Transportation safety discussed during public meeting

The Town of Warwick held an informational meeting on Jan. 30 to update the community on transportation safety initiatives. The public was encouraged to ask questions, provide feedback on areas of concern and share ideas to support efforts to urge drivers to slow down.

The town was awarded funding under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All program to develop a street safety action plan. According to the town, this plan will analyze crash causes, review trends and engage public input to propose solutions for bettering transportation safety throughout the town.

Town Supervisor Jesse Dwyer, joined by Warwick Village Mayor Michael Newhard, Village of Florida Mayor Daniel Harter, Jr., and Village of Greenwood Lake Mayor Thomas Howley, called the transportation safety plan a collaborative effort between the towns and local villages.

Michael Amabile, principal planner and project manager for Creighton Manning Engineering – the consulting firm tasked with helping the town and villages achieve their transportation safety goals – shared a presentation on the project, noting the goal of getting leadership to commit to reducing crashes resulting in serious injuries or fatalities. The town has passed legislation committing to eliminating these types of crashes by 2050, and the villages of Warwick, Greenwood Lake, and Florida each plan to do the same.

Amabile said the safety action plan will involve reviewing causes of crashes, reviewing strategies to promote safe driving and working with emergency services to address response times.

The Village of Warwick completed its own safety action plan and has moved on to the implementation phase of installing temporary demonstration projects to capture driver attention and encourage motorists to slow down, Amabile said. These projects, the first of which are set to be implemented in April, will be artistic renderings designed in partnership between local artist Elizabeth Laule and street artist Yuke Li.

Following Amabile’s presentation, meeting attendees were invited to engage with Laule and share words and images associated with slowing down to guide the artistic renderings within the village. Attendees could also speak with members of the Creighton Manning team including project manager Amanda LaRosa, who is looking to show measurable success in the village of Warwick to expand outside of the area.

More information on the safety action plan as well as a survey to gage public concern can be found at warwicksafetyactionplan.com.