In this series, MyRye.com will introduce readers to the boards and commissions of the City of Rye and the residents who run them. All volunteers, these residents give their time and expertise to keep our city running. The series is intended to bring visibility to what each board and commission does, its priorities and what might prompt a resident or another person or company to interact with the group.
We have made our best efforts to reach out to each board and commission chairperson directly or via City officials. If you are a board or commission chair and have not been contacted, or if you are a reader with feedback on this series, please get in touch with MyRye.com.
Meet the Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee and its Chair Brian Dempsey.
Your Name: Brian Dempsey, P.E., PTOE, RSP1
Name of the Board or Commission you chair: Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee (TPS)
Your role: Chairman
MyRye.com: What is the charter for your Committee?
Dempsey: TPS was established to advise the City Council as well as other entities such as City Staff and the public on traffic and pedestrian safety issues in the City. It was originally named the Traffic and Transportation Committee, but pedestrian safety has been a critical issue. Most of the items are brought to the Committee from the general public or from members of the Committee.
In addition to the City Council, we work with the Police and Fire Departments as well as the Engineering, Planning and Public Works Departments along with the City Manager. The Committee is composed of residents with interests in safety. We try to have parent representatives from each of the schools who keep us alert of the traffic and pedestrian issues at the schools. Over the years, the TPS has:
- Conducted Bicycle Rodeos to teach children about bicycle safety.
- We have spoken to school children about pedestrian safety.
- Helped organize “walking school buses” to encourage more children to walk to school.
- Participated as judges in the High School Photography Contests regarding Traffic Safety and Distracted Driving/Walking Awareness.
Looking at 2024, what will be your top initiatives?
Dempsey: Our main initiatives are the same as this past year:
- Safety around schools including awareness at crosswalks and that not every driver stops at the crosswalks.
- Overall pedestrian and bicycle safety.
- Improving driver behavior especially regarding speeding, distracted driving, and yielding to pedestrians.
Who is the City Council liaison to your Committee for 2024?
Dempsey: It was Ben Stacks for many years. Before being a liaison, Ben was a long-time member of the TPS Committee. A new liaison has not been appointed yet.
Tell us about the residents or others you interact with at your committee.
Dempsey: The Committee welcomes residents to speak at the beginning of every meeting. We also receive comments through emails. The majority of comments are from residents who recently moved into Rye followed by parents of children in the schools.
When was your committee chartered by the City of Rye?
Dempsey: TPS was established in the 1990’s as far as we can tell. There was a brief hiatus but then it was reformed later in 1998. It was originally named the Traffic and Transportation Committee, but pedestrian safety became more of a focus and the name was changed in 2010. TPS Members have represented the Committee in joint projects with other Boards and Commissions.
Looking back across 2023, what were your committee’s top achievements?
Dempsey:
- Coordinated with the City and Schools to improve pedestrian safety around the schools.
- Upgraded the pedestrian crossings along Forest Avenue at Rye Town Park including adding Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB’s) as well as improving signing and striping.
- Improved the pedestrian crossings along the Playland Parkway Pathway across Boston Post Road as well as Old Post Road/North Street including adding Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB’s) as well as improving signing and striping.
Tell us about you:
How long have you been in the role?
Dempsey: I was being added to the Committee in the mid-1990’s when the Committee was put on hiatus. I was Vice Chairman in 1998 when the Committee re-started and then have been Chairman since about 2000.
What is your day job?
Dempsey: I am a Professional Engineer (P.E.) licensed in New York as well as five other states. In addition, I am a certified Professional Traffic Operations Engineer (PTOE) and a Road Safety Professional along with serving on the Westchester County Traffic Safety Board. I am a Partner in a Civil and Traffic Engineering Consulting Firm and we have represented almost every municipality in the County at one time or another as well as various counties and states.
How much time does your role require in a typical month?
Dempsey: It takes several hours a week including talking to residents, responding to resident comments, preparing agendas and minutes, performing research of legal issues and State/Federal regulations on signage and other issues, site visits and observations, meetings/discussions with City staff, conducting traffic counts and traffic signal timings. Also, wherever I go in Rye such as the deli or a sporting event, people bring up a traffic issue. One person actually even brought up an issue at my Mother’s funeral at the church.
How would your friends and family describe you in one word?
Dempsey: Caring. I have and continue to be involved and volunteer in various organizations to try to help improve people’s lives.
Pick one:
Dempsey:
| Select from: | Your Pick: |
| Coke or Pepsi? | Pepsi (but stopped drinking soda two years ago) |
| Regular or diet? | Regular (but stopped drinking soda two years ago) |
| Action movie or rom com? | Action |
| Cook, order in or eat out? | Cook |
| Dog, cat or no pet? | Dog |
| Balsamic vinaigrette or ranch? | Ranch |
| Ruffles Original, Lay’s Barbeque or Funyuns? | Ruffles Original |
| Still, sparkling or tap? | All |
What is the kindest thing someone has ever done for you?
Dempsey: There have been too many things to really single out just one such as the support received when my wife had a rare brain tumor requiring surgery or when my daughter was raising money to fight childhood cancer through her 46-hour dance marathon in college.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why, and who would you take with you?
Dempsey: Return to Yellowstone with my family. The scenery and wildlife were amazing. Alaska and Ireland would be the next two.
What is your favorite streaming / TV series?
Dempsey: The Simpsons and Maine Cabin Masters.
What is your favorite movie?
Dempsey: Monty Python and the Holy Grail as well as The Princess Bride and Stripes.
Where do you live in Rye and how many years have you lived in the City?
Dempsey: I was born and raised in Rye, growing up in the Hix Park area where my Father built his house when he came home from World War II. I now live in the Mead Pond area. My family has been in Rye since the mid 1800’s. I graduated from Rye High School as did my Father and Mother as well as my children (and many relatives).
Thank you Brian!
Members of the Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee (TPS)
Brian Dempsey, Chair 12-31-24
Niamh Alexander 12-31-23
David Crozier 12-31-23
Tony DiGiacomo 12-31-23
Jason Ertel 12-31-24
Anna Maria LaMonte 12-31-25
Sun Matsui 12-31-25
Robert November 12-31-25
Kelly Smith-Powers 12-31-23
City Manager, ex-officio
Kelsey Johnson, RCSD BOE ex-officio
Superintendent of Schools, ex-officio
