Traffic lights & RR gates need to be secquinized

As I drive home from college through Garden City. I notice that very time a train comes through, the roads that do the intersecting w/ the RR ALWAYS have a GREEN aka(CLEAR) signal. Why is that???

It's totally unsafe and pointless. I say the MTA/LIRR MUST WITH NO "???" ASKED contect the NYS DOT and try to set the TRAFFIC LIGHTS to go PARELL to the TRAIN. In other words the street also heavelly used, will have a GREEN light the whole time that the RR gates are down.

I.E. THIS WOULD REALLY FREE UP THE GRID-LOCK TRAFFIC CAUSED BY THIS REDICULAS SYSTEM THAT THEY HAVE NOW......

NOTE: IM SUPRISED THE N.I.M.B.Y's DIDENT BRING THIS UP TO PATAKI YET. THEY SEEM TO ALWAYS GET WHAT THEY WANT

The reason traffic lights comming off the railroad crossing get green is mandatory by law.
it became law when a Metra train demolished a loaded schoolbus unable to get off crossing because of light/traffic.

How Ever the Light does not need to stay green the whole time. after the gates are compleatly down, can't the lights change to either alow an absolut green for the non obstructed road.

or posibily a solid yellow for the non obstructed road and a flashing red for the obstructed road.
thats just my opinon.
(its a shame that traffic has to be blocked like that)

It meets the federal requirments, and to be blunt, thats usually all they will care about. I would think the interface's to take it to that level are beyond the states and RR's intrest anyway, that might mean they need to co-operate. With what I know here in WA being involved with Operation Lifesaver and BNSF, that can be a real pain.

Also, who controls the light depends upon who "owns" the road. It could be either a Village if a village street, one of the Townships (Hempstead, North Hempstead or Oyster Bay) if a Town road, Nassau County if a County Road, or NYS if a State road. However, if the Feds require this then they have the final say on the topic.

For those interested in pursuing the matter of traffic signal configuration, timing, etc. there are only two agencies that operate traffic lights in Nassau County. On a numbered state road it's the N.Y. State Dept. of Transportation. On county, town, and village roads it's the Nassau County Dept. of Public Works.

You can tell the difference by looking at the signal heads or the control box on the pole. The state's signal heads are usually painted dark green and the printed number on the control box will usually have a decimal point in the number. The county's signal heads are mostly yellow and the first digit of the control box number indicates the Nassau County Police precinct where the signal is located.

Also: a good forum to inquire about traffic signal issues is by contacting Newsday's Dr. Conehead column.