VILLAGE OF COLONIE THOMAS TOBIN 2 THUNDER ROAD DEPUTY MAYOR COLONIE, NY 12205 PATTY SCHWARZ LOCKART (518) 869-7562 FAX (518) 464-0389 TRUSTEE EDWARD F. SIM, MAYOR JACK MURPHY TRUSTEE villagehall@colonievillage.org JAMIE BLOT CLERK www.colonievillage.org Traffic Advisory Committee January 9, 2020 6:30 p.m. There was a meeting of the Village of Colonie Traffic Advisory Committee, held on January 9, 2020 at the Village Hall, 2 Thunder Road, Albany, NY 12205. The meeting started at 6:30 p.m. Chairman Prevratil called the meeting to order with a salute to the flag. Those Present: Chairman, Mr. Frank Prevratil Mr. George Lashoff (Absent) Mr. Daniel Hornick Mr. Les Samiof Mr. Dan Judge Mr. John Gillivan Secretary, Julianne Okun Colonie PD Officer, Jason DePaulo Liaison, Mayor Edward Sim Kevin France, DPW Traffic Advisor Ms. Mickey Angier – 21 Woolard Avenue Ms. Viviane Townsend – 23 Red Fox Drive The minutes from the December 12, 2019 meeting were reviewed, amended, and approved. Chairman Prevratil asked if there was any correspondence. Ms. Okun stated a resident from Red Fox Drive came to Village Hall and expressed her concern for the speeding on Red Fox Drive and requested stop signs and speed bumps to try and slow people down. Ms. Okun stated she invited the resident to tonight’s meeting and noted she was in attendance in the audience. Chairman Prevratil invited her to speak at this time. Ms. Viviane Townsend of 23 Red Fox Drive stated she indeed came to the counter and requested to have speed bumps, or a 4 way stop sign at Red Fox and Barker. Ms. Townsend stated she has two small children, ages 9 and 6, and is too afraid to let the play in the front yard for fear of cars speeding up the hill from Central Avenue. Ms. Townsend noted she does not feel safe even crossing the street because you cannot see over the hill. Mr. Judge stated that the Traffic Committee conducted the “Drive 25” sign campaign last year and noted that everyone who was canvassed in her area wanted a 4-way stop sign at Red Fox and Barker. Ms. Townsend stated that she has lived at this residence for about 2 years, and this has been a constant 1 problem, noting that cars are using Red Fox as a cut-through for Sand Creek. Ms. Townsend also noted that cars are not stopping for school busses, making it very dangerous for her children. Mayor Sim noted that Barker does have stop signs, with Chairman Prevratil stating that Red Fox is the issues, not Barker. Chairman Prevratil stated that every street that cuts through between Central Avenue and Sand Creek Road is an issue in the Village. Mr. Judge asked Ms. Townsend at what times is the speeding the worst, with Ms. Townsend stating the problem is constant throughout the day, but the worst times are about 7:30A.M., 3-6PM, and again from 6-9PM, but also stating the problem is not as bad on the weekends. Mayor Sim asked Officer DePaulo if there could be a 3- year search done of accidents at that intersection. Office DePaulo stated it could be possible and would look into it. Mr. France stated what could be effective would be to put up 4 separate speed limit signs, two on each side of the road, to bring more attention to the 25 MPH speed limit. Mayor Sim stated to the Committee, as well as the audience, that in order to put up stop signs at intersections, there must be justification to do so, such as an accident history. Recently, there had been multiple accident at the intersection of Holland and Harriet, which justified the installation of the 4-way stop signs. Mr. Hornick also pointed out that putting a stop sign at the foot of the Red Fox hill, where the intersection of Barker is, would create a potential liability for the Village of Colonie, with Mayor Sim and Mr. France agreeing. Mr. Judge stated the purpose of the Committee is to bring awareness to the community about speeding, and they will continue to do so with the Spring and warmer weather soon. Mayor Sim wanted to thank Mr. Hornick with his help with writing the grant letter to Senator Breslin. The Village plans to have a comprehensive study done in the Sand Creek corridor should the Village be awarded the grant money from CDTC. Mayor Sim stated with the study, the Village would be able to come up with possible solutions to these problems. Mayor Sim stated to the audience that the Committee appreciated their attendance because it helps bring awareness to the Committee to other speeding problems and issues withing the community. Mr. Judge asked if there would be a possibility to put speed bumps on Red Fox, with Mayor Sim stating it would be difficult, as well as dangerous, to put speed bumps on a street with a hill. Mr. Judge stated that if Ms. Townsend is aware if her neighbors are the speeders, to not be afraid to point them out to the police. Mayor Sim stated there is a potential bicycle and pedestrian grant opportunity. Mr. Gillivan stated that he was starting to gather ideas for the Spring and Summer events, including the Bike Rodeo. The grant’s maximum amount would be about $5,000, which could pay for bikes for children and bike rescues. Mr. Gillivan stated he hoped that there would also be a potential bike path in the Petra, Walker, and Jupiter corridor to connect the Village of Colonie to Washington Avenue. Mr. Judge stated that AAA will be coming to the senior meeting to talk to the seniors about speeding and safety, with Mr. Judge stating he hoped to gat as many people as possible to spread the word about these topics. Ms. Mickey Angier stated that the trucks from the industrial park, including Meerkat and Kassleman Solar cut through and speed down Harriet to get to the warehouses. Ms. Angier said she has left a couple of voicemails, but no one has returned her calls. Officer DePaulo stated he would contact the businesses to discuss this matter. 2 Mayor Sim asked Mr. France if he would be able to obtain 4 4-way stop signs to mark the newly installed stop signs at Holland and Harriet. Mr. France said it may be better to use the all-way stop signs, and also add the reflective panel post to the stop sign to reach a bigger target value. Mr. Judge made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:10PM. Mr. Hornick seconded the motion. VOTE: All in favor of the motion. Respectfully Submitted, Julianne Okun Traffic Safety Coordinator 3