SAUGERTIES, N.Y. — The village is looking for ways to slow traffic on a one-way street that neighbors say is used by drivers who want to avoid traffic in the center of the local business district.
Russell Street resident Luis Guillen told the Village Board on Monday that the narrow, one-block road was not designed to accommodate speeding vehicles.
“With the increase of out-of-state cars, the village is saturated every day,” Guillen said. “Cars fly down the road trying to avoid the traffic lights. Traffic has definitely increased, and there are no posted speed limits on any of the side roads.”
Russell Street runs east from Partition Street to Washington Avenue and is a popular shortcut from northbound Partition Street to Main Street. Vehicles otherwise have to stay on Partition Street until the traffic light at Main Street, which can cause backups.
Guillen suggested installing speed humps on Russell Street to slow traffic, but village Mayor Bill Murphy said the state discourages them.
“There is a liability that goes with them,” Murphy said. “That’s why the state recommends against them. They can cause accidents, can cause damage to cars.”
Village leaders said they would consider using electronic speed-monitoring signs and adding street markings.
“Enforcement is key,” Murphy said. “Once a week, they can do a little radar check there and people are aware of it and it makes them slow down for a while. [And] I have no problem stenciling ‘Slow’ in the road.”
There also was talk of reducing the speed limit, but Village Board member Jeannine Mayer said such a change shouldn’t be made on only one connector road.
“If we’re going to change it to 25 [miles per hour] on Russell, we’d better change it for the others as well,” Mayer said.
The current speed limit throughout the village is 30 mph, and board member Terry Parisian said reminders of that might be necessary.
“We can post speed limit signs [that drivers can see] as they come around the corner,” he said.
