Many pedestrian crossings on the main thoroughfares in the Village of Pittsford are slated for some upgrades, courtesy of the New York Department of Transportation.
Some of you attended the information sessions NYSDOT held last winter at the library, where they gave us all sticky notes and had us identify trouble-spots that needed improvement. The upcoming upgrades were born out of those input sessions and the various pedestrian & traffic calming studies, including the Active Transportation Plan draft.
The following intersections and mid-block crossings are on the list:
Monroe Ave & Sutherland St:
Improve existing curb ramps at SE & SW corners, new sidewalk curb ramp on north side of Monroe and repainting crossing and new paint. This crossing has been on our “worst places to cross list” for a while. Lots of kids from the high school have to cross here during the day and you’ll see the cross country and track teams, joggers and dog walkers out in the early morning and evening trying to cross here. In spite of proximity to the high school and bus stops, it remains a dangerous spot. You have to wait IN the speeding traffic lane on the north side because of where the crossing lines up, all while drivers try to turn and not crash into other speeding drivers doing the same thing. It’s not good.
Monroe Ave & Washington Ave:
Upgrade curb ramps and repaint. For years, the Village has discussed a bump-out on the south side here to allow a pedestrian a safe and visible place to wait. Pedestrians often wait 20 or more cars before a driver finally notices and stops, in spite of there being a bus stop and a yield to pedestrians sign in the middle of the road. Sadly, a bump-out is not in the scope of the NYSDOT work currently.
4 Corners (Main St. & State St):
Upgrade curb ramps on all corners, a new signal and re-establishing zebra crossings (striped instead of the current parallel lines). A pedestrian leading interval was discussed and could be forthcoming, as well. Good god, the 4 Corners is like the Wild West and needs a huge design makeover. We aren’t there, yet.
State St at the Library:
This is part of NYSDOT’s Pedestrian Safety Action Plan and based on the recommendations provided in the Village Pedestrian Improvement Plan. The Village installed pedestrian flags here to help alert drivers years ago. (Pedestrians shouldn’t need flags to safely cross a road. Hopefully the design improvements will help.) Improvements include curb bumpouts, new curb ramps and re-painting crosswalk. Two on-street parking spots and two trees will have to be removed. The Village is working with NYSDOT to assure the trees are replaced in nearby locations. Scheduled for 2021 construction season.
State St & South St.:
Upgrade curb ramps on all four corners of that intersection, move curb ramp on NW curb closer to the intersection, and repaint crosswalk. This is a place where drivers whip around turning right from State to South and nearly mow down people trying to cross regularly. NYSDOT is hopeful the realignment of the curb ramps will make pedestrians more visible.
State St & Boughton Ave:
New sidewalk curb ramp on north side of State, upgrade curb ramps on SW & SE corners, and repaint.
State St & Schoen Place:
Upgrade curb ramps on the NW and NE corners on Schoen Place and repaint. This will be done as part of the State Street Bridge project. The Village once again underscored the need to re-establish a crosswalk over State St where cyclists and pedestrians connect with the Erie Canalway Trail. NYSDOT will conduct traffic counts and re-evaluate the request.
State St & Durham Way:
Extend sidewalk to the east to fill in sidewalk gap just beyond Durham Way. A new crosswalk will be established at Durham Way, with new curb ramps and striping. Currently, there is no crosswalk heading out of the Village after Boughton, which strands the State Street Neighbors and anyone walking in from the Town. You have to go all the way to Marsh Road 800 miles away to get a crossing right now. And no one in their right mind would feel safe crossing there.
S. Main St & Rand Place:
Upgrade curb ramps and repaint.
S. Main & Jefferson Rd:
Upgrade pedestrian signals (this is a continuation of the repaving work done on Jefferson Rd last year). This intersection is another danger spot for pedestrians during peak traffic hours. No design changes are in this current scope of work.
S. Main St & Stonegate Lane/St. Louis Church:
The crosswalks at Stonegate Lane and St. Louis Church will be combined into a bigger crossing at a new crossing located in between the two. That new crossing will be 8′ wide with a 6′ curb ramp to accommodate the heavier pedestrian traffic. The crosswalks there right now connect to the driveway of Stonegate Lane and a curb in front of a residence, which create vehicle and pedestrian conflicts and aren’t ADA compliant.
S. Main St & Locust St:
Upgrade curb ramps and repaint.
S. Main St & Lincoln Ave:
Upgrade curb ramps and repaint.
S. Main St & Church St.:
This is another Pedestrian Safety Action Plan location, and the location where a 13 year-old was hit by a driver in the crosswalk. It will include curb bumpouts, new curb ramps and repainting. Two parking spots will be eliminated here. Scheduled for 2021 construction season.
N. Main St & Schoen Place:
This is another Pedestrian Safety Action Plan location, based on the Village Pedestrian Improvement Plan study. Includes upgraded curbs ramps, Rapid Flashing Beacons (RFBs) and repainting. The work will be done when Routes 31, 64 & 96 are repaved, in order to minimize disruption from re-routed traffic during the State St Bridge project.
N. Main St & New Crossing Near Del Monte:
New curb ramps, paint, and pedestrian refuge island in the middle.
N. Main St & Washington Rd:
Upgrade curb ramps, repaint, break in existing island will be established and new signal installed.
N. Main St & Elm St.:
Upgrade curb ramps on NW & SW corners and repaint.
N. Main St & Line St.:
Upgrade curb ramp on SW corner and repaint.
East Ave. & French Rd.:
Upgrade curb ramp on east side of East Ave and repaint.
The upgrades will occur between now and the end of the 2022 construction season, if not listed in the description.
Let us know if you have any questions! We know this was a long list.