October 28, 2019 Mayor's Column

Let there be light! As daylight savings time fast approaches, we at Village Hall are concentrating on illuminating some dark pockets throughout the Village.  Chief among the locations is the area contiguous with the north bound arrivals side of the Metro North station. With a projected installation date of November 15, we will be adding single and double tear drop lights in the vicinity of Lake Avenue, Westbourne and at the Palmer Avenue crosswalk. One quite diseased tree will need to be removed in the process.  Thanks to the generosity of the Boulder Ledge Garden Club, it will be replaced with an upward growing elm that will not block any vistas. Similar tear drop fixtures will also be added at the Midland Avenue/Pondfield Road intersection, our busiest in the Village.  Added tear drop fixtures will be installed on Sagamore Road adjacent to the Eliza Corwin Frost Nursery School and at the crest of Sagamore Road near the entrance to Bacon Woods Park.  Parts from the several globe lights in that vicinity will be cannibalized for parts to replace some of the more dilapidated globe structures throughout the Village. You will see areas of ground prep work in the coming days to facilitate the electrical hookups.

Again the result of an accident, we have accelerated our upgrade of the intersection of Midland Avenue and Crows Nest/Masterton Road. Currently, we have orange cones and painted demarcation to test a proposed configuration as designed by our traffic engineer in consult with our Police Department. The end result will be an attractive island with appropriately placed stop signs as well as a road narrowing to facilitate decreased speed. Rather than building the island and then needing to jackhammer, should traffic patterns, resident input, and police observation suggest modification, we are employing the same cone and paint method we employed at the Kensington and Sagamore Road intersection which changed in shape and size from the temporary configuration.

These are the first of many other safety /traffic initiatives to be rolled out per the guidance of our Village Comprehensive Plan initiative.

We have accelerated the timeframe in some locations due to damage or disrepair of existing equipment.

One such example is the intersection of Meadow and Kraft Avenues near St. Joseph’s School.  Our now non-conforming light re: Federal and New York State standards, has reached the end of its long life and continued malfunction has necessitated the needed upgrade. You will soon see a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) in lieu of a light at the location. When a button is pressed, the beacon will flash alerting drivers to stop.

Prior to this change, the light stayed 95% green all the time which became the norm for most drivers on this route.  This expectation lulled drivers and created a false sense of security for walkers who assumed drivers were alert for the very occasional red light and would automatically stop.  Adding to the confusion, the light was located mid-block, not at all an expected location.  Of added importance, the light did not conform to any safety standards, thus affecting Village liability going forward. In concert with the intersection change, the Village will also upgrade the crosswalk to further increase pedestrian visibility.

If any pedestrian prefers a different crossing configuration, the Cedar Street/Kraft Avenue, just 100 feet away, is an optimal alternative.

In the past year, the Trustees have made a priority effort, in concert with Police Department, to add crosswalks throughout the Village to encourage walkability. One such location was at Midland Avenue and Sycamore Street.  We are in the process of evaluating other intersections, chief among them is at Avon Road and Park Avenue. We have also lobbied the State Department of Transportation (DOT) and understand that our request for a signalized crosswalk at Pondfield Road and Route 22 has been approved and part of their next capital plan.  At this juncture, we are not privy to a time frame.

Currently, we have installed six solar speeding/caution signs, have more on order and plan to add more in the upcoming budget process.  Our Police Department with constant monitoring, have unquestionably believed the signs have contributed to speed decrease.  The sign, soon to arrive, will be placed near Midland Avenue and Masterton Road on the northbound side.

With advice from Chief Satriale, the Trustees approved an overtime budget that addresses issues that have long frustrated residents and trustees alike.  Included not surprisingly is double yellow line crossing and speeding in residential neighborhoods.  The issuance of tickets for these violations results in 95% of the funds going directly to state coffers. Net net the only and best benefit is safety in the Village.

When all this work is completed, our next focus will be on the intersection of Kraft Avenue and Park Place.  Stay tuned.