Residents press Pelham Manor trustees for pedestrian safety; board cites projects and grants

During the public-comment period on Jan. 12, Pelham Manor residents pressed the board for more pedestrian-safety measures along Boston Post Road and at local intersections. Deputy Mayor Bennett said leading-pedestrian intervals have been added at Fowler Avenue and Esplanade intersections with Boston Post Road and thanked Chief Sancho for his work implementing the timing changes.

Several residents described ongoing problems at the Hutchinson Parkway/Boston Post Road interchange, where they said buses turning left often block the intersection. Karen Gardner and Toby Marxuach-Guscioa (as recorded in the transcript) said the turn and bus movement create backups; Mayor Monachino Lapey said the village is pursuing a right-turn lane supported by grant funding and that a permit application is pending with the New York State Department of Transportation.

Other commenters asked about a village mobile app (Dana Thayer and Ryan Kurtz) and praised recent street-safety steps, including lowered speed limits, added stop signs and sidewalk repairs. Resident Scott Wolfgang complimented the board’s fiscal stewardship and singled out the Highbrook Avenue stormwater project as effective, saying the project makes him feel safer walking his children to school: "they go about things in a very thoughtful way," he said in the public-comment period.

Trustee Owen-Michaane also updated the board on the Monroe Street Climate Resiliency Project, noting the project is in design and will include a full drainage analysis using updated modeling that accounts for climate change impacts and evaluates influence from Pelham Bay Parkway.