NY22 Bronxville Crosswalk Project

To the Bronxville Community:

Over the objections of Village residents who will be most affected, the Bronxville Board of Trustees continues to advance the project to install both a crosswalk across Route 22 (White Plains Road) at Elm Rock Road and new sidewalks along the east side of Route 22 between Paddington and Dusenberry, and between Dusenberry and South. With a special town hall meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 7, we — Bronxville Citizens for Responsible Development — are
providing this refresher of frequently asked questions and salient project details.

Isn’t a Crosswalk Needed Across Route 22?
Yes. But a crosswalk at Elm Rock Road is less safe than at other locations and, at best, premature. Two stoplights exist along the one-mile length of Rt. 22 within the Village, which stretches northward from just north of Woodland Terrace to Hobart St. One stoplight is at the 0.3 mile marker (at Pondfield) and the second stoplight is at the 0.8 mile marker (at Tanglewylde/North). Neither of these intersections has a marked crosswalk, and both should. Moreover, a sidewalk already exists along the length of Pondfield from Route 22 to Bronxville’s downtown, whereas none exists along Elm Rock. To facilitate safe pedestrian movement across Route 22, the Board should first prioritize the establishment of marked crosswalks at these intersections (as it has promised), which have stoplights, whether funded by the Village or otherwise, and encourage their use before planning additional crosswalks that force pedestrians into a single
point of conflict with cars, buses, and trucks.

Didn’t a Village Survey Show that the Community Wants a Crosswalk Across Route 22 at Elm Rock?

No. The Board publicly promised on multiple occasions to conduct a survey of the whole Village with respect to walkability generally, including crosswalks — not a survey limited to consideration of one prospective crosswalk. That survey asked no questions concerning perceived safety or the installation of new sidewalks or the cost of maintenance, repair, and liability being imposed on adjacent homeowners, who unanimously oppose the unnecessary new sidewalk and
crosswalk construction. But the trustees who drafted the survey limited its distribution to only two Village districts, as the Village acknowledges on its website. A response from approximately 700 residents in a village of approximately 6,500 residents (11%), and 280 single home responses in a village with over 2,300 home units (12%), is not representative of the community.

Would a Potential Crosswalk at Elm Rock Increase Pedestrian Safety?

No. In a December 2021 memo regarding the prospective Elm Rock crosswalk, the NY Department of Transportation reported: “the Village police chief was worried that the crosswalk may make people feel too safe. It was his belief that if you wait you get a gap to cross [and] can cross without stepping in front of traffic making [traffic] yield.” This view is shared by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and at least two state departments of transportation, which note that “[m]arked crosswalks at uncontrolled locations (intersections or midblock) may pose greater safety concerns for pedestrians because motorists often do not expect pedestrians to be crossing” and that such crosswalks “prompt many pedestrians to feel overly secure when using a marked crosswalk — to the degree that they may aggressively place themselves in a hazardous position with respect to vehicles in the mistaken belief that the vehicle can and will stop in all cases, even when it may be impossible to do so.”

How Much Will the Project Cost?

$600,000+. Public records, responses to requests under NY’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), and discussions with public officials (at the Village, County and State-level) reveal that the project’s estimated out-of-pocket costs exceed $600,000. This amount includes $409,000 in estimated inflation-adjusted construction costs for one crosswalk and two blocks of sidewalk, $120,000 on three different consultants, and at least $75,000 spent for construction
in 2022 that was started, then stopped and removed. Any potential future construction will be financed through municipal bonds that saddle Village residents with principal and interest payments for up to twenty years — at the same time that that urgent separate requests for funds for police and public safety are being made (April 24, 2023 budget meeting), and vital existing infrastructure rehabilitation goes unaddressed.

Won’t This Project Be Paid For by Westchester County and New York State?

No. The only funds provided by Westchester County were approximately $20,000, allocated as part of a larger consultant assignment for Bronxville and Scarsdale. The only state funds that potentially may in the future be provided are from a $170,000 grant that the Village has applied for with the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) but that has not been granted. According to public records, the grant is only in its application stage and the funds may never be approved. Even if they are approved, the specific grant is a reimbursement grant — meaning the Village will pay for the construction in full and then seek reimbursement upon completion. According to the head of grant administration for DASNY and officials at the New York State Senate, those funds can be reallocated to any Bronxville project at any time before final approval by their sponsor, State Senator Shelley Mayer.

Won’t Extensive and Unnecessary New Sidewalk Development Have Negative Environmental Impact?

Yes. This project would only exacerbate flooding and environmental issues. No new storm drains will be constructed or are even being considered, despite current flooding issues being highlighted by the Westchester County Planning Department. The construction of these new sidewalks is an anti-green project that will replace water-absorbing grass and dirt with thousands of square feet of cement and stone, increasing water runoff and flooding. It will also require the removal of one or more mature trees, ironically at a time when the Village is considering a tree protection ordinance.

If This Crosswalk and Sidewalk Project Goes Forward, What Project is Next?

A walking corridor, and potentially more sidewalks along the corridor and throughout the Village, the costs of maintenance, repair, replacement, and personal injury liability of which would be imposed on adjacent homeowners without their consent (via recently passed Local Law #4-2022). As extensive e-mail documentation shows, the goal since 2020 always has been the creation of a high-volume corridor along Elm Rock, to Oriole, to Orchard, to Studio, to Hemlock, and then to Midland, forcing onto a quiet residential neighborhood extensive sidewalks, neon and blinking signage, reflective paint, and/or road markings. Both the mayor and another trustee acknowledged in the September 12, 2022, Board Meeting that the Elm Rock crosswalk was the linchpin to the entire initiative. As Village administration declared in an October 8, 2021, e-mail message: “[This] particular route is just the beginning of a larger exercise.” The Board has not estimated, let alone incorporated into its decision-making, the costs the current project, or future projects, would impose on identifiable affected Bronxville residents.

What Does Bronxville’s 2020 Comprehensive Plan Say?

In pushing this project, the Board has completely ignored the 2020 Village Comprehensive Plan, a detailed 124-page document that covers all aspects of Village planning that serves as “a policy guide for the Village’s future development.” The Plan includes discussion of various crosswalks, but there is no mention of, let alone any recommendation concerning, any existing or prospective crosswalk across Route 22, let alone sidewalk installation along the east side of Route 22. The survey indicates that residents’ single most important goal concerning development in the Village is “[p]reserve and promote the special architectural character and appearance of existing buildings and neighborhoods.” Mayor Marvin acknowledged this fact in her June 20, 2022, column, writing “the message we received from you, as Villagers, was not to make great changes to the streetscape, rather update, repair and preserve the infrastructure and streetscape.”

What Can I Do?

We encourage the entire Bronxville community to attend the upcoming special meeting of the Board of Trustees on Thursday, September 7, at 6:30 p.m. to express your opinion on these issues and otherwise to make your voice heard. You may also write to Mayor Marvin (mayor@vobny.com), the Board of Trustees (trustees@vobny.com), and Village Administrator Palmer (jpalmer@vobny.com).

Sincerely,
Bronxville Citizens for Responsible Development