Glen Cove, New York – Glen Cove middle school students, their parents, and staff are a little safer thanks to the efforts of Assemblymember Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove). After hearing about unsafe road conditions in front of Finley Middle School in Glen Cove, Assemblymember Lavine advocated on behalf of the school to help implement traffic calming devices on Forest Avenue, a county road. With the cooperation of the Glen Cove Police Department, which supported the idea of safety measures being put in place, the Nassau County Department of Transportation took action and implemented road markings prohibiting vehicles from blocking traffic exiting the school. According to Finley Middle School Principal Nelson Iocolano, the changes have made a tremendous impact. Iocolano says that before the signage, as buses and parents picked up students in the afternoon for both Finley and the adjacent elementary school, bottlenecking occurred on Forest Avenue. This caused a dangerous situation for both pedestrians and the vehicles attempting to exit the lot. Now, drivers are mandated to wait and allow traffic to flow away from the school which, Iocolano says, is working just as he had hoped. 

“When it comes to our children, safety is the number one priority. As a parent and grandparent of former and current Glen Cove Schools students, I am very glad my efforts to improve the traffic situation at Finley Middle School are providing a greater sense of peace of mind for parents and administrators,” Lavine said.

Photo 1 caption: Assemblymember Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove) along with Finley Middle School Principal Nelson Iocolano on Forest Ave. where road markings and signage have led to improved safety for students