Park Hill

A friend writes:

It appears to me that fewer people are driving up Undercliff this week. Granted it’s only Wednesday and I did not walk down yesterday, but I have not seen multiple cars driving up in the short time it takes me to walk down the hill as I did when the signage first went up. Of course last week (or was it the week before) the low light was the YPD patrol car (tag number 303) driving up the hill without being on an emergency call (no lights and siren). This morning some charming neighbor (NY tags BLB 8919) drove up the hill, but at a time when I was the only potential human point of impact.

I am still concerned about this issue. As people generally get the idea the street is one way going down, it actually gets more dangerous when people violate the law and drive up. People driving down the hill have taken to driving in the middle of the street since there is no legal need to share the road with an opposing lane of traffic. When there are leaves on the trees this presents a problem in two places; the point by the lower elevator house where the road bears right and the point where the road takes a hard left to cross the former Getty Square Branch right of way. Because of the foliage at those points you cannot see if there is a car coming illegally toward you. You can imagine the scenario for a serious collision. To wit, a driver coming down the hill in the middle of the road at the legal city speed limit of 30 mph cannot see a scofflaw traveling in the other direction at 30 mph and you have the recipe for a disaster or at least a word problem for an exercise in force vectors.

A reader writes:

This morning at 7:22 as I was walking to the train station, a man driving a red car (NY Tags ADT 4112) pulled out of the parking lot for the South Broadway apartment building took a right hand turn, drove past the “do not enter” signs and on up Undercliff.

So what do I do with this piece of information? Do I call the YPD? And if I did, what would they do? I have to believe that, what with kids shooting up chicken hill and all, Yonkers finest have something better to do than follow up on the complaints of a cranky Park Hill resident. But even if we assume that they wanted to do something about this, what could they do? I mean, can a couple of cops just show up at this guy’s door based on my having phoned in a plate number? Last week when I wrote to Councilman Robertson asking his assistance on putting the signage back up, I requested a law enforcement presence on Undercliff to let drivers know that the city is serious about this change. At the very least, this would let us know if the city is, in fact, serious about this change or if they just did it to keep some pesky constituents quiet.

Of course I’m also trying to figure out why this pisses me off so much. At first I thought it was because the street is well traveled by students walking to and from Yonkers Middle/High School. But that’s not it. Kids in Junior high are smart enough not to get run over by scofflaw drivers. It’s the scofflaw part that bugs me. Members of our neighborhood engaged in a political process to request a change they thought would be beneficial. Our councilman made sure it would not bother his other constituents and only then was the change enacted. Then this asshole (I mean, he’s in a car, it’s not like he has to WALK out of his way, he just has to sit in his care five minutes longer) decides that he doesn’t like the change and obeying the traffic signs is optional for him. It’s this lack of respect for the process that annoys me. This still leave me with the question, “What do I do with this information?”

I certainly share this reader’s frustration (although I’m less certain about the assertion that high school kids are immune from the dangers of this road - and the people who defy the law to drive up it.) And he’s almost certainly correct that the folks at the 3rd precinct have more pressing issues. That said, Park Hill residents have an equal right to protection, and although this may appear to be a nuisance issue, it is in fact a safety issue; I just hope that nothing happens to make the safety component obvious.

There is a bigger picture here, however. We’ve had a rash of break-ins in Park Hill lately - three of which I have personal knowledge, and two of which occurred in the last 10 days. These may be tied to the larger crime wave that’s beset SW Yonkers since the Summer. Several new residents, all with children, have asked me how to go about requesting much needed stop signs for high traffic areas (e.g., Hillcrest avenue which has only one stop sign - near the end of the street - for its whole, considerable, length, almost inviting people to recklessly speed). Lest anyone think that traffic safety is an academic issue in our neighborhood, there was a fatal accident at the well traveled intersection of Park Hill and Lakeside, in the very heart of the neighborhood, last week (the investigation is ongoing).

These are not only quality of life issues - they are life itself issues. To answer our reader’s question, I’m not certain what to do about all this, but I’m checking into it. I think a police blotter would be a good start, as well as inviting the 3d precinct to the Racquet Club to talk more specifically about what we can do in terms of public safety, e.g., lighting our houses, learning to take a suspect’s description, understanding what constitutes suspicious behavior and how to report it.

Also, I think the neighborhood needs to make a concerted effort to make ALL of our streets four way stops, just like in communities such as Pelham Manor. Stop signs cost little to erect and maintain, unlike speed bumps. Drivers may choose to disregard them (and there are some notoriously disregarded ones in the neighborhood already), but at least stop signs make drivers more aware of their speed, more conscious of their surroundings.

But now I’m rambling. I’m going to speak to the 3rd precinct about some of these issues as soon as I get a chance and report back.

-ed.

I’ve been pretty tied up the last couple of weeks, so please accept my apologies for not keeping up with the blog as I should (which, of course, would be easier if I had a couple of co-authors, hint hint.)

So without the proverbial further ado:

Tonight: New Members Welcome Cocktail at the Racquet Club
We’ve got several new members, some of whom I’ve met, and if you can come out tonight to say hello and get acquainted.

Sunday: Encore Performance of Innovative Stages’ Understood Betsy.
Show starts at the Club at 14:00. It’s family friendly and (although I haven’t seen it), I’m told quite good. Why else would they have an encore?

Every Sunday: After the success of the last Sunday grill-fest-o’rama, the Club wants to hold the event every week. I was there, and I can assure you, passive voice notwithstanding, that a good time was had by all. If you can volunteer time or victuals, contact our indubitable Bar Committee chairman, Robert Moment at 1 914 376 0255 or email him at rjmoment.applepromotions AT verizon DOT net.

…and, last but certainly not least, I’ve heard that the meeting held to discuss making Undercliff a one way street went well. Does anyone have any more info on this? [/troll]