When no signage indicates otherwise, the speed limit in New York State is by law 55 mph. Town officials think that’s a little too fast for the initial stretch of Route 32 between the Cedar Grove firehouse and Route 212. The board resolved unanimously to request a speed limit for the stretch from the state.
“Accidents average once a month there,” said Cedar Grove Fire Chief Randy Ricks. “It’s a bad situation — if you’re waiting to pull out of the Thruway and there are cars waiting to enter, it’s hard to see the cars proceeding down the intersection to 212. It’s hard for people to judge the speed there. We had an accident on Sunday afternoon. They put the blinking red light on the Thruway and the blinking orange light on Route 32 — it made it worse. No one actually stops for the blinking red light.”
Ricks was unable to provide the concrete number of accidents that had occurred there.
The town, which is recommending that the limit be set at 35 mph, is also considering installing a tri-color traffic light and replacing the pre-existing unclear signage at the intersection. Town Supervisor Fred Costello estimates that the turn around period for the request will be eight or nine months.
“I’d like to thank the police department and Randy Ricks,” said Costello. “They’ve been a great liaison between emergency services and the town in an effort to improving that traffic situation. They’ve provided documentation on accidents that have occurred in that stretch — the number of accidents, the supporting documentations. That data has been the real driver to allow us to have the conversation to seek improvement.”
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