Town of Hyde Park: Local Law to Remove Stop Signs
In December 2009, the Town of Hyde Park introduced a local law to create a three way stop at the intersection of the three Franklin Road branches merging from Roosevelt Road.
On January 23, 2012, Fire Commissioner Yancy McArthur and Third Ward Councilman Bill Truitt introduced the topic of stop sign removal in a workshop discussion, citing that the stop sign is a determent to Emergency Vehicle response time. This reasoning was NOT upheld by NYS Vehice and Traffic Law 1104 which states otherwise, nor was it substantiated later by a traffic engineer.
The vast majority of Franklin Road residents expressed the opinion that the signs have been valuable traffic control devices and have added to the safety of traffic users in the neighborhood, which include, vehicular, pedestrians and bicyclists, specifically neighborhood children that pass through the intersection to their bus stops and the local school.
The Public Hearing will be taking place shortly for the Town Board's continued push for the removal of two stop signs. The Town Board has demonstrated a lack of transparency and open communication. This is contradictory to the claims of open government and transparency made by the Town Board during their campaign as well as during their time as elected officials.
Having obtained a copy of the traffic engineer's report that they are basing their decision on, I am disturbed that:
1) They have been biased in their investigation. Inorder to achieve their desired outcome, they have purposely not completed a full and adequate traffic study necessary to identify safety issues such as a limited sight distance, limited stopping distance, widened curb radii, a 90 degree turn around a roadside tree hazard.
2) They have been dissmissive of documentation indicating the area's use by students enroute to bus stops and the local school.
3) Much of the information contained in the engineer's report is not being disclosed to the public. Rather, it is the personal opinion of Board members that is being verbalized.
Read the report: Fitzpatrick Report
4) Bill Truitt wrote a letter expressing his opinion which is what the Town Board is basing their decision on. Read Bill Truitt's letter: Bill Truitt
The Hyde Park Town Board has witheld vital information to the public regarding their decision to remove stop signs as traffic control and safety devices on Franklin Road.