressive driver can make it to the red light before me, etc.

You know what I don’t see? Police presence. Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder says he has added patrols to conduct traffic enforcement to deal with road rage. Where in Nassau County would that be?

I was involved in a road rage incident. I wrote down the license plate number and vehicle type of the other party and drove to the 3rd Precinct on Hillside Avenue in Williston Park. When I reported this to the officer at the front desk, he said unless the police actually see the incident, it is hearsay. I am not making this up. The article “Road rage rising on LI, but you can stay safe” [News, Oct. 24] talks about letting the road rage drivers continue what they are doing and the drivers who obey the laws should stay out of their way.

— Andrew Dooley, New Hyde Park

The only way to remove NASCAR driver wannabees is to install a fleet of unmarked fast police cars with skilled drivers from the Suffolk County Police Department. The way Sunrise Highway traffic is these days, it’s scary driving.

As I cruise east, I look in the rearview mirror, and in seconds a young, aggressive driver is inches off my bumper, flying in and out of traffic. Every day, it seems, we read about a crash, often fatal. Stop these bad actors and impound their vehicles. Suspend their licenses for at least 60 days.

Trying to imitate what you see on a video game in real life is dangerous.

— Charley Frey, West Babylon

Is anyone going to address the elephant in the room regarding the increase in road rage? It’s the legalization of marijuana. You can hardly drive on any road on Long Island without getting hit with the smell of weed, even when going over 60 mph on highways.

Sure, the state of affairs in the country doesn’t help, but there must be a correlation between the time since pot has been legalized and the increase in accidents and road rage. Maybe it’s time to rethink legalizing a mind-altering drug. It’s only going to get worse.

— Nancy K. Nee, Holbrook

Let school districts decide for themselves

Once again, the state wants to alter the present control that local districts have with deciding their educational goals “State education regionalization plan opposed,” News, Nov. 4]. Even with conferencing and sharing information, the chances of agreeing on issues are minimal.

Let the districts decide for themselves the needs of their community.

— Adrienne Horowitz, Old Bethpage

Until the late 1950s, New York State was widely considered as having the best education system in the country “Educated students need Regents exams,” Letters, Nov. 7]. Then the unions got involved in trying to remove the Regents exams. Educated students need Regents exams.

They realized that Regents exams evaluated not only the students but teachers, too. They would rather make up the tests themselves and then teach students what was on the tests so the teachers would get good marks.

— Brian Keane, Patchogue