New City Hit-and-Run Victim Urges Creation of Bicycle Lanes

When Maria Giumarra of New City is on one of her 20-mile bicycle rides around Rockland County, she usually feels a sense of security when she gets to Lady Godiva Way in the Camelot development.

The quiet street in an affluent neighborhood of well-manicured homes gets her away from the heavy traffic of Congers Road on her final leg home to Heritage Drive, just off Main Street.

"I usually feel safe on Lady Godiva Way. I can take it easy," said Giumarra, who explains she usually feels most vulnerable on her rides as she's crossing the narrow causeway over the Lake DeForest reservoir on Congers Road, going from Congers to New City.

But for the 39-year-old mother of three, a recent bike ride along Lady Godiva Way turned into a near-death experience. Police are looking for the hit-and-run driver who on Friday, Aug. 27 struck Giumarra with an SUV at about 6 p.m. and left her in pain at the side of the road.

"I didn't hear the car coming," said Giumarra, whose left arm was broken in the incident. "I heard it accelerate when it hit me. I saw him stop to look back, and then he took off."

A resident of Lady Godiva way came to Giumarra's assistance and she was then taken by New City Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Corps to Nyack Hospital for treatment. She was released from the hospital the same evening, but as a result of the accident Giumarra last week had surgery on her arm, which included installation of a metal plate in her arm.

Giumarra, who works as a parent coordinator for the New York City school system, is recovering at home. Her bicycle, with its rear tire twisted from being hit by the SUV, sits on her front porch as a daily reminder of the incident.

Clarkstown police say they have not yet been able to locate the car that hit Giumarra. A witness on Lady Godiva Way and Giumarra have given differing descriptions of the hit-and-run SUV, and Giumarra said she was unable to get the vehicle's full license plate number.

When he received word that his wife had been hit, Robert Giumarra feared Maria was more severely injured because she rides a racing bicycle which requires special shoes that essentially lock the rider's feet into the pedals.

"It's a miracle I wasn't hurt worse," Maria Giumarra said while sitting at the kitchen table of her New City home. "I did get mad when he drove off. I didn't know whether I was crying out of pain or out of anger."

While the Giumarras hope police can find the driver who hit Maria, the couple say they are focusing more on their desire for what happened to Maria to serve as a wake up call for the community about the dangers bicyclists face on the roads in Rockland.

"We're hoping that what happened can be a springboard for change to help make the community better," said Robert Giumarra, a stand-up comedian who moved his family to the Heritage Drive condominiums in 2004. "Since this has happened, we have seen the humanity of people who have come forward to help us. Neighbors have brought over dinners, we've gotten lots of calls, e-mails and well-wishing. We have seen a lot of good in people."

Biking Rockland

Maria Giumarra said that with the encouragement of a friend, she took up bicycling seriously about six months ago. Since then, she has been riding two or three times a week, trying to ride 20 miles in each of her trips.

She has frequently ridden from New City to the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, NJ, and commonly rides from New City to the Toga bike shop on Route 9W in Upper Nyack.

Giumarra said she likes to ride with a friend, but does often ride by herself, like on the evening when she was hit. At the time, Maria was hoping to get home quickly because she had promised her sons they all could have Chinese food that evening.

"I don't think I will be riding by myself any more," she said.

Giumarra said that as her arm heals, she's also hoping to restore some of her confidence and enthusiasm for bicycling. She explained the accident comes at a time when she and her husband had bought bicycles for everyone in the family and they were trying to encourage their sons, Robert, 9, Gabriel, 7, and Marco, 4, to ride their bicycles for fun and exercise.

Robert Giumarra said he is especially aware of bicyclists on the road when he drives and takes care to share the road. However, he and Maria said they are disappointed that many drivers pay little attention to bicyclists.

"Drivers don' take bicyclists seriously," said Maria Giumarra, noting that she always keeps as close to the road shoulder as possible on her rides. "Too many drivers are doing other things when they drive. They are not paying enough attention to the road. They need to treat others with respect, including bicyclists. They just can't think 'I'm the king of the road.'"

Robert Giumarra said that as a resident of a suburban community such as New City, residents should be able to safely ride their bicycles.

"People come here to get away from the hustle and the bustle of New York City," said Robert Giumarra. "You'd expect that something like this would have happened in the city, not in New City."

Robert and Maria both said they would like to see bike lanes created on roads throughout Rockland, especially in downtown New City. Robert Giumarra said he believes the Town of Clarkstown has a golden opportunity to create a more bicycle-friendly environment through the on-going renovation of downtown New City.

"They really should include bicycle lanes as part of the project," said Robert Giumarra. "It would make a big difference."

Clarkstown Highway Superintendent Wayne Ballard the town has had many discussions about ways of expanding safe areas for bicyclists to ride. The new Comprehensive Plan adopted by the Town Board calls for Clarkstown to work with the state Department of Transportation to look for ways of creating bicycle areas as part of area road projects.

Ballard said he believes Clarkstown could benefit socially and economically by providing more space for bicyclists. Ballard said he even favors creating a Clarkstown bicycle tour that could become a regional attraction.

The ongoing downtown New City renovation is creating new sidewalks with new street lighting and landscaping along Main Street. The project is designed to make Main Street more "pedestrian-friendly," but does not include bicycle lanes.

The Giumarras said they were looking forward to the day when their children could explore New City by riding their bicycles around the hamlet. But for the near future, they'll be keeping the kids close to home on their bikes.

Traffic calming

Back on Lady Godiva Way, the same day Maria Giumarra was having her surgery, a crew from the Clarkstown Highway Department was in the Camelot neighborhood to start work on a "traffic calming" project. Ballard said the town is installing a series of "speed cushions" on Lady Godiva Way and adjacent King Arthur Court to slow down traffic that has escalated in the area since an entrance to the Camelot development was opened at East Cavalary Drive off Route 304.

Camelot residents say their neighborhood has become a popular short cut for motorists in New City. The development's streets link Congers Road near Clarkstown North High School to Route 304 at the Squadron Boulevard development.

The first sets of speed cushions have been installed on Lady Godiva Way and King Arthur Court, with the project slated to be finished in about two weeks. Ballard said he wanted motorists to start seeing the speed cushions before the start of the new school year on Tuesday, when he expects traffic will spike in the area with students going back to North High School.

Ballard said town traffic studies have shown the traffic calming program is needed on these two streets because of their long, straight design and recent increases in traffic – and in the speed of that traffic.

The traffic calming project was designed with input from Camelot residents, who have been seeking town assistance with traffic for several years.