City approves public safety measures for pedestrians
NORWICH – The City of Norwich Common Council unanimously approved an agreement with the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) at a special meeting on Monday, which will bring the city five new pedestrian controlled crosswalk lights, a new mid-way crosswalk in front of NBT Bank, and a non-pedestrian controlled crosswalk across Route 12 south of Front Street at no cost to city taxpayers.
The pedestrian controlled crosswalk lights will be added to four existing crosswalks on Route 12: in front of McDonalds, by the turn for Beebe Avenue, by Nina's Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant, by the Norwich Family YMCA, and also at a new mid-way crosswalk that will exist in front of NBT Bank.
"We do not want to see anybody get hit. It's a public safety issue and we're really glad that New York State wanted to work with us on this in coming up with a new design," said City of Norwich Alderman Ward 6 Robert Jeffrey, noting that particularly the crosswalk in front of NBT Bank has seen too many accidents and near-misses in recent history.
The agreement will result in a new mid-way crosswalk on Route 12 between the NBT Bank Main Branch and Operations Center. It will have pedestrian controlled light and a mid-way section so that pedestrians won't have to cross both lands of traffic in one go. Although it will result in the loss of two parking spaces, Jeffrey said it's a much needed update, not just for NBT Bank employees, but also for residents and visitors of Norwich.
"There's been a lot of people who have been almost hit by cars there, so there's been a big concern over there for public safety, not just for people who work at NBT but also for just the general public," said Jeffrey. "There's a lot of people who utilize that in the summer, whether they go out for walks or they're out on jogs, and there's a lot of kids that might want to walk into town, have access to the movie theater and grab dinner or lunch down in our city, and we don't want anyone to get hit."
Jeffrey said the opportunity came about because NYS DOT is overlooking all of Route 12 in Region 9, a region in which the City of Norwich is located. NYS DOT conducted a survey in Summer 2018 before contacting the city in December to say plans for the project were finalized, and the city – along with its Traffic Commission, the NBT Bank Facilities and Security Divisions, Norwich Police Department Assistant Chief Scott Burlison, and the state employee and engineer overseeing the project, Danielle Besso – worked fast to come up with a plan for the new mid-way crossing to be included.
"It's going to cost us absolutely nothing," said Jeffrey. "The New York State Department of Transportation is going to come in and do all the work." He said based upon meetings, the DOT will start the project in April or May and should be finished by mid- or end of summer.
In addition to the new mid-way crossing and five pedestrian controlled crosswalk lights, a new non-pedestrian controlled crosswalk will be placed south of Front Street on Route 12 to give NBT Bank employees and pedestrians another option to cross between the Beebe Avenue crosswalk and the NBT Bank mid-way crosswalk.
With the inclusion of the pedestrian controlled crosswalk lights, City of Norwich Traffic Commission Chairman Judy Wright said it's important for pedestrians to both utilize the crosswalk lights and understand how they work.
"We want to make sure that the pedestrians understand that the flashing lights are going to be there and it's a safer way to cross the street," said Wright. "If you go up at the four corners, people will stand at the four corners and wait for that light to change instead of pushing the button. And they get frustrated because the button has to be pushed for the system to work, but they also have to wait until it goes with the traffic flow. So they get frustrated: if they don't push the button it doesn't turn fast enough, if they do push the button they think it should turn automatically, but it can't."
Wright said it's important for pedestrians to understand the value of utilizing the buttons at crosswalks with pedestrian controller lights, but also to understand that patience is required for the system to operate as smoothly as it is intended. After the success of the collaboration between the Traffic Commission, NBT Bank, Assistant Chief Burlison, Besso, and the common council in bringing the project to fruition, Wright said it's her hope the community will join the partnership with the safe utilization of the new pedestrian controlled lights.
"We think it's a win-win with all of us working together," said Wright.
Jeffrey added, "Thank you to NBT for being cooperative, NYS Department of Transportation, the Traffic Commission, and Assistant Chief Burlison for being so accommodating. It wouldn't have been possible without them."
Pictured: Blueprints for the new mid-way crosswalk, which will be located in the City of Norwich on Route 12 in front of NBT Bank. The City of Norwich Common Council unanimously approved an agreement with the New York State Department of Transportation to bring the mid-way crosswalk, five pedestrian controlled crosswalk lights, and a new non-pedestrian controlled crosswalk to the city at no cost to taxpayers in 2019. (Submitted photo)
The pedestrian controlled crosswalk lights will be added to four existing crosswalks on Route 12: in front of McDonalds, by the turn for Beebe Avenue, by Nina's Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant, by the Norwich Family YMCA, and also at a new mid-way crosswalk that will exist in front of NBT Bank.
"We do not want to see anybody get hit. It's a public safety issue and we're really glad that New York State wanted to work with us on this in coming up with a new design," said City of Norwich Alderman Ward 6 Robert Jeffrey, noting that particularly the crosswalk in front of NBT Bank has seen too many accidents and near-misses in recent history.
The agreement will result in a new mid-way crosswalk on Route 12 between the NBT Bank Main Branch and Operations Center. It will have pedestrian controlled light and a mid-way section so that pedestrians won't have to cross both lands of traffic in one go. Although it will result in the loss of two parking spaces, Jeffrey said it's a much needed update, not just for NBT Bank employees, but also for residents and visitors of Norwich.
"There's been a lot of people who have been almost hit by cars there, so there's been a big concern over there for public safety, not just for people who work at NBT but also for just the general public," said Jeffrey. "There's a lot of people who utilize that in the summer, whether they go out for walks or they're out on jogs, and there's a lot of kids that might want to walk into town, have access to the movie theater and grab dinner or lunch down in our city, and we don't want anyone to get hit."
Jeffrey said the opportunity came about because NYS DOT is overlooking all of Route 12 in Region 9, a region in which the City of Norwich is located. NYS DOT conducted a survey in Summer 2018 before contacting the city in December to say plans for the project were finalized, and the city – along with its Traffic Commission, the NBT Bank Facilities and Security Divisions, Norwich Police Department Assistant Chief Scott Burlison, and the state employee and engineer overseeing the project, Danielle Besso – worked fast to come up with a plan for the new mid-way crossing to be included.
"It's going to cost us absolutely nothing," said Jeffrey. "The New York State Department of Transportation is going to come in and do all the work." He said based upon meetings, the DOT will start the project in April or May and should be finished by mid- or end of summer.
In addition to the new mid-way crossing and five pedestrian controlled crosswalk lights, a new non-pedestrian controlled crosswalk will be placed south of Front Street on Route 12 to give NBT Bank employees and pedestrians another option to cross between the Beebe Avenue crosswalk and the NBT Bank mid-way crosswalk.
With the inclusion of the pedestrian controlled crosswalk lights, City of Norwich Traffic Commission Chairman Judy Wright said it's important for pedestrians to both utilize the crosswalk lights and understand how they work.
"We want to make sure that the pedestrians understand that the flashing lights are going to be there and it's a safer way to cross the street," said Wright. "If you go up at the four corners, people will stand at the four corners and wait for that light to change instead of pushing the button. And they get frustrated because the button has to be pushed for the system to work, but they also have to wait until it goes with the traffic flow. So they get frustrated: if they don't push the button it doesn't turn fast enough, if they do push the button they think it should turn automatically, but it can't."
Wright said it's important for pedestrians to understand the value of utilizing the buttons at crosswalks with pedestrian controller lights, but also to understand that patience is required for the system to operate as smoothly as it is intended. After the success of the collaboration between the Traffic Commission, NBT Bank, Assistant Chief Burlison, Besso, and the common council in bringing the project to fruition, Wright said it's her hope the community will join the partnership with the safe utilization of the new pedestrian controlled lights.
"We think it's a win-win with all of us working together," said Wright.
Jeffrey added, "Thank you to NBT for being cooperative, NYS Department of Transportation, the Traffic Commission, and Assistant Chief Burlison for being so accommodating. It wouldn't have been possible without them."
Pictured: Blueprints for the new mid-way crosswalk, which will be located in the City of Norwich on Route 12 in front of NBT Bank. The City of Norwich Common Council unanimously approved an agreement with the New York State Department of Transportation to bring the mid-way crosswalk, five pedestrian controlled crosswalk lights, and a new non-pedestrian controlled crosswalk to the city at no cost to taxpayers in 2019. (Submitted photo)
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