This video is an edited video of about 30 minutes at the intersection of Route 9 and Oak/Clinton Streets in Dobbs Ferry. This video is not taken during heavy traffic, but is to demonstrate the craziness that can ensue at this particular location.Â
I'll be out this afternoon celebrating Running Day.
PS - I love the honks, waves, and cheers, it makes pushing my faithful sidekick (who weighs 45lbs these days) much easier! Just stay safe!!
The more important news...
Nelson Nygaard, transportation engineers, will attend the Route 9 meetings on June 15th & 17th. They will present a brief introduction to the project and then provide an open and informal setting for the sharing of ideas. They plan to staff four stations for attendees to provide input, ideas, comments, and suggestions. There will also be choices that people can make to articulate their preferences. These stations will have an illustration board to post notes and stickers.Â
What can we do?
Come prepared - Bring notes on problems & solutions.
Participate - This is your opportunity to provide input on a state road! Carpe diem!
Be Open - Expect different experiences, perspectives, and knowledge - there could be many solutions or combinations that solve a problem.
Ask Questions -Â Bring your thinking caps, engage with people from other villages, and ask them questions.Â
The Jogging Jeweler has complied a list (by village/town) for residents to consider in their own research, problem solving, and to raise awareness among more members of our community. Within each list I will provide the blog numbers that photographic or video footage can be found demonstrating the problems.
| Ardsley 1st Edition - No Sidewalk Saw Mill River Rd |
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Notice anything....There is no sidewalk.
Yes, you still see snow on the side of the road because I've got a backlog of videos I need to write about.
A reader asked that I run down Ogden - I did. Then across the Saw Mill and into Ardsley via the South County Trailway. The only way to get back into Dobbs Ferry from Ardsley is to run over the bridge, which can not be accessed from the Trailway and requires running on Saw Mill River Road.Â
There are no sidewalks on either side of this road that is under some pretty heavy construction. Screenshot below is an image of the South County Trailway in Ardsley.Â
With the development of the Danforth Apartments along the Saw Milll River Parkway, pedestrians have limited access to Ardsley, their options being
1. Exiting the South County trailway by House of Sports or,
2. Â Continue onwards exiting the trail in the park, past Heatherdell Road, Starbucks, Rev, and multiple other businesses.
To exit the South County Trail located near House of Sports requires some agility as you have to get over the guardrail. This is not handicap or stroller accessible.Â
Whether there is a sidewalk allowing for pedestrians from the North end of Ardsley into the village is not a course I have ran, yet. Based on Google Map images there do not appear to be sidewalks leading from the trail towards Starbucks.
What does this mean?
Well - either the Danforth apartments are attracting some adventurous pedestriansÂ
- or  -
there will be more vehicles on the roads of Ardsley - Just. Like. Every. Other. Rivertown.Â
Our villages and residents need to accept and acknowledge that our roads were built at a time when most households were lucky to have 1 car. Now, many households have 2 or more, depending on how many teenagers they have. If you take the number of existing households, multiple that by 2 - that's double what our roads were built for - whenever they were actually built.
Now add in the new developments every Rivertown has and while were at it, add in the dramatic increase in popularity of cycling - our roads are being shared by a larger population than ever before.Â
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What can we do?
Maintain the sidewalks you have, so they feel and look accessible to all pedestrians...
Trim trees, so people don't need to duck
Keep shrubs & bushes pruned, sidewalk space is limited enough
Shovel the snow, sweep the leaves
Fix the broken - elderly stumble & trip, runners leap, & strollers knock those babes around
Don't have a sidewalk? Help the neighbor that does, ever heard "it takes a village"Â
Speak up - Complaining about developments and traffic is not motivation for getting solutions. Write letters to motivate actions that allow for town dwelling pedestrians to feel that choosing to walk within our villages is convenient, safe, healthy, and beautiful.Â
This video demonstrates a first for The Jogging Jeweler - prior to this video I had never crossed the Saw Mill River Parkway at Lawrence Street. Crossing at this location posed no immediate problems however in my time standing there I did observe a few things.
At the request of a reader we traveled up Ashford Ave and down Ogden to capture what traveling is like for a pedestrian in this area of Dobbs Ferry. As you witness in the video above - we are counting cars again. 10 cars pass without stopping.Â
Following up on a previous blog about the frequent curbs encountered on a recent run in Hastings. When we posted our blog to the 10706 page we received a few comments and suggestions - which were taken seriously and followed through on. The comments basically eluded to emailing the HOH board a Notice of Defect - to which we titled our email.
|Main St streetscape improvements in Dobbs Ferry |
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council has opened a public comment period through 4 p.m. on Friday for street and sidewalk improvements as well as Metro-North railroad bridge projects throughout Westchester and Rockland counties.
The state proposes amendments to the Federal Fiscal Years 2017-2021 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The comment period provides an opportunity for public feedback on the proposed changes to the TIP.
They are looking for comments regarding the following areas in the Rivertowns:
Beekman Avenue pedestrian improvements in Sleepy Hollow
Main Street streetscape improvements in the Village of Dobbs Ferry
Main & River Streets/ Metro-North Railroad bridge steel rehabilitation in the Village of Tarrytown
Main & Wildey Streets over the Metro-North Railroad bridge rehabilitation, Village of Tarrytown
THIS is an opportunity to make a difference, but let's be purposeful in our comments as they are in regard to ADA Compliance specifically - meaning wheelchair, handicap, and disabled accessibility. Think of the sidewalks and curbs along Main St - are they accessible to people in wheelchairs, with walkers, the blind, or others with disabilities?Â
Specifics we can comment on:
1. The Intersection of Chestnut and Main St (as pictured below) does not have ramps available from all directions. Forcing people into oncoming traffic to use a ramp facing another direction to enter the sidewalk. Â Â Â
2. The intersection of Main St/ Livingston/ Walnut has a similar issue - a lack of ramps, again forcing people into oncoming traffic to enter the sidewalk without a curb.Â
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3. Also - given the opportunity to raise awareness to pedestrian safety issues within the Village the lack of crosswalks along Main St should be raised as well. Technically - we have ONE crosswalk on Main St - at the corner of Chestnut & Main. The next is at the Livingston/Walmut intersection. Neither of these crosswalks aid the portion of Main St that currently has the most foot traffic - the area between Cedar & Chestnut. Where clients to Sams, Readers, The Post Office, Home Again, Gary's Pharmacy, The Beauty Parlor, and many, many more!
Why does sending in comments help?
Comments are incorporated into notes about each project, and sent out with the ballot to the voting members of the Metropolitan Planning Organization, members can choose whether or not to react to those comments. The voting members of the Metropolitan Planning Organization have 5 days to vote, after which projects are added to the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
If you would like to comment:
Comments are due in writing by 4 p.m. on Friday, March 24 to:Â
New York Metropolitan Transportation Council, Attn: Olu Folarin, 25 Beaver St., Suite 201; New York, NY 10004;
P.S. -Â I plan to run Main St., up one side and down another, this afternoon to post a video tonight regarding Main St that we can share in our emails to NYDOT. If you know of more places along Main St that are questionable to ADA Compliance PLEASE COMMENT - that way others who may feel motivated to send an email in the next 24 hours can include those things!Â