Rutgers University has released a traffic study of Cold Spring that includes recommendations to improve safety at four busy village locations.
The study was conducted by the Voorhees Transportation Center at the university and funded by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC). It outlines measures to reduce and “calm” traffic and improve pedestrian safety.
NYMTC, created in 1982, is the metropolitan planning organization for Putnam, Westchester and Rockland counties, New York City and Long Island.Planners recommend improvements at the foot of upper Main, such as a crosswalk and lighting.
The report, posted at dub.sh/CS-traffic-study, makes recommendations for Main Street at the Visitors’ Center; Fair Street; Lunn Terrace at Market Street; and Main at Route 9D. It also considers the trolley operated by Putnam County.
During its research, Voorhees conducted a resident survey and hosted a workshop. Its 39-page report was also reviewed by Putnam County and state agencies.
Main Street at Visitors’ Center
The report notes this is the only Main Street location where legal U-turns can be made and is a busy area with frequent encounters between drivers and pedestrians. It recommended adding high-visibility paint and patterns to crosswalks; adding a crosswalk across Main; and installing signage and pedestrian lighting. It also suggested the village consider a mini roundabout.
Fair Street
The street is a challenge because it’s narrow, frequently used by delivery trucks and congested with hikers on busy weekends. Inconsistent parking rules and one-way traffic on weekends create confusion, the report said. It recommends adding sidewalks to both sides between Main Street and Mayor’s Park, installing pedestrian lighting, restricting on-street parking and encouraging drivers to use the municipal parking lot.
Lunn Terrace at Market
The area is described as “the most challenging” of those examined for the study because it provides the only vehicle access to the Metro-North parking lot and the lower village, and it’s busy. It suggested a crosswalk across Market and better signage, road markings and striping to direct pedestrians and drivers. It also said the village could consider a small roundabout with splitter islands and a flashing sign at the crosswalk.
The Rutgers report suggested the village consider a roundabout at Lunn Terrace.
Cold Spring trolley
The researchers observed what most residents already knew — people don’t know how to find it and can’t get real-time data about its schedule. The recommendations included payment options besides cash; route modifications to encourage ridership; updated signage with timetables; and shelters at popular stops.
Main Street at Route 9D
The researchers found that, between 2019 and 2022, there were 68 vehicle crashes in the village, and that 44 percent were on Route 9D and 20 percent at its intersection with Main Street. Its recommendations included reflective crosswalk markings; the removal of obstacles that interfere with driver sightlines (“daylighting”); no parking within 25 feet of the intersection; increasing the interval on pedestrian crossing signals; and streetscaping to slow traffic. It also suggested examining the addition of left-turn lanes on Route 9D.
In response to the report, Mayor Kathleen Foley said there is a perception that the village is so overrun with visitors, that it can’t do much on its own. But she said the report “emphasizes steps that are common sense and simple, and that we can do ourselves to improve traffic and pedestrian movement for residents and visitors alike.”
The researchers suggested investigating left-turn lanes on Route 9D at Main Street. (Photo by M. Turton)
She noted that the report could help the village make the case for grants to address the issues it identifies.
Foley said eliminating parking on Fair Street has made driveways safer, reduced driver confusion and created a wider roadway for trucks, buses and emergency vehicles. “Shifting Fair to one-way northbound during the busy season, as we did in the fall, provided an alternate loop for vehicles to move around the village and eliminated tangle-causing left turns onto Main Street,” she said.
Stronger visual cues could make a tremendous difference at the “dense, ill-defined intersections” of Lunn Terrace, which are too car-focused, she said.
Once the village assesses which projects can be done relatively quickly and in-house, the Village Board will approve implementation “sooner rather than later,” she said. For example, she thought daylighting at the intersection of Main and Route 9D could be done by village crews with permits from the state Department of Transportation.
For larger projects, such as long stretches of sidewalk, structural upgrades and pedestrian lighting, Foley said contracting out would make sense but will require time to research and apply for grants.
Trustee Laura Bozzi is working with the county Planning Department on proposals for crosswalks on Routes 9D and 301 that will have pedestrian-controlled flashing signs, safety islands where needed and other visual indicators to slow cars.
Michael Turton has been a reporter with The Current since its founding, after working in the same capacity at the Putnam County News & Recorder. Turton spent 20 years as community relations supervisor for the Essex Region Conservation Authority in Ontario before his move in 1998 to Philipstown, where he handled similar duties at Glynwood Farm and The Hastings Center. The Cold Spring resident holds degrees in environmental studies from the University of Waterloo, in education from the University of Windsor and in communication arts from St. Clair College.
2 replies on “Rutgers Shares Cold Spring Traffic Report”
As tourism to Cold Spring increases, pedestrian safety will only become more important. The Rutgers report shows there is much work to be done. Kudos to Mayor Foley and Trustee Laura Bozzi for their support of its proposals, especially regarding crosswalks, which are too often ignored by speeding drivers.
3
I appreciate Mr. Turton’s coverage of this important study. However, some editorial choices removed the operative phrase in one of my responses and gave a false impression of NYMTC’s recommendations for 9D and 301. I provide my full response, as well as text from the NYMTC report here for context:
Q: What are your main takeaways from the report?
“There has long been a perception that visitation overruns the Village, and that the Village can’t do much on its own to make moving through Cold Spring smoother and safer. The NYMTC report emphasizes steps that are commonsense and simple, and that we can do for ourselves, on our own terms, to improve pedestrian movement for residents and visitors alike. The NYMTC document is incredibly valuable because it gives the public clear visual representations of what is possible—it will help us turn discussions into reality, open our eligibility for grants from New York State, and depending on how things shake out in DC, federal grants.”
“. . .on our own terms. . .” is that operative phrase.
Additionally, the primary NYMTC recommendations for 9D and 301 are for daylighting the intersection (ie moving parked cars further away from the pedestrian crosswalks to improve visibility) and re-striping the crosswalks, as well as lengthening the lead pedestrian interval and retiming the signal cycle. Although some workshop participants advocated for left turn lanes at the intersection, NYMTC stated that: “It is unlikely that there would be adequate roadway width to accommodate sidewalk/curb extension and the addition of a left turn lane. A complete engineering study would be necessary to move [that] forward” (page 33).
As tourism to Cold Spring increases, pedestrian safety will only become more important. The Rutgers report shows there is much work to be done. Kudos to Mayor Foley and Trustee Laura Bozzi for their support of its proposals, especially regarding crosswalks, which are too often ignored by speeding drivers.
I appreciate Mr. Turton’s coverage of this important study. However, some editorial choices removed the operative phrase in one of my responses and gave a false impression of NYMTC’s recommendations for 9D and 301. I provide my full response, as well as text from the NYMTC report here for context:
Q: What are your main takeaways from the report?
“There has long been a perception that visitation overruns the Village, and that the Village can’t do much on its own to make moving through Cold Spring smoother and safer. The NYMTC report emphasizes steps that are commonsense and simple, and that we can do for ourselves, on our own terms, to improve pedestrian movement for residents and visitors alike. The NYMTC document is incredibly valuable because it gives the public clear visual representations of what is possible—it will help us turn discussions into reality, open our eligibility for grants from New York State, and depending on how things shake out in DC, federal grants.”
“. . .on our own terms. . .” is that operative phrase.
Additionally, the primary NYMTC recommendations for 9D and 301 are for daylighting the intersection (ie moving parked cars further away from the pedestrian crosswalks to improve visibility) and re-striping the crosswalks, as well as lengthening the lead pedestrian interval and retiming the signal cycle. Although some workshop participants advocated for left turn lanes at the intersection, NYMTC stated that: “It is unlikely that there would be adequate roadway width to accommodate sidewalk/curb extension and the addition of a left turn lane. A complete engineering study would be necessary to move [that] forward” (page 33).
Foley is the Cold Spring mayor.