Dempsey Discusses Traffic Pedestrian
Summary Report at Work Session

By Stephen E. Lipken

Village of Pelham Mayor Chance Mullen convened the Tuesday, March 22nd Regular Board meeting, introducing Nanette Bourne, Hudson Valley Services Business Development, Sam Schwartz transportation firm, who explained the Preliminary Draft Generic Environmental Impact (PDGEIS) Statement Lead Agency Review for “Downtown Restorative Initiatives.” 

“In 2020/2021, the Village Board developed a series of Restorative Initiatives to accommodate the additional Downtown Development, facilitated by the adoption of the Business District Floating Zone (BDFZ),” Bourne began.  

“These Initiatives include implementation of Complete Streets; Traffic Calming; safety improvements; signalization to improve traffic flow due to new Downtown development; modernizing infrastructure and stormwater/sanitary sewer studies.

“The two alternatives are 1) no action; 2) rehabilitate the Municipal Buildings, upgrading Police, Fire Stations and leaving Village Hall where it is.” 

At Work Session, Brian Dempsey, Professional Engineer (PE), Traffic Operations Engineer and Road Safety Professional (RSP1), DTS Provident Design Engineering, discussed the Sparks Avenue Corridor, Wolfs Lane, Boulevard Pedestrian Crossings and left-turn signal from Wolfs Lane onto Sparks Avenue, calling attention to the fact that there is no sidewalk running by Wolfs Lane Park.  

“The key intersection is Wolfs Lane and Sparks Avenue,” Dempsey began.  “Parking is needed for the stores and local residents.  You also have commuters driving and walking to the Train Station.

There are Bee Line buses, trucks coming through and a steep flight of stairs from the Park leads directly to the sidewalk.”

Dempsey pointed out that pedestrians have to compete with a left-turn arrow for motorists turning onto Sparks Avenue from Wolfs Lane.  Instead, a “pedestrian scramble” would permit people to cross when traffic was stopped, after the left-turn arrow shuts off. “The safest way would be to institute an all-way stop,” Dempsey stressed, noting a similar problem with the Wolfs Lane/Boulevard intersection.  Sparks Avenue curb extensions were also considered.

Mullen said that these concepts will be submitted to the Pedestrian Safety and Traffic Calming Committee for consideration.