P’ville Officials Search for Solutions to Sutton Place Traffic Problem
Pleasantville residents and officials are continuing to work together to mitigate traffic issues on Sutton Place following a hit-and-run accident last December.
Residents have grown frustrated by parents who park on the street in order to pick their children up from nearby Bedford Road School. Following the reported accident and complaints about the street, village officials must take action to make Sutton Place safer, they said.
Mayor Peter Scherer suggested last Monday night creating a sidewalk on the corner of the street that would connect to Bedford Road. He said the sidewalk would more effectively separate pedestrians from cars and would square off the corners of the entrance to the street to prevent vehicles from speeding around the corner.
He also asked all Sutton Place residents who live on the side of the street where parking is now prohibited to clear all objects from the village’s three-foot right of way to create a safe walking path.
Finally, the village could amend the current no parking ordinance to include no standing between the hours of 2 and 4 p.m. to prevent people from idling in their cars waiting for a pickup.
“If the officer goes there, he can’t say ‘Move it along’ because it doesn’t say ‘no standing.’ Unfortunately, that’s the law,” explained Trustee Mindy Berard.
Although residents are happy that steps are being taken, their chief concern is enforcement of the current no parking laws as well as the proposed no standing ordinance.
“There are a select number of people who chose to park their car [illegally] on an ongoing basis, and I do believe that after one or two tickets and some enforcement measures that they’ll get the message,” said resident John McAndrew.
Some residents said they have repeatedly called police to complain about illegally parked cars on the street and have received little response in the past. In addition, when tickets were given, the same people returned to the street.
Scherer said Police Chief Richard Love agreed to better enforcement for Sutton Place. In the winter, police have the option to declare no parking on either side to make room for plows and emergency vehicles, he said.
Residents suggested that the board also consider no U-turn signs to prevent drivers from turning around in the middle of the street once they have picked up their children. This would be a moving violation and would result in a ticket with a higher fine, which would be a stronger deterrent, they said.
Scherer pointed out that three-point turns are technically different than U-turns but they could look into the option.
Residents also voiced concern about the impact that a sidewalk might have on the road. Carol Lampert, whose house would be at the end of the proposed sidewalk, noted that there are already drainage issues on the road that could be exacerbated by a new sidewalk.
“What assurances do we have that we’re not going to be dealing with an additional problem that we didn’t have before?” she questioned.
The board will hold a public hearing on the proposed changes to the Sutton Place parking regulations at its next regular board meeting on Aug. 11. Scherer said if trustees vote in favor of the changes, the signs and sidewalk could be installed in time for the start of school in September.
Board of Education President Shane McGaffey said that school officials have discussed staggered dismissal at Bedford Road School to ease the problem, but does not know the status of those talks or what changes may be in store for the upcoming school year.
Last month, teachers were asked to stop parking on the street, he said.
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