Last month, yet another Westchester County municipality moved towards safer streets.
The Village of Dobbs Ferry passed a complete streets resolution [pdf] that will foster a safe environment for cyclists, pedestrians, and transit users. Passed with a unanimous vote, the policy comprehensively addresses all new construction, reconstruction, and road paving in the village. The village has the advantage of being nestled on the Hudson River with a stop on the Metro-North’s Hudson Line, so it is well-positioned to make meaningful links between bike, pedestrian, and transit accommodations.
In a move showing popular support for the measure, the Dobbs Ferry Democratic Committee cited the passage of the complete streets policy in its recent endorsement of an incumbent village trustee, Donna Cassell, for this year’s elections. Trustee Cassell took the lead on ushering the policy through the approval process, working closely with the Southern Westchester Energy Action Consortium, which has made passage of local policies in Westchester a priority this year.
Although New York has passed a statewide complete streets law, it only applies to roadways that receive state and federal funding. Across New York, town, city, and county governments are working to close the gap in an effort to create a network of safer, more sustainable communities.
We’re lucky to have Donna Cassell on the village board. She’s very knowledgable and specifically concerned about traffic.c
[…] Though the AARP helped pass a state complete streets bill last year, many local governments still lack such a policy. Transit cuts, such as those in New York City and Nassau County, have left some seniors feeling […]
[…] have proceeded to pass their own policies, including Suffolk and Essex Counties, as well as Dobbs Ferry and Saratoga Springs. On Long Island, NYSDOT made progress on a plan to make Main Street in […]
[…] Similarly, a number of Westchester County municipalities have also passed Complete Streets policies that cover roads under municipal jurisdiction, but the County has yet to pass a policy that will address county roads. New York State’s Complete Streets law, which addresses all State-controlled roads and roads that are funded with state and federal dollars, went into effect in 2012. […]