9/16/24: Most Important Route 9 Update. Ever.

9/19: Route 9 Meeting + Party!

Do you want Route 9 to be safe for walking and cycling? Then take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime moment. Read this whole email to the end. (Bonus: that's where the party details are! :))

What's Happening

On Thursday at 6 pm, the State Department of Transportation is seeking feedback on their Route 9 Complete Streets proposal. Their plan falls far short of the project's stated vision and goals[1] set by the community and DOT back in March. We have to apply our political power to ensure the DOT does a GREAT job.

Doing so right now is crucial because the plans are still in flux. But once the edits are done in a few months, that's what will get built (eventually).

(And we DO have political power -- it's the reason the DOT is doing this project in the first place.)

What's Being Proposed

The project runs from the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow to the south end of Hastings-on-Hudson.

• Roundabouts: at the Dutch Church, Pocantico St, Route 448, Beekman Ave, Route 119, Sunnyside Ln, Irvington's Main St, Mercy University, Ashford Ave, and Main/Farragut in Hastings.
• Sidewalks added where they are missing now
• Adds some crosswalks, but takes some away
• Cycling accommodations (from north to south):
  • Bike lanes from the Dutch Church (Pierson Ave) to Wildey St (Tarrytown)
  • Ride in traffic or on the eastern sidewalk to Franklin St
  • Bike lanes to the Tappan Zee Bridge path
  • Side path to the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail (OCA) at Lyndhurst
  • Bike lane to Sunnyside Ln (Irvington border)
  • Ride in traffic or walk to Irvington Gardens' driveway
  • Bike lane to Dows Ln
  • Ride in traffic or walk to Hamilton Rd
  • Bike lane to Dobbs Ferry High School
  • Ride in traffic or on the OCA to Flower Ave (Hastings) [11/5/24 edit: the drawings include a northbound painted bike lane between Flower Ave and the OCA at Hatch Terr.]
  • Bike lanes to Tompkins Ave

In theory, a lot of that sounds good. But the devil is in the details. (We'll explain those details in the Key Points section, below.)

Meeting Format

The DOT will show drawings of their proposals, and hand out an "Evaluation Sheet" for each of the four major modes of transportation (pedestrians, bicycles, vehicles, and transit). Each sheet asks you to rate how well the proposal meets the project's 7 goals, plus has big boxes to write in advantages and disadvantages.

Here is a draft version of an Evaluation Sheets: https://biketarrytown.org/img/route-9-evaluation-sheet.jpg

Below are suggestions of things to look out for in the proposal and write on the sheets. Of course, put everything in your own words and order:

Send Us Pictures of Your Sheets

Before handing in your Evaluation Sheets, send us photos of what you wrote (info@biketarrytown.org). (We will keep them anonymous.) These will help the coalition lobby our elected officials to push the State DOT.

Button Hole Your Elected Officials

If you see your Mayor, Trustees, Assembly Member, or State Senator at the meeting, tell them how you feel about all this, and that they need to push the DOT to actually meet the project's goals.

Key Points to Make

Pedestrians Sheet

Circle the "low" (or "medium") ranking for the 7 goal categories.

Possible things to put in the disadvantages box:

• Painted crosswalks on Route 9 are missing at most side streets. (They should also have median refuges and raised crosswalks.)
• Some sidewalks are narrow and right next to moving traffic, with some of these also having walls on the other side. [Since people don't walk right next to traffic or walls, the usable space is even narrower.] It can be better to have a wider sidewalk on one side, plus excellent crosswalks to it.
• Sidewalks in several of the roundabouts are narrow and right next to moving vehicles
• Crosswalks missing on some legs of the Beekman Ave and Route 119 roundabouts
• Some roundabout crosswalks are moved very far back from the intersection
• Sidewalks are narrowed in downtown Tarrytown to make room for dangerously wide vehicle lanes
• Sidewalks are ramped down where they cross driveways and side streets. [This is bad for safety and needs complex ADA engineering for every curb ramp.]
• Several driveways are very wide. Narrow them. Add islands between in and out.
• Close the on ramp from Route 9 to the TZB. People drive dangerously fast through the crosswalk there.
• Shared paths create conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists. Need to build separate places for pedestrians, bikes, and cars.
• At the Honda dealership / I-287 ramps, the crosswalks are too long in all directions. Make the streets one through lane per direction. Add median refuges.
• At Route 119, the 2-lane roundabout puts pedestrians in danger in order to make things convenient for rush hour drivers. This trade off is not acceptable.
• Mention that the proposal does not meet the project's vision and goals[1]
• Give a personal anecdote about how safe conditions on Route 9 will help you and your family reduce how much you drive

Bicycles Sheet

Circle "low" as the ranking for all 7 goal categories.

Some prompts for filling out the disadvantages box:

• These bike lanes are narrow and right next to moving cars
• Narrow bike lanes mean I can't ride next to friends/family or pass other bikers
• Lacks barriers to keep cars and trucks out of the bike lane
• Some sections of the bike lane are between parked cars and moving cars (the deadly "car door zone")
• Bike lanes vanish before roundabouts and at several other locations. [Express how you feel about having to ride in traffic or walk your bike on the sidewalk.]
• There is no bike lane in Tarrytown between Wildey St and Franklin St. [Bike Tarrytown sees this as a compromise position: let's get the easy stuff done first, then this section can be added later. We envision a 2-way mobility lane in place of the curbside parking on the east side of Broadway. Of course, it will be good if people express how important it is to have a cycling facility on this stretch now. Maybe ask for it to be designed now, and constructed later? Or at least have the current designs leave room for it.]
• At the Washington Irving School (Tarrytown), buses would load and unload kids in the bike lane
• Shared paths create conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists. Need separate places for walking, bikes, and cars.
• Close the on ramp from Route 9 to the TZB. People drive dangerously fast through the crosswalk there. (Or, at least, make the on ramp a 90 degree turn from Route 9.)
• Side path is too narrow by Lyndhurst. South of Montefiore, narrow the road and put 2-way bike lane there.
• For side paths at driveways, keep the path raised and have cars come up to that level.
• Several driveways are very wide. Narrow them. Add islands between in and out.
• Mention that the proposal does not meet the project's vision and goals[1]
• Overall, this is not safe enough... for kids... to get me biking... etc...
• Give a personal anecdote about how safe conditions on Route 9 will help you and your family reduce how much you drive

Vehicles Sheet

The rankings for this are more intricate. Here's how we see it:

• Goal 1 - Safety: medium
• Goal 2 - Efficiency: high
• Goal 3 - Multi-modal: low
• Goal 4 - Innovative: low
• Goal 5 - Access: high
• Goal 6 - Convenience: high
• Goal 7 - Environment: low

Hey, an advantage:

• Roundabouts reduce crashes and eliminate waiting at traffic signals

Thoughts for the disadvantages box:

• Roundabouts are standard. This project is supposed to be "innovative." Use other shapes to make room for bike lanes and wider sidewalks.
• Make it one lane per direction in all locations
• There are many long straight stretches, which allows speeding
• On the stretches between intersections, there are painted medians. This is wasted space that can be better used for wider sidewalks, bike lanes, bus shelters, trees
• 14' lanes in Tarrytown will encourage excessive speeds
• At the Route 448 roundabout, pushing all traffic from Webber Park on to Pine St is unacceptable
• At the Beekman Ave roundabout, reverse the direction of Hudson Terrace. Also make the top leg one way southbound. Fixes visibility problems at the north end of Hudson Terrace when turning on to Route 448.

Meeting Time / Location

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Tarrytown Recreation Center
240 W. Main Street, Tarrytown, NY
Map

Transit Directions

Take Metro North (Hudson Line) or the bus (Bee-Line 1T* or 13; or Hudson Link H07) to the Tarrytown train station. Then cross the tracks via the station's overpasses. Continue walking west toward the river. (* 1T service shuts down before the meeting is over.)

After-party!

Beekman Ale House
92 Beekman Ave, Sleepy Hollow
8:15-ish pm to 9:30-ish pm
(Everyone welcome)

[1] Project Vision and Goals

"U.S. Route 9 will be a safe, reliable and comfortable corridor for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds walking, biking, driving and using transit that reflects the historic character, supports local business, has a sense of place and promotes active and healthy communities."

Goal 4: "Explore innovative solutions."

Goal 6: "Provide convenient crossings and consistent facilities to connect communities for all users."

[Executive Summary, "Project Scoping Report," U.S. Route 9 Complete Streets Sleepy Hollow to Hastings, NYSDOT, September 10, 2024, page 5. https://www.dot.ny.gov/portal/page/portal/content/delivery/region8/projects/801080-Home/801080-Repository/801080_PSR_ExecutiveSummaryPublicFriendly_09.13.24.pdf]

Flyers

English: https://route9active.org/doc/route-9-complete-streets-workshop-2-flyer-en.pdf

Spanish: https://route9active.org/doc/route-9-complete-streets-workshop-2-flyer-es.pdf