Last night we received some sad and bad news. A Greenburgh woman lost her life crossing the Bronx River Parkway at Fisher Lane. The following is a press I just received from the county. This is the 6th pedestrian related accident in recent months that impacted Greenburgh residents. Pedestrian accidents have been happening on state, county and local roads. We are not the only locality that has experienced pedestrian accidents in recent months. It’s happening all over.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY PRESS RELEASE
A Greenburgh woman suffered fatal injuries on Tuesday night when she was struck and killed as she crossed the Bronx River Parkway at Fisher Lane.
The deceased is identified as Sandra Dekoubia, 57. She was pronounced dead at the scene by Greenburgh paramedics.
Westchester County Police responded to the parkway at 6:17 p.m. on a report that a pedestrian had been struck by a Lexus SUV that was traveling southbound in the left lane of travel. No charges were filed against the driver of the vehicle, who remained at the scene.
The County Police Accident Investigation Unit continues to investigate the circumstances of the incident.
RECENT GREENBURGH PEDESTIAN ACCIDENTS
Last month another pedestrian was hit by a car while crossing E Hartsdale Ave On September 15, 2019, vicinity of Old Kensico Road / Randolph Road; a pedestrian was injured in a hit and run accident. Criminal case, arrest made on 11/21/2019 by Greenburgh Detectives. On October 18, 2019, vicinity of Sacred Heart Church, Central Park Ave.; (2) pedestrian’s struck while in crosswalk, both injured, one seriously. On November 18, 2019, vicinity of East Hartsdale Ave. /Columbia Ave. pedestrian struck in crosswalk and sustained injuries. And on November 22, 2019, vicinity of Fort Hill Road / Underhill Road; pedestrian struck while walking in roadway near shoulder, sustained serious physical injury and died.
ACTION STEPS THE TOWN HAS BEEN TAKING TO MAKE GREENBURGH MORE PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY
The 2020 approved budget (capital and operating) includes funding for more sidewalks, crosswalk safety enhancements , digital speed boards, speed humps and other traffic safety measures. In recent years the town has taken measures to increase pedestrian safety. We have built or secured funding for six miles of new sidewalks around town (in recent months completed three new sidewalks: Columbia Ave, Lawton, Fair Street. A new sidewalk on Central Ave from Marion to W Hartsdale Ave has been approved -work to start in the spring. We received a grant to build sidewalks on Hillside Ave and on Old Tarrytown Road. We have given out thousands of reflectors to residents in recent years -encouraging pedestrians to wear bright clothing or reflectors in the evening so motorists can see them. And, have ordered a new batch of reflectors. The enhanced crosswalk on Ardsley Road/Edgemont Road with warning lights was completed at the end of December.. We hired a crossing guard to assist pedestrians on Ardsley Rd/Ft Hill Road). We awarded the bid for a new traffic light on Ardsley Rd/Sprain Road. We are going to hire a traffic safety consultant to review a proposed Ft Hill sidewalk (or making Ft Hill one way). The Planning Department is working with the Department of Public Works and will be recommending the prioritization of sidewalks that have been identified in the comprehensive plan that should be built. That report is expected by March if not sooner. And on Tuesday of this week we installed a new arm and LED on Ft hill Road near Underhill to light up that area between Paradise Drive & Underhill
A NEW TRAFFIC CALMING PEDESTRIAN SAFETY COMMITTEE TO BE FORMED MODELLED AFTER IRVINGTON’S SUCCESSFUL COMMITTEE
We are in the process of forming a traffic calming/pedestrian safety committee modelled after the successful committee that the village of Irvington created a few years ago. If you would like to be a part of the committee please e mail me at pfeiner@greenburghny.com. In the meantime – if you are a motorist – please be on the lookout for pedestrians. And, if you are a pedestrian please wear bright clothing or reflectors so motorists can see you. Be careful. There are too many accidents occurring all over the town and region.
PAUL FEINER
WHAT IRVINGTON HAS DONE
Traffic Calming Committee
Our Goals
- Improve driver behavior, attention, courtesy, and compliance with traffic laws
- Promote safe and pleasant conditions for residents, motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists on neighborhood streets
- Encourage citizens to be directly involved in neighborhood traffic management activities
- Provide a liaison between residents and village officials regarding traffic issues
Mission
To augment the safety work of the Board, the Police Department and the Village administration, the Board of Trustees has established a small Traffic Calming working group of residents - plus a Trustee to act as liaison between that team and the Board - to address road-safety issues. Membership consists of individuals from different neighborhoods and thus with varying perspectives.
Outreach will be undertaken by the working group to village neighborhoods to recruit volunteer neighborhood representatives to help gather input on issues and concerns relative to each neighborhood, as well as disseminate outreach materials and organize local neighborhood activities.
The Traffic Calming working group will coordinate with the police Department as necessary and appropriate, as well as with other relevant organizations, such as Irvington United for Education (Pace Car initiative) or other organizations both inside and outside Irvington who could provide services beneficial to traffic-calming.
The safety group is charged with three core responsibilities:
- determine the main types and geographic areas for safety improvements in Irvington
- research possible ways in which safety could be improved and identify those that would be valuable to Irvington
- distill that information into a series of initiatives for the Board to consider, submitting such recommendations by Dec 15, 2015
Members
- Walter Montgomery
- Mary Beth Dooley
- Erik Oley
- Alice Picon
- Mark Gilliland (Village Board liaison)
At their first organizational meeting, the working group declared itself "Traffic Calming Irvington" (TCI).
Contact TCI
For questions, concerns or to volunteer, please email Traffic Calming Irvington (TCI).
Like us on Facebook: Slow Down Irvington
To report unsafe driving, call the Police Department at 914-591-8080 with the license number of the offending vehicle.
Initial Recommendations to the Board of Trustees
The group known as Traffic Calming Irvington (TCI) began its work in July with a mandate from the Board of Trustees to support their efforts to make Irvington as safe as they can for drivers and pedestrians, a goal essential in its own right yet also vital to protecting and enhancing the special quality of life in our Village.
The Board has undertaken initiatives to strengthen enforcement of traffic laws and improve sidewalks and other features of our roadways that affect safety. TCI’s purpose is to complement those endeavors by building awareness among drivers and pedestrians of how they can contribute to the Board’s goal, and by recommending specific actions the Village can take to achieve it.
Please see the following Initial Recommendations (PDF).
Resources for Community Use
Here are some initiative files that are available for use, reprint and/or modification:
TCI Goals - .doc file (PDF)
TCI Goals - .pdf file (PDF)
Slow Down Irvington logo (300dpi) - .jpg (PDF)
Slow Down RIP footer for documents or presentations - .png (PDF)
TCI icons (set of 14 .png files) - .zip archive (PDF)
Slow Down initiative hand card (2 sided) - .pdf (PDF)
Slow Down poster 8.5"x11" - .pdf (PDF)
Slow Down poster 11"x17" - .pdf (PDF)
Slow Down banner 3'x6' - .pdf (PDF)
Slow Zone yard sign 18"x24" - .pdf (PDF)
Please note that the following items are available for free in village hall:
- TCI Initiative Hand Cards
- Slow Zone Yard Signs
- Slow Zone Posters
- Bumper Stickers