Town Looks at Greenburgh's Dangerous Intersections

GREENBURGH, N.Y. – Take a good look before crossing Stone Avenue and Old Kensico Road. And make sure to check both ways as you veer off Route 119 onto Benedict Avenue. The intersections have caught the attention of Greenburgh drivers who say the two crossings are accidents waiting to happen.

“They both seem to have incidents of accidents or possible accidents,” Town Council member Ken Jones said last week during the board’s work session.

Both Jones and Supervisor Paul Feiner said they have fielded calls from concerned residents about potential collisions at the intersections. But Greenburgh police say the dicey intersections haven’t generated many accident reports. From January 2010 to June 1 there have been three reported accidents at Benedict Avenue and Route 119 and two at Stone Avenue and Old Kensico Road, records show.

Town Council member Diana Juettner said the stop signs at Stone Avenue and Old Kensico Road, which runs through the heart of a residential area, are surrounded by shrubs and bushes, making it impossible to see around the corner.

“There are times you can’t see anything,” Juettner said. “You have to put the nose of your car into the intersection.”

Lewis Norah, who has lived in his home on the intersection for the past 33 years, said squealing tires and honking horns are not uncommon sounds.

“If you stand here long enough you will see a lot of near misses,” Norah said Tuesday while trimming his bushes near the corner stop sign. 

The retired banker said he was instructed by the town years ago to keep his shrubs trimmed to allow drivers stopped at the intersection to see around the corner. But he insists it’s not the obstructed views that are the problem.

“It’s because of people speeding,” he said, adding he has never been in a collision at the corner. “They cause their own accidents.”

Feiner said Monday he has relayed residents' concerns to Commissioner of Public Works Victor Carosi and Police Chief Joseph DeCarlo, who will look for possible solutions. 

 

 

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