The Planning Board has voted to approve a plan to close the entrance to the Foodtown parking lot on Rt. 9D (Chestnut) and move it to Benedict Rd. opposite the Benedict entrance to the Drug World shopping plaza. What's your opinion of this move?

 

 

This is a hugh concern of mine. The traffic exiting the Foodtown parking lot now is dangerous when the stores are busy, changing the entrance to Benedict will further complicate the matter. Currently there are cars driving over the curb when exiting the lot, some drivers do not look for pedestrians or other cars before exiting, some residents have had close calls and one that I am aware of has had their car hit. The shopping area directly across from the proposed entrance/exit will be further congested with traffic, with trucks delivering and cars entering from Route 9D. this could be a disaster.

Parge Srgo, a voice of reason and experience on the Planning Board, made a passionate argument against moving the entrance from 9-D.  The Planning Board's traffic consultant, who is Vermont-based and we have reason to believe never actually set foot in Cold Spring before making his recommendations, looked solely at the Foodtown Plaza parking lot and not at the surrounding area.

 

As Parge rightly points out, there is also traffic entering/exiting Drug World Plaza onto Benedict, trucks and tractor trailers loading/unloading for Drug World Plaza on Benedict, and trucks and tractor trailers staging on Benedict and Marion for access to the foodtown and Post Office loading docks.  

 

This is one of the most complex and busy traffic patterns in the entire Village.  Travelling West on Benedict, toward our homes, each of us has experienced drivers puling out of Drug World and Foodtown without stopping or regard forright of way.  My family has at least 1 "near miss" a week from this situation.  Adding yet another entry point on this over utilized road is just going to beg for a major accident. 

 

To top it all off, the change that is proposed does not impact the number of available parking spaces in Foodtown at all.  Not one new space is gained.  Why the need for the change?