Scenes such as this recent one showing vehicles parked in crosswalks in downtown Tarrytown threaten pedestrians. Frustrating and all too common, they serve to remind us of one of the many reasons the work of Livable Tarrytowns is so necessary.
But we also need to remember and celebrate what we (along with our allies) have accomplished in the last few months—not least to sustain ourselves!
On May 29, the Sleepy Hollow Board of Trustees approved a “Sustainable Complete Streets Policy” that contains clear benchmarks that the Village needs to achieve each year. Originally drafted by Sustainable Sleepy Hollow, the policy requires the Village to “carry out a system of implementation, to include surveying roadways and intersections, identifying opportunities for improvements, ranking streets and roadways identified for enhancements, installing pilot or demonstration projects, evaluating performance of the pilot or demonstration projects, and permanently installing these projects.”
Different projects have distinct point values assigned to them. Installing a marked crosswalk with signage or putting in a speed hump, for example, is worth two points, while a roundabout (a major undertaking) is worth twenty. New sidewalk planters or planters at curb extensions get one point, while the installation of bioswales or raingardens at tree pits within curb extensions receive seven points. The Village must attain a minimum of 25 points annually.
And Sleepy Hollow is already making progress.
Credit: Village of Sleepy Hollow.
Currently, the Sleepy Hollow Board of Trustees is conducting an analysis of the temporary and highly successful pedestrian plaza on Cortlandt Street at Beekman Avenue with an eye toward improving it and making it permanent. The Village has grant money that it has won and will apply to the plaza.
In addition, in response to emails and letters from residents and parents of schoolchildren, the Village has painted curb extensions (or “bump-outs”) around crosswalks on Beekman Avenue and Pocantico Street. Soon—to prevent scenes such as the one shown above in Tarrytown—the Village of Sleepy Hollow will install physical barriers to deter vehicles from parking in the bump-out areas.
The redesign of the crosswalks near the Morse School comes on the heels of a highly successful Walk/Bike to School Day on May 8—this despite it being a rainy day. Organized by Livable Tarrytowns, the event saw scores of children walking and biking in groups, along with parents and members of the board of trustees from both villages, to the elementary schools. (We are planning another walk and bike day for October 9. Dr. Raymond Sanchez, TUFSD superintendent, will be among the participants!).
Also in relation to the TUFSD, the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) has agreed to make a positive change in proximity of the high school/middle school/John Paulding campus. In a May 6, 2024, letter to the Village of Sleepy Hollow, the DOT approved a “School Safety Zone” and a lowering of the speed limit to 20 miles per hour on Bedford Road (Route 448) between Webber Avenue and Broadway (Route 9).
In the same letter, the DOT approved a speed limit reduction to 25 miles per on Broadway from Bedford Road to College Avenue, but refused to lower it to 20 miles under the dubious logic that there is a signalized crosswalk at Depeyster (and Broadway). Overcoming the DOT’s obstinance to the extension of the “School Safety Zone” along Broadway requires that the New York State legislature pass a “home rule resolution.” Livable Tarrytowns will work with allies to bring about the passage of such a resolution in the next legislative session (which begins in January 2025).
Finally, in mid-May, Livable Tarrytowns submitted a letter to the DOT signed by more than 240 residents of Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown. The letter called upon the agency to install a median refuge on Broadway at McKeel along with bump-outs at the crosswalks. At the urging of members of Livable Tarrytowns, the Board of Trustees of Tarrytown passed a strong resolution in support.
On June 13, the DOT responded by letter to Livable Tarrytowns. The good news is that the DOT intends to narrow the intersection by pushing the curb on the west side of Broadway into the intersection. On the east side of Broadway at McKeel, the DOT is currently planning to install “bump out” extensions at the crosswalks. Unfortunately, however, the DOT has decided against installing a median refuge.
That said, the letter noted, “The Route 9 Complete Street Project, currently in the preliminary design phase, is evaluating the entire corridor through Tarrytown to determine if median refuge islands are appropriate and feasible.” In other words, more far-reaching changes are under consideration.
Livable Tarrytowns 