Bursting at the Seams: Rockville Centre's Overcrowding Issues

Written by: Leah Palladino

Lead: Rockville Centre is a lively town located on the South Shore on Long Island, with a variety of restaurants and activities to choose from. However, the town is filled with 25,000 residents with some having started to express their concerns about the overcrowding issues the town has faced in recent years. There have been multiple complaints regarding the traffic and lack of parking that the town has, along with complaints about the schools. Are there any other issues that residents are facing? We interviewed three current residents who share their thoughts on the overcrowding issue.

Frank Palladino has been a resident in Rockville Centre for 22 years. He moved here with his wife Jill after they got married. Their reasons for moving here were simple; it was a beautiful neighborhood with a great school district. When he first moved here, he said that even though there was typical “Long Island traffic” as he calls it, it was never to this extent. “The amount of double parking I see on an everyday basis has gotten really frustrating and is causing even more unnecessary traffic. The train station should only be a five minute drive from my house, but during rush hour it can take around 15 minutes just to get home.” He also discussed his concerns for a new medical building that has been rumored to open on Sunrise Highway. 

Sunrise Highway is one the busiest roads all throughout Long Island. “Adding a medical building on that road will just be a nightmare. The town already struggles with parking, so I can’t imagine how much worse it would get if the building was open,” Frank said. When asked if he had any solutions for these problems, he simply said that if Rockville Centre wants to keep business booming and residents content, they have to find a way to add additional parking spaces while also being stricter with illegal parking. He suggested that police officers be more present and hand out tickets to those breaking the law. Frank believes that these minor fixes can change major issues.  

Ryan Bradley, 15, is a rising sophomore at South Side High School. He is part of the junior varsity soccer and baseball teams at the school, where his athletic abilities shine. When discussing the transition from middle school to high school, Ryan said the only big change was the difference in the school sizes. However, he also noticed that there were a number of new students in his classes, which affected his personal academics. “Meeting new friends in class was great, but it made it harder to have one-on-one help with teachers.” Extra help with teachers can be valuable to one’s academic performance. With an increase in class sizes, getting that help can be a struggle. He also said that he had to work harder than ever before to make his sports teams because of the number of kids that tried out. 

There are many instances where individuals can be overwhelmed by big crowds surrounding them. Ryan says however, that he is still comfortable at school. “The hallways are a bit crowded during passing periods, but other than that I feel safe in the environment and know that if anything happens, a teacher or other students will be there to help.” He mentioned again how he got to meet and create friendships with new students, which he is grateful for. 

The final Rockville Centre resident interviewed was Nancy Allen who has been living here since 1985. She raised her two kids here and now has grandchildren visiting her every weekend. Nancy says she has seen a dramatic change in the number of Rockville Centre residents. “When we first moved here, the houses were all a perfect distance apart where we all had privacy from our neighbors. Now, I feel like houses are being built on top of each other which has been causing more residents to move in.” Nancy shares a driveway with her next door neighbor and even though she has no problem with them, she still wishes she had a little more privacy. Although this particular topic may not be a direct cause from overcrowding, Nancy also mentioned seeing kids display deviant behavior like she's never seen before. 

She says that there have been a lot of reports of kids being disrespectful and disruptive in restaurants and shops along Long Beach Road. Those towns and shops on Long Beach Road are also referred to as “town.” In middle school, it is a huge deal to walk from school to town to get a slice of pizza from Gino’s with your friends. That being said, the middle schoolers going into town these days show blatant disrespect to those catering to them. They have trashed boutiques and leave their garbage all over the street. Nancy voiced safety concerns for pedestrians as well as she witnessed dozens of bikes being left on the sidewalk, which were just waiting for someone to trip over them. 

Although not mentioned by any of the RVC residents we interviewed, overcrowding can also cause problems with public transportation and environmental issues. A direct cause from the traffic mentioned before is pollution, which can put certain people at risk. Having a large number of people all cramped in small spaces can also increase the chance of illnesses spreading, which is again putting people's lives at risk. All of these recognizable issues are reducing the quality of life of the Rockville Centre residents and will only create even larger issues in the future. 

Between oversized classes in the schools, cramped living spaces and too much traffic, Rockville Centre has its fair share of overcrowding issues that should be fixed to keep its residents living a safe and healthy lifestyle. This issue may not be fixable overnight, but for now the town's political office and concerned residents can work together and make conscious decisions to combat the issue. When people realize that there are serious problems affecting them, they should take action. One person speaking out can speak for an even bigger number of people who are too afraid to.  

Rockville Centre Overcrowding