If you haven't heard by now, a middle school child was hit earlier this week on Route 9 in Dobbs Ferry. Minor injuries, but this is the second pedestrian accident this year. 

Where?

Route 9 in Dobbs Ferry at the McLelland Avenue near Alcott Montessori School

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What about that Route 9 survey? Did you take it? Did you like what you saw? I heard mixed feelings - understandably so, but what we need to keep in mind is that our roads were built a long time ago. Our vehicles are now larger, faster, and most families have more than one. 

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If you happened along Route 9 in Dobbs Ferry a few weeks ago, you may have noticed a group of parents and children, hovering around the new crossing light at Route 9 and Clinton/Oak. The below video was captured during our effort to film pedestrians using the light.

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The Jogging Jeweler #40

| Irvington's Old Croton Aqueduct Entrance Upgrade |

Earlier this summer Irvington began work on Main Street through an upgrade of the the Old Croton Aqueduct as it passes through town and past a monument located in front of Main Street School. The OCA once ended at the end of the school's tree-lined parking lot forcing pedestrians and cyclists the pass through the parking lot crossing Main St to continue on their OCA journey. 

 

It looks nice...

• Parking lot is more orderly and bright.
• The sidewalk is nicely paved with bricks.
• Two crosswalks crossing the school's entrance and exit driveways have been repaved with a faux brick patterned as well as repainted.
• A crosswalk from a newly planted grassy path, that one assumes is the new entrance to the OCA was also added.

So what?

•  Paint - The crosswalk crossing Main Street that pedestrians, school children, and cyclist should be using has yet to receive the same beautification. 
• Signage - The OCA does not yet have signs or posts, like those found on Mercy's campus, directing users the appropriate direction. It also seems they have yet to install the yellow diamonds alerting drivers along Main Street of frequent use of the crosswalk in front of this newly re-furbished area. 
• Blind spot - The Main St crosswalk, when used from the retail side of the street, has a massive blind spot caused by parking at the crosswalk's edge. Had a vehicle been parked in the handicap spot, marked by the blue lines on the road, a pedestrian is forced to step off the curb and into oncoming traffic to see. That first parking spot needs to back up and let the crosswalk and its pedestrians breath and be seen. 

The Jogging Jeweler certainly hopes the work for this area is not yet complete and they are awaiting the arrival of paint and signs for pedestrians and the OCA. 

UPDATED - 9/25/17

Did some research. According to the Main Street Streetscape plan (found here - see page 47 specifically) which is dated 9/12/2014 it does appear:

1. a second Main Street crosswalk was (is?) planned on.
2. The existing Main Street crosswalk, as well as this 2nd crosswalk are to match the brick patterned ones in the school's parking lot. 
3. A painted pathway through the South parking lot to mark the OCA's continued path.
4. In the text on page 47 it is recommeneded that signage pointing out pedestrian and cyclist usage as well as linkage to other villages via the OCA would better serve this community gathering space.

The search for a more recent plans as well as contacting local officials are my next steps. 

What can you do?

Do you live in Irvington? Want to help?

• Write an email to the BOT. 
• Talk to your Village Admin. 
• Reach out to the committee in charge of this project. 
• Reach out to your local Safe Routes program leaders. 

Remember when using a crosswalk as a pedestrian or driver - #STOPLOOKWAVE

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The Jogging Jeweler #39

| Stop, Look, Wave - Tanks |

1. Stop - at crosswalks
2. Look - for others
3. Wave - acknowledge & thank

Why???

The Jogging Jeweler has started this apparel based campaign in an effort to raise awareness of the what sharing the road really means.

Last fall our communities speckled the roadsides with lawn signs "Slow Down Rivertowns" - basically homeowners giving a polite fist-shake and holler at speedy drivers passing their homes. However, after raking leaves, moving snow, and weekly mowing few remain, those that do are now part of our day-to-day scenery and most likely ignored.

The bright colors and simple symbols hope to pass along the idea that we are all in this together. That behind the wheel or on foot is active participation in sharing the pathways we all use to go about our daily lives. AND - that saying "thank you" is courteous and will positively reinforce stopping, looking, and waving again and again and again.

Want one?

• Easy - purchase button down below!
• Local & want to pick up? Send me an email and we can arrange a meeting.
• Out of town? Let's ship it!

Where does the money for the shirts go?

To buy more shirts....winter is coming.

For real though - The Jogging Jeweler is not a paid gig. I do it because I give a damn and believe starting conversations about the issues we face as a community leads to ideas, solutions, and a better version of ourselves.

AND REMEMBER - STOP, LOOK, WAVE

 

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The Jogging Jeweler

| JJ Surprise!! |

If you haven't noticed, The Jogging Jeweler logo received a slight makeover/enhancement. This new logo is in an effort to raise more awareness locally about pedestrian safety because with this new logo comes a surprise!!

How THIS Came to be

Recently in Irvington new lawn signs and posters appeared to promote an idea that I have also been sharing - STOP-LOOK-WAVE

• STOP - Drivers & pedestrians NEED to stop at crosswalks.
• LOOK - Drivers & Pedestrians NEED to be aware when entering the area near a crosswalk.
• WAVE - Drivers & Pedestrians NEED to wave, acknowledging they see each other.

I spoke with the person in charge of those signs and the idea of yet another yard sign bothered me. Their cost and stability in weathering the summer & moving them with each weekly yard mowing seemed like a wasteful hassle. Especially knowing that their placement won't be ideal and would over time become part of our day-to-day scenery, being ignored by drivers and pedestrians.

So how do we take this concept visual, making it seen publicly, but not ignored with routine. Something causing other pedestrians and drivers to pay more attention throughout our community. Then one day while running and receiving the usual awkward double glances and/or honks and shouts of enthusiasm to my Go Pro hat - it hit me! This crazy hat on my head throughout our villages... 

THE Surprise

HATS!!!!

However, the idea didn't just stop there...

In an effort to further awareness The Jogging Jeweler has created apparel to support the idea that we, as drivers and pedestrians, need to be more aware and active in our usage of crosswalks. 

Sometimes being creative can be tough, you like everything - so in an effort to make something the larger population would wear here's your opportunity to help!

Help The Jogging Jeweler narrow down the looks, styles, and colors of STOP-LOOK-WAVE apparel!

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The Jogging Jeweler

|Rivertowns Enterprise Article|

Two weeks ago The Jogging Jeweler graced the pages of the local Rivertowns paper - The Rivertowns Enterprise. 

This article discussed one of the latest initiatives from the Dobbs Ferry Chamber of Commerce, a non-for-profit organization that began in August of 2015 and has grown intoa group of nearly 80 members. Becoming the President in May of 2016, I began with addressing the echoing issues from our members - parking, traffic, & safety. 

What is The Fast Five?

The Fast Five are five items of low hanging fruit that the Chamber narrowed down in various meetings with members and other local community groups. Our overall goal was to pick items that were easy for the Village to target in terms of budget, time, and visibility (meaning residents and visitors alike would see the improvements.)

Feedback on Fast 5

Overall the feedback has remained positive on the Fast Five. There have been 3-4 complaints regarding the test period for extending the meters - that is, complaints without sound reasoning as to why it is not a good idea. The test period is suggested for 6-8 months in the hopes that we can at least capture two different seasons. This test period does not have to be 7 days/week, it could just be Thurs, Fri, & Sat. It's an effort towards making the parking we have more efficient. Maybe it'll improve parking for local businesses - maybe it won't, but if we don't start trying there will be no data regarding the efficiency of our parking spaces. 

What Happens Next?

The Chamber is currently waiting to hear back from the BOT. The BOT has asked the traffic commission to review our list of suggestions. Hopefully, a presentation from the Chamber regarding the Fast Five will be on an upcoming agenda. 

THANK YOUs

A HUGE hug of appreciation for all those that participated in making this effort come to fruition. It took months, endless meetings, lots of editing, and ultimately led me to start this blog. Even if 3 of 5 are addressed it is a win and progress!

#stoplookwave & #route9

Look for these hashtags used in social media posts. Feel free to use #route9  on posts, pictures, or comments about Route 9. And steal #stoplookwave for posts, pictures, or comments that will help raise the awareness of sharing responsibility as pedestrians and as drivers at our crosswalks. We all need to STOP, LOOK, & WAVE before crossing, it will provide acknowledgement of being seen and show gratitude. 

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