For locals looking to get around the village by car this Saturday, Mayor William Murphy has one word of advice: “Don’t.” Streets throughout the center of the village will be closed to traffic for much of the day because of the Old Timers Day Celebration.
Main Street will be closed between Market Street and John Street and Partition Street will be closed from Main to Russell.
But while getting around the village might be difficult Saturday, later this summer or early fall a number of streets might be rechristened one-way streets. This might take some getting used to, but village officials say the end result would be that traffic would move through the village faster.
Speaking at Monday’s Village Board meeting, Alex Wade, in charge of special projects, said that after spending several months looking at local streets to see how traffic might be helped to move smoother, the following streets should be made one way:
- High Street – one-way north from Ulster Avenue to the Town Hall property. This was recommended by the state Department of Transportation for safety reasons, Wade explained. Emergency vehicles would still be permitted to exit High Street to Ulster Avenue.
- Robinson Street – one-way east from Market Street to Washington Avenue.
- Post Street – one-way from Partition Street east to Washington Avenue.
- Clermont Street – one-way east from Washington Avenue to Partition Street.
- Montgomery Street – one-way east from Partition Street to Washington Avenue.
- Allen Street – one-way north from Partition Street to Montross Street.
- McDonald Street – one-way south from Montross Street to Partition Street.
Before any changes could be made the village would first have to go through the SEQR process and hold a public hearing. Many of the recommendations, with the exception of High Street, which came from the state DOT, were made by local residents who have complained about parking and traffic on their narrow streets, Wade said.
“Maybe we shouldn’t do these all at once,” Murphy said, “maybe we should only do a few at a time.”
“We should prioritize the list,” added member Vince Buono.
Murphy and board member Don Hackett recommended sending out survey forms to those living on the streets that will be impacted for their input.
Discussion on the content of the survey form and scheduling of a possible public hearing will take place at the board’s Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. meeting.