“It’s not that we don’t care, it’s just that we’re limited in what we can do.”
Those were the words of Highlands Supervisor Bob Livsey, who lives at one end of Firefighters Memorial Drive in Fort Montgomery, on Monday as he addressed concerns about speeding on that road.
Livsey said at the Town Board meeting that he’d received a letter from Brendan Bass about the “high risk” of the road near his house closer to Brooks Park.
Bass wrote: “We are in danger every time we near the roadway on Firefighters Memorial Drive due to the speeding cars and lack of speed bumps and proper street lineage. I am officially requesting speed bumps be placed by the school bus stops adjacent to Brooks Park and at the bend where the current crosswalk is painted.”
He also requested that the speed limit on the road be lowered to 25 miles per hour, double yellow lines be placed in the middle of the road, and more signage be put in place.
Livsey acknowledged the concerns and addressed each.
First, he said, New York State doesn’t allow speed bumps to be used as traffic control devices. Second, the state also sets the speed limit, which is 30 miles per hour unless posted otherwise, “we can’t make it lower without permission,” he said.
There’s a better answer on signage, the supervisor said. The town recently made some changes to parking in the Brooks Park area, but the signs aren’t up yet. As soon as the town crew gets a chance, he said, those will be posted.
Most importantly, though, Livsey said that he has asked THPD Chief Frank Pierri to pay extra attention to the area. Pierri was at the meeting, and said his officers are doing that. Councilman Tyrone King said he spent some time in that area over last weekend, and saw officers in that area.
“We are monitoring it, especially on weekends,” the chief said.
