NEW CITY - Brian Stephens likes that he's just a hop, skip and a jump away from the New City Library, the post office, Zukor Park and his children's dentist. To reach any of those places, he drives from his house on Elmwood Street to East Cavalry Drive, and then across Route 304 into Main Street.

But that easy access may be restricted under a proposal to build a traffic island on East Cavalry and Route 304 that would allow only a right turn in and out of East Cavalry Drive. Town Supervisor Alex Gromack said the proposal came at the behest of a few residents in the Camelot development who were concerned with traffic in their neighborhood.

Under the proposal, drivers would no longer be permitted to go through the intersection into Squadron Boulevard and Main Street, or make a left turn on Route 304. To get to Main Street, residents of of the area would have to either go to Congers Road and turn right on Route 304, or, from East Cavalry drive north on Route 304 through isolated parts of New City before they could turn left to find a circuitous way back down to Main Street.

Gromack informed residents about the proposal in a letter dated Nov. 6, which also set a date and time for the workshop to elicit the community's response. The news angered many in the community who do not want the change.

Dozens of residents are expected to attend a Town Board workshop meeting tomorrow to discuss the proposed traffic island.

"It's inconvenient, and I don't understand why I need to go on a state highway to get to where I need to go when I can go through my neighborhood," said Stephens.

Reach Hema Easley at heasley@lohud.com or 845-578-2442.