Saratoga Springs police, panel push safety in the city’s crosswalks

Pedestrians walk around a car that stopped most of the way through the crosswalk at Church Street and Woodlawn Avenue in downtown Saratoga Springs on June 8.

The city Police Department and the Complete Streets Advisory Board conducted a pedestrian safety detail on June 8 to draw attention to problematic crosswalks and intersections along Broadway downtown.

The Complete Streets Advisory Board is a small group of people who are tasked with looking at different issues that would make the streets better for all users. Saratoga Springs adopted a Complete Streets Policy and established the board in 2012.

“Some discussions had ensued with the Department of Public Safety,” said Doug Haller of the Complete Streets Advisory Board, “and it seemed like it would be helpful to have a detail where there would be an opportunity for education, but combining education with enforcement.”

There were six volunteers who handed out educational literature and provided safety tips to those they came in contact with. In total, the group reported over 140 interactions with pedestrians.

While Haller and the other volunteers were passing out educational literature, members of the city Police Department took part in the enforcement. The officers issued 29 traffic tickets for such things as pedestrians walking against a no-walk signal, motorists using a mobile device while driving, and drivers passing improperly. There was also one arrest for driving with a suspended license, a misdemeanor.

Sgt. Andrew Prestigiacomo, the point person for the Police Department, said the Traffic and Safety Unit has investigated 80 pedestrian-involved accidents in the past 31⁄2 years, so the need was there to get the word on safety issues.

The pedestrian safety detail was held in June to draw attention to safety issues before the busy track season starts later in the summer.

“There was a mixed reaction. The folks who were out there abiding by the law were very appreciative of our efforts,” Prestigiacomo said. “We did receive some displeasure from the motorists and pedestrians that were being stopped and issued a ticket or getting a verbal warning.”

Allison Boldt of Camillus and Lynne Robinson of Norwich just arrived in Saratoga Springs, but already had experienced a situation where they were not given the right of way by motorists along Broadway.

“Three cars went by and they didn’t even stop to say, ‘Oh, there’s pedestrians here,’ ” Robinson said.

Brandon Barbero and John Valentine work at the Bruegger’s Bagel Shop on Broadway and they both experience some erratic behavior from both motorists and pedestrians.

From their spot behind the counter in the store, they have witnessed some maneuvers by drivers that are out of the ordinary. With cars parked on both sides of the street, there is not enough room on the street, they said.

“Sometimes, you’ll see a lot of U-turns,” Barbero said. “Cars will do U-turns out of nowhere. We’ll see it all the time. People will come up on the sidewalk because there’s not enough room to do a U-turn, but they just do it right here in front of the store.”

Barbero walks to work and feels burdened by the fact that he has to watch out for cars, despite having the right of way.

One thing Haller has learned from experience, not everyone understands the state law because it is a little bit complicated.

“It varies depending on the type of crosswalk and location when you can cross and when you can’t,” Haller said. “People often have a misunderstanding of what jaywalking is and what’s allowed and what isn’t. If everyone understood the rules a little bit more, it would probably be a little more safe.”

Prestigiacomo hopes New York makes this more of a statewide effort, like it did with seat belts.

“The state made a big push over the last several decades and we now have a 92 percent compliance rate on seat belt use,” Prestigiacomo said. “I think the state really needs to put their funding and their efforts to get the compliance with where we’re at with seat belts.”

Derek Rose, a recent graduate of Marist College in Poughkeepsie and a resident of nearby Mechanicville, does not experience too much trouble walking or driving the city’s streets, but he thinks it is good that action is being taken.

“It’s such a little, easy thing to do, so I think if they’re advertising it’s good,” Rose said. “It doesn’t take away from anyone. It just makes everybody safer.”

The city will be holding a public open house Monday to introduce and discuss the Draft Saratoga Springs Complete Streets Plan with the community. It will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Saratoga Music Hall located on the third floor of City Hall.

Reach Gazette intern Andrew Pugliese at 395-3191, [email protected] or @ByPugs on Twitter.