The Village has been advocating for traffic calming and street design improvements that make it safer to be on foot and bike for decades. Many of the trouble spots identified on our main roads in those decades of studies, policies and community plans are slated for safety improvements, courtesy of the New York State Department of Transportation.
One of those spots is Church & S. Main Street, where a driver hit a 13 year-old pedestrian in the crosswalk on a Sunday morning in 2017 and fled the scene.
This intersection was identified for improvements before that hit & run crash as part of the Village’s Pedestrian Safety Improvement Plan (also included in the Active Transportation Plan). The recommended concept design looked a little something like this:
Several years later, a bit of tweaking after collaborating with community partners and NYSDOT, and now fully funded under NYSDOT’s Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, here is what you see underway at that intersection right now:
Improvements will include bump-outs on either side of the crossing, new curb ramps and a re-striped crossing just south of the intersection (south of where it is now). This will significantly decrease the crossing distance and increase visibility for both drivers and pedestrians.
The work is expected to take about a month.
Thanks to all the community leaders, advocates and residents who have put so much work in over the years on the plans and studies that NYSDOT referred to when establishing this location and many others as a priority for improvements.
We will update you with some new photos when it’s all done!