(If you're outside Sleepy Hollow, you allowed read it too. :))
Sleepy Hollow's Mayor proposed a bike parking ban. The stated intention was so the Village could regulate bike and scooter share companies.
We assumed the complete prohibition of bike parking was an unintended consequence. To confirm the situation, we reached out to the Mayor. Astoundingly, his reply was:
No, you are not "correct in assuming that everyone was so focused on bike share that they didn't realize the actual ramifications".
Fortunately, we got the Trustees to stop this proposal. Then we suggested several edits of the Village Code that would make Sleepy Hollow a better place for cycling:
https://twitter.com/BikeTarrytown/status/1099074722380333056
The Journal News recently wrote an article about how waterfront development in Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown will impact traffic.
The saddest part of the article was the Sleepy Hollow Mayor's response to the idea of bike lanes:
Show me where we have the space to do that.
What?!
A team of residents and consultants spent 3 years assembling the Route 9 Active Transportation Plan (http://www.route9active.org/) that shows EXACTLY where we have space to do that. And the Mayor has looked at the plan.
Here are two tweets we put out about that:
https://twitter.com/BikeTarrytown/status/1096457740006932480
https://twitter.com/BikeTarrytown/status/1096049508738363392
Anyway, there's a lot to be said about this article. We hope to write an op-ed response. Here's the original piece:
Speaking of space for bike lanes... Everyone in Sleepy Hollow needs to speak at the Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, March 12. Explain why you want Broadway upgraded to be safe for walking, cycling and driving.
Tuesday, March 12, 7:00 pm
Village Hall, 28 Beekman Ave
Background:
https://biketarrytown.org/sleepy-hollow-comprehensive-plan/
Flyer (bi-lingual):
https://biketarrytown.org/sleepy-hollow-comprehensive-plan/2019-03-12-trustee-meeting-flyer.pdf
Sleepy Hollow hired engineers to plan the reconstruction of Beekman Ave's sidewalks from Broadway to Cortlandt St. Public input on the project is being sought. (Too bad the Village, once again, didn't send an email announcing this in advance.)
The draft released doesn't include the recommendations of the Environmental Advisory Committee or the Route 9 Active Transportation Plan. Those enhancements are outlined here:
https://twitter.com/BikeTarrytown/status/1101540073655451648
Tuesday, March 5, 8:00 pm Village Hall, 28 Beekman Ave
Link to the Village's invite and engineering drawings:
https://www.sleepyhollowny.gov/home/events/25943
Sleepy Hollow's Environmental Advisory Committee, represented by Claire Davis and Daniel Convissor, is slated to give a presentation to Sleepy Hollow's Trustees regarding the traffic safety demonstration project it undertook in November.
People at the corner were asked how they felt about the changes. 95% of people answered that the improvements should be made permanent.
This thread describes the project:
https://twitter.com/BikeTarrytown/status/1064887408464924672
Several kids from Morse School proposed street art for use during the project's next phase:
https://twitter.com/BikeTarrytown/status/1067834697760342016
Tuesday, March 5, 7:00 pm Village Hall, 28 Beekman Ave
Sleepy Hollow's Mayor and administration were seriously considering cutting down all of the trees on Beekman Ave. Fortunately, that approach has been taken off the table in response to the many people who educated our officials on this matter.
The "Shore Path" linking Birch Close in Sleepy Hollow Manor to Kendal on Hudson is closed. A pipe from Phelps Hospital is leaking, and the water from that is washing out the trail. Phelps and Kendal are figuring how to fix the leak, then the trail. There's no ETA at the moment.
https://twitter.com/BikeTarrytown/status/1101629222622248961
For 3 years, the ex-Horseman Diner hasn't been shoveling snow from their sidewalks. The new owners, who are supposed to be opening a Carvel, shoveled their sidewalk this Friday! (Though they only came around to doing so in response to a complaint from us.) Let's hope the folks there keep it up.
https://twitter.com/BikeTarrytown/status/1101607844296708097
As we mentioned in an earlier newsletter, sidewalk snow removal needs to be a municipal service. Further details on that:
https://biketarrytown.org/sleepy-hollow-comprehensive-plan/sidewalks.php
There are several unsafe storm sewer grates in the area. We've reported all of the ones we know of. If you come across more, let us know.
Route 9 around the Thruway https://twitter.com/BikeTarrytown/status/1093900268146778112
Sleepy Hollow on Gordon Ave https://twitter.com/BikeTarrytown/status/1101598746910048257
Tarrytown at West Main St by the H-Bridge https://twitter.com/BikeTarrytown/status/1101601349802827776
The sidewalk on the bridge that carries Broadway over I-287 is covered in gravel. On Friday we asked the Thruway Authority clean it.
https://twitter.com/BikeTarrytown/status/1101596916654264321
State Senate Transportation Chair, Tim Kennedy, is holding listening sessions around the State. The Lower Hudson Valley session will be happening soon. Their staff requested Bike Tarrytown's participation.
(For those unfamiliar, Andrea Stewart-Cousins is the State Senator representing Tarrytown and the villages south of us. This year she became the Majority Leader -- the person in charge of the Senate.)
WNYC reported that Senator Stewart-Cousins is opposing congestion pricing because of impacts on Long Island residents.
That's contrary to the facts. So we wrote her staff right away.
All residents in the NYC region will _benefit_ from congestion pricing. The vast majority of people who commute to Manhattan do so via transit, which will be helped by the new funding stream.
Even the small number of people who continue to drive to Manhattan would benefit from faster commutes. Reduced congestion would also help commercial deliveries. Plus everyone benefits from lower pollution and climate emissions.
Senator Stewart-Cousins:
Email: Andrea Stewart Cousins <scousins@nysenate.gov>
Fact Sheet: http://tstc.org/reports/factsheets2018/NY%20State%20Senate%20District%2035%20Congestion%20Pricing%20Factsheet.pdf
Senator Pete Harckham (SD 40: Sleepy Hollow & north):
Email: Pete Harckham <harckham@nysenate.gov>
Fact Sheet: http://tstc.org/reports/factsheets2018/NY%20State%20Senate%20District%2040%20Congestion%20Pricing%20Factsheet.pdf
Assembly Member Tom Abinanti:
Email: Thomas Abinanti <abinantit@assembly.state.ny.us>
Fact Sheet: http://tstc.org/reports/factsheets2018/NY%20Assembly%20District%2092%20Congestion%20Pricing%20Factsheet.pdf
Fact Sheets for other districts:
http://www.tstc.org/congestion-pricing-an-analysis-of-new-york-state-legislative-districts/
NY urgently needs to legalize Class 1 ("pedal assist") e-bikes. They help with hills and long distances, getting folks out of their cars in more situations.
The Governor has decided to do something about it. Unfortunately, it's the wrong thing. So we wrote our legislators and leaders of the State Legislature to explain.
Further reading:
https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2019/01/16/cuomo-plan-lets-localities-legalize-e-scooters-and-e-bikes/
Westchester County planning staff are starting the formal design process for this great potential asset. The first stretch is from the North County Trailway (or maybe even the Pump House at the Tarrytown Lakes) to Route 9A at Home Depot's driveway.
This passes right by the 100C/9A bridge project the State Department of Transportation is in the middle of (that's the construction zone just east of Regeneron.)
We encouraged the County to connect their project with the 100C project and to nudge the State to tweak one thing. The DOT's sidewalk connecting the Trailway to the bridge should be widened from 5' to 8'. This will help people ride comfortably from the Trailway to Route 100C, which has wide shoulders.
Info about the trail:
https://planning.westchestergov.com/images/stories/reports/TarrytownKensicoTrail2016.pdf
Background on the 100C bridge project:
https://biketarrytown.org/regeneron-100c/
Our meeting on Sunday had an excellent combination of people, leading to good discussions of how Village politics work and how to create power in such. Plus we enjoyed some delicious snacks.
If you missed out, come to our next meeting, Sunday, March 31.
1:30 - 3:30 at the Warner Library.
As you see, we're doing tremendous work on your behalf.
Kick in now to pay for your share.
https://biketarrytown.org/donate.php
biketarrytown.org | info@biketarrytown.org | T: @BikeTarrytown | F: @BikeTarrytn