Mt. Kisco Moving Forward With Pedestrian Safety Improvements

The Mount Kisco Village Board has scheduled interviews with residents interested in serving on the Complete Streets Committee to constitute a task force that will assist the village’s consultant to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

Interviews with three residents that had recently contacted Village Manager Ed Brancati to serve on the committee will be held this week. Brancati said the committee needs to be established quickly so it can begin working with planning consultant AKRF to suggest potential improvements such as signage and traffic calming measures.

Mayor Michael Cindrich said one other prospective candidate has already been interviewed.

A committee of nine to 13 members reflecting a healthy cross section of the community would be the optimal size, similar to how the citizen’s committee for the Comprehensive Plan update operated several years ago, Brancati said.

“The committee needs to be formed as soon as possible, and I think (AKRF) would have preferred it to have already been formed,” he said.

The study will propose strategies that could put the village in contention for federal grant funding through the 2024 Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) that could help offset the cost of any improvements the village may propose. The federal program makes available $1 billion a year for five years that communities across the U.S. can seek in order to make safety enhancements.

Trustee Lisa Abzun, who has stressed the importance of the Complete Streets Study as a way to improve pedestrian safety, said all village residents will be encouraged to provide input to help the consultant and the board decide some of the enhancements that could protect the public.

“That will probably be one of the most important parts of this study,” Abzun said.

She also suggested that a representative of the village’s Planning Department and emergency services participate to get their perspectives.

Officials plan to meet with AKRF representatives next week, Cindrich said.

Cindrich said he would like for those residents vying to become committee members to be provided with a formal mission statement and as well as a clear description of the duties that the group will be responsible for.

Efforts to improve Mount Kisco’s walkability and slow traffic has been a priority for officials, but the work takes on added significance after another pedestrian was injured by a vehicle over New Year’s weekend.

The mayor said he wants to learn from the county police the cause of that accident, which could provide the consultants and the committee greater insight into potential improvements.

County police said Monday that on Dec. 29 at 6:44 p.m., a 50-year-old man who lives in the village was struck from behind as he was crossing Smith Avenue near Lexington Avenue in a hit-and-run accident. A pedestrian who arrived at the location moments later and found the man lying in the street, saw a silver or white SUV driving away from the scene, police said.

The victim was transported to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.

While officials hope to have recommendations from the committee by mid-year, the village hasn’t been sitting idle waiting for the study to be completed. Brancati said that several improvements have been made or are in the planning stages to help pedestrians and safety.

One is a pedestrian-initiated rectangular flashing beam for the crosswalk near Starbucks on South Moger Avenue that alerts drivers that a person is in the street.

“I hear a lot of people like that improvement. We agree,” Brancati said. “It is, for everybody’s knowledge, it’s something we asked (for) back in July.”

Another set has been requested for Route 117 at St. Mark’s Place to improve safety for people crossing the thoroughfare near Leonard Park, he said.

The village faces challenges because most of the key intersections in Mount Kisco are on state or county roads where permission is needed from the state Department of Transportation (DOT) or from Westchester County. That is the case for the Route 117 flashing beam, Brancati said.

“We need DOT’s approval because it’s their road,” Brancati mentioned. “We started that process; we’re waiting on their approval. We’re just waiting for them so we can go ahead and make that installation there.”

Signage has been improved at Lieto Drive and Lexington Avenue and the village has reached out to the county to add crosswalks on Lexington Avenue at Columbus Avenue and at Radio Circle.

Brancati said the state has plans to improve the area of Main Street and North Bedford Road where there will be crosswalks at all four sides of the intersection, the removal of slip lanes and improved signalization.

Intersection improvements are also planned at North Bedford and Barker Street, he said.