EDWARD SIM Village of Colonie DEPUTY MAYOR VILLAGE HALL PATTY SCHWARZ 2 THUNDER ROAD LOCKART COLONIE, NY 12205 TRUSTEE (518) 869-7562 FAX (518) 464-0389 ART WHITE THOMAS J. TOBIN TRUSTEE MAYOR JAMES RUBINO TRUSTEE villagehall@colonievillage.org www.colonievillage.org JAMIE BLOT CLERK MINUTES VILLAGE OF COLONIE TRAFFIC COMMITTEE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2023 The Village of Colonie Traffic Committee meeting was held on Thursday, November 9th, 2023, at 2 Thunder Rd, Albany, NY 12205. Chairman Prevratil opened the meeting with the pledge of allegiance at 6:30 p.m. Roll Call: Chairman, Frank Prevratil Present Dan Hornick Present John Gillivan Present George Lashoff Present Les Samiof Present Michael Normandin Present Liasion Ed Sim Present CPD Liaison Investigator DePaulo Absent Kevin France Present Coordinator Hannah Curran Present The minutes from the regularly scheduled September 14th meeting were reviewed by the present members of the committee. Mr. Hornick made a motion to approve the minutes as amended, and Mr. Lashoff seconded this motion. Vote: All in favor. OLD BUSINESS: Liasion Sim provided an update on the Sand Creek Road Study that is currently underway. He explained that we are at the beginning of a draft concept plan, and the Study Advisory Committee is still meeting to go over it. A presentation will be given to the public once the plan is finalized, and this is anticipated to occur in the beginning of January. Mr. Gillivan asked if this committee would see the conceptual plan, to which Liasion Sim stated that Chairman Prevratil could provide. Mr. Gillivan stated that he has seen some of the conceptual plan as he was approached by the consultants and asked for recommendations Page 1 of 3 regarding signage. He also asked if the second public input session would be well advertised like the last meeting. Liasion Sim said yes. NEW BUSINESS: Mr. Lashoff requested that the Fall counts from Sand Creek Road be made available, and Liasion Sim offered that he would get those counts to Mr. Lashoff. He also asked Mr. France if comparisons could be made between this year and last. Mr. France stated that he would get copies of this information to the committee members in a spreadsheet. Mr. Lashoff prepared a lawn sign report from the summer program. He reported that a total of 225 residences participated in the program. Currently, there are 11 signs in perfect condition. 9 frames are rusted, and 25 frames are broken. Liasion Sim asked what had happened to the 25 frames that were recently purchased, and Mr. Lashoff explained that they had gone missing. Liasion Sim noted that we can purchase more for next year. Chairman Prevratil mentioned that Mr. Lashoff did a great job organizing the program this year. Liasion Sim asked if anyone noticed signs going missing while placed in some yards. Mr. Lashoff noted that this did happen a couple of times, and he was able to note which houses. Liasion Sim suggested that a better inventory system could be worked on, and Mr. Lashoff explained that there is better communication now than there has been in the past. Mr. Samiof asked how many total signs we have, and Mr. Lashoff stated 47. Mr. Gillivan brought up the resident at 555 Sand Creek Road, who stated that her sign had been removed back in September. Mr. Lashoff also added that this year, a list of locations was provided to all committee members, and areas were split up for them to visit at their convenience, rather than everyone meeting and doing it at a scheduled time. All committee members agreed that this method worked out better. Chairman once again thanked Mr. Lashoff for taking this program over. DISCUSSION: Mr. Gillivan mentioned that he would like to focus on getting DOT’s participation in a speeding campaign on Central Avenue. He had been corresponding with the public relations individual at DOT, and he provided Mr. Gillivan with flyers to hand out. He recommended contacting the Colonie Police and other municipalities to further spread the word. Mr. Gillivan intends to bring these flyers to surrounding businesses. This would address driver behavior on Central Avenue, as well as pedestrian traffic. A discussion was held regarding this project, and it was decided that this campaign would be discussed again in the Spring. Mr. Gillivan stated that he would work on putting together a list of partners and draft correspondence. Chairman Prevratil suggested scheduling an appointment to go speak with a representative at DOT, and he offered to attend this meeting as well. Mr. Hornick agreed with that recommendation, and Mr. Gillivan said he would follow up on this. Resident Susan Gravell, 29A Bridle Path, was present in the audience with her daughter to discuss an incident that occurred on her street. On the night of October 28th, her daughter’s car was totaled in an accident as it was parked in front of their house. They expressed concerns about cars speeding on Bridle Path, as there is only one stop sign and drivers can use the street as a cut through. Chairman Prevratil mentioned that most of the time speeders in the neighborhood are Page 2 of 3 other residents, so he suggested noting where they live and the make/model of the vehicle. Investigator DePaulo is a liaison to the committee, and he can follow up with the information. He also mentioned asking Investigator DePaulo to increase enforcement in the area, and he asked the Gravell’s what time of day seems to be the worst. They stated that speeding occurs all day long, but it worsens in the evening, around 6 or 7 p.m. Liasion Sim stated that he will speak with Investigator DePaulo and ask him to stop by the Gravell’s house the following week to follow up with this incident. He also mentioned putting the traffic counts out on Bridle Path to see what times should be targeted. Mr. Gillivan mentioned that the purpose of this committee is to bring awareness, and that safety is the primary concern. Chairman Prevratil added that the committee does what they can, noting the solar speed signs that have been recently placed on a few streets. Chairman Prevrail also noted an increase of dirt bikes and off-road vehicles driving recklessly through intersections, and mentioned this may become a more prominent problem with the warmer weather. Mr. Lashoff reported that there was great success with the Back-to-School campaign Village businesses were asked to participate in. He asked if we could send thank you letters to the businesses, which Hannah would get a list together for. He also asked if it would be possible to add to the next Villager. Mr. Samiof asked if something could be put in the Villager regarding pedestrians wearing dark clothing. Chairman Prevratil stated that committee members are welcome to send him article ideas and he would forward them on. Liasion Sim mentioned that the Winter Villager had already been sent to print, but this could be looked at for the Spring. A motion was made by Mr. Gillivan to adjourn the meeting at 7:22 p.m. This motion was seconded by Mr. Samiof. Vote: All in favor. Respectfully submitted, Hannah Curran Traffic Advisory Committee Coordinator Village of Colonie Page 3 of 3