Curve Ball for STOP Sign
Unbelievable.
The city’s STOP sign policy was in front of city council for approval last night–I attended to comment on and share what Bradford Park has learned over the last eight months of working to get one 4-way STOP sign so there is a future process and a better process for STOP sign requests.
And not only does the STOP sign policy come off the city council meeting agenda at the very last moment, it comes off the agenda because Brain Dempsey’s Traffic & Transit Committee has awoken from the dead and, after not participating in any public discussion or attending any council meetings, sends a letter to council in vague favor of the STOP sign policy and then details, in two-and-a-half single spaced inaccurate and misleading pages, a diatribe against the Bradford / Florence STOP sign.
It is too little, too late. And it is an inaccurate accounting of facts. Our position has always been this is a safety issue. The fact that vehicles can drive 25 miles per hour down Bradford without stopping at the intersection of Florence creates an unsafe situation for all of us, especially our children.
Let’s be clear: City Council approved the Bradford / Florence 4-way STOP sign at the city council meeting on March 14th. All of council–with the sole exception of Howard “Gerry” Seitz–voted in favor of the Bradford / Florence STOP. Mayor Steve Otis voted YES. Andy Ball voted YES. Mack Cunningham voted YES. Matt Fahey voted YES. Duncan Hennes voted YES. George Pratt voted YES.
The Rye Department of Public Works was out marking for the STOP sign installation on Tuesday and the city was waiting for a Code 53 approval (ConEd-so you don’t hit a gas line). Now, the sleeping giant (Traffic & Transit) has awoken and there is a real and final threat to the successful installation of the Bradford / Florence STOP.
This late-game run at a real neighborhood concern now threatens to overshadow the proper focus on delivering a final, effective, new City of Rye STOP sign policy at the next city council meeting on Wednesday, April 11th.
See you at the meeting?
Clearly the TNT has not been following the issue. I live behind you guys on Johnson Pl (the oft ridiculed “McMansion” neighborhood) and I am well aware of the Bradford speed issue. Why Mr. Demspey spent so much time talking about drivers coming down Florence when it’s the Bradford speed problem at issue is beyond me. In my opinion, it is indicative of business as usual in Rye city government. It reminds me of the genius proposal awhile back to “propose” a study (as opposed to “conduct” one) on whether there have been too many bank branch openings in Rye recently. Good luck getting your much needed stop sign. I suppose it’ll be tougher than getting a pink skylight approved by the style police on the B.A.R.!