White Plains CitizeNetReporter - <i>King Komments:</i>The Horror of Martine & Court. Traffic Manifesto

WPCNR KING KOMMENTS By White Plains Common Councilman William King. January 9, 2003: This week a planner in the Westchester County Planning Department wrote Councilman King about nearly being struck by a speeding car at the crossroads of Martine Avenue and Court Street just at the entrance of the Michaelian Building, Westchester County Headquarters. Councilman William King comments:

THE HORROR OF MARTINE & COURT: Buses blocking cars, obscuring pedestrian views make crossing to the Michaelian Building a life-and-death proposition for county employees.
Photo by WPCNR News

I'm sorry to hear about your harrowing near accident. I'm glad to know you've lived to tell about it and that you have brought it immediately to our Traffic Dept's attention.

I have previously heard about how this intersection is dangerous. While, to me, it has always looked relatively benign, I have heard complaints and stories about accidents at this intersection.

True, drivers are known to drive too fast on Martine (as well as on parallel Main Street on the other side of the Galleria, as I noticed this morning).

MONSTER BUSES BLOCK PEDESTRIAN VIEW OF ONCOMING CARS as pedestrians cross from Macy's to County Office Building. Mr. King suggests "Belgian Blocks" be created in the crosswalks.
Photo by WPCNR News

Also true is that there is a busy county bus stop on the northeast corner which complicates auto/bus/pedestrian traffic near the Westchester County Office Building and the busy Galleria Mall.

I would like to make the following recommendations to our city traffic department and state and county legislative leaders (some are repeats of earlier requests) for which I will follow through.

I urge you to contact the County DOT, Larry Salley and Richard Stiller, about point #3 below or, with your permission, I will also do so myself.

Recommendations

1. Submit a bill to both houses of the state legislature allowing cities and towns other than New York City to install cameras at traffic lights to photograph vehicles which run red lights.

- I have read about private companies in other states such as California which have installed cameras at traffic lights which install the cameras, photograph violators, send out tickets, collect revenues and keep a small percentage for themselves.

This would increase public safety while also increasing city revenues as our police cannot be at every intersection all the time. As such, this would require no state or local funding.

2. Install Belgian Block or stamped baumonite at intersections along Martine and Main Street.

- This will be done shortly at intersections along Mamaroneck Ave. (with stamped baumonite, I believe) as the last part of the current phase of the downtown streetscape revitalization program.

This should also be done on Main and Martine, from Westchester Ave. to Bank Street in the downtown and also along Tarrytown Road (Route 119), Central Ave. (Route 100), and Chatterton Parkway and Battle Ave. in the Battle Hill neighborhood (popular shortcuts between Routes 119 and 100, to at least the Greenburgh border.

- Such crosswalks make drivers more aware visually, audibly and physically, of the potential presence of pedestrians (and bicyclists).

- While Chatterton Parkway and Battle Ave. are used as cut-throughs through a low density residential neighborhood, Main Street and Martine Ave. are actually a continuation of Route 119 through Downtown White Plains and, as such, are used as cut-through by many motorists who have no intention of stopping in Downtown White Plains, or even slowing down if they can help it.

In some respects these downtown streets resemble higher speed state highways at various times of the day - a scenario for more pedestrian accidents. Many times motorists exceed 30 mph by a good margin in close proximity to pedestrians.

- This would be an excellent candidate for state DOT "traffic calming" funding which in the past Assemblywoman Amy Paulin has told me there is (or was) funding. Funding should be requested again now as the legislature will soon be taking up the budget for its next fiscal year starting April 1, 2003.

3. Consolidate the two bus stops on the northeast and northwest corners of Martine and Court Street to only the northwest corner of this intersection next to the Galleria.

- This idea was first mentioned to me by another citizen task force co-chair during the White Plains comprehensive planning process in the mid-90's. I believe it has been brought up since and struck down. But this needs to be brought up again.

The number of buses in a day stopping on the northeast corner seems to be equal to or greater than the more spacious and out of the way northwest bus stop. This could be easily changed.

Doubtless there are other suggestions that could be implemented.

Thanks very much for bringing this to my and the city traffic department's attention.

- Bill King, White Plains Common Council

Note: The planner involved in a near accident this week, has contacted the City of White Plains Traffic Department about this intersection which the planner remarked to Mr. King is the subject of "traffic war stories" shared by many county employees who have to cross the intersection every day.


Create an account		The White Plains Daily Internet Newspaper...Founded 2000 A.D....


			Designed and hosted by WestchesterInternet.com