Route 9 Safety

[ajsbear 11]

I know we have had a discussion on this topic before. There have been 2 deaths in separate MVA's in the last week, 4 in the last 6 months and several non fatal accidents in a 3 mile stretch of Route 9 north of Annsville Circle. Several of these involved cars crossing the double yellow. The road curves and there isn't enough room to put up barriers unless you widen the road. Spped inforcement is one short term answer. The state has too look at the road from Annsville up through Garrison.

Edited November 18, 2009 by ajsbear

[hudson144 150]

For years Rte 9 from annsville down through Mt Pleasant many head ons happened causing serious injurys and fatalities. They corrected that roadway by putting up the center divider. Briarcliff,Peekskill FD's were always out there for major accidents. My neighbor got killed near 133 9A when I was a kid. Another school mate was killed on Rte 9 in peekskill near the old Bay st exit. A double fatality near main st one christmas eve who was another family friend. Not too long ago i sent letters both to the Peekskill Mayor and Town of Cortlandt asking them to look into the divider from annsville heading east on the Bear Mtn extension all the way to Rte 202. The accidents over the years are proof that the divider installed on some roadways have save lives. This accident on Rte 9 yesterday should be another reminder that the state should look into fixing the problem, just my thoughts!

[ajsbear 11]

Up here it's one lane in each direction and a shoulder. No turn lane and many places where if you are waiting to make a left across traffic cars and trucks zip by on the shoulder. Nobody does the speed limit and the LEO's know this but do not have the manpower to put a car on the 5 mile stretch.

[R134PFD 0]

What needs to happen from Jean Dr. to Rt84 is NYSDOT telling everyone to get out of the way the bull dozes are coming and we are widening the road to resemble the stretch between Welcher Ave. to Ossning. Hopefully some of the photos taken at the recent accidents make their way to Albany?

[x635 4,066]

Route 9 has been obsolete for decades, and is blatently unsafe between Hawthorne and Croton (that's the part I'm most familiar with). The amount of truck traffic on that roadway is no where near safe given modern standards. In fact, it's decades behind. How legislators could ignore this roadway is beyond me. And it will probaly be another decade before something is done unless Westchester County AND NYS lobby for federal grant funding.

In the meantime, they need to come up temporary solutions make the road safer TEMPORARILY and reduce truck traffic.

Even the maintainence of this roadway is little to none.

[Tanker 10eng 140]

The roads are not KILLING people, its the idiots driving the vehicles... period... to many people are in a rush to go now where, talking on their cell phones, texting while driving, driving drunk, and many other stupid reasons.... I am sure if the truth every comes out, she was doing something she shouldn't be doing...

While driving from my office in Montrose to Croton for a fire call, and with the blue light on... doing .......maybe... 65 on route 9, I still get passed by a mini vans full of kids amd a mom.... bottom line, we need to slow down and just drive...

[aviator70 16]

Up until they put guide rails on Rt. 17 2 years ago between Monroe/Harriman and Middletown, there were numerous cross over fatalities in a 2 year span, many. Since they put up the rails, none. There was actually 1 in Goshen 300 feet from where they had stopped putting up the rails for that day. The rails were scheduled, and were, put up there the following day, as scheduled and planned.

[x635 4,066]

The roads are not KILLING people, its the idiots driving the vehicles... period...

No, the road also plays a factor. There are numerous modern safety improvements that could be made to Route 9 to improve safety of ALL those traveling the road, NOT just the "idiot drivers". The fact is, those drivers exist and will exist, and the roadway should be made as safe as possible to protect everyone traveling on the roadway. Some basic safety features could have prevented some "idiot drivers" from killing INNOCENT drivers.

[ajsbear 11]

So long as there are idiots on the road, and there always will be there needs to be a way of keeping everyone else safe. The speed limit there is 50. No one does that. Just like on the hill down from Ossining to Croton on 9. HOw many tickets do they hand out there where the limit is 45? My wife got a ticket there years ago and the town attorney all but said its a speed trap because nobody does 45 there.

Enforce the speed limit, put up barriors and widen the road, create turn lanes. All it takes is money, or some politition getting hurt.

[Remember585 815]

It's the drivers in most cases. The majority of the accidents we respond to are not the fault of the road, but the driver(s) involved. For example, we used to get fairly serious to fatal accident on northbound 9 at Croton Point Avenue when cars veered off and went into that gulley. DOT finally put up guardrails, which has helped, yet the majority of those accidents were almost always the fault of the driver for going too fast.

Also, the vast majority of roll overs we respond to are because people are driving too fast and not paying attention as they should. Billy's right, you can be doing the speed limit or even up to 10 MPH over it, and people blow past you like you're parked. The scary thing is what he put in his post - caravans full of kids.

I have yet to go to a fatal MVA on Route 9 that could be blamed on the roadway, it's the drivers. Inexperience + speed = collisions resulting in major injuries and/or death.

Just ask all of the departments, VACs and PDs from Hawthorne up to Dutchess what they think of Routes 9 & 9A.

[abaduck 123]

There's no such thing as a 'dangerous road' unless you get to real extreme examples with structural defects; I was raised in Scotland, learning to drive on roads that make Rt 9 (and the Bear Mtn road!) look like the I-95. They weren't 'dangerous', they were just tricky and demanded your full attention. In fact, to a degree, the more 'dangerous-appearing' the road, the better and safer people tend to drive; the Specter of Obvious Imminent Death as the price for any mistake does tend to concentrate the mind!

It IS down to dangerous drivers, and the cure isn't to try to fix the road to lowest common denominator, it's to fund LE properly, detect the dangerous drivers, and remove them from the driving population by taking their licenses away. Oh and introduce a *real* driving test - a tough one - for those who have lost their licenses for dangerous driving and want to get them back. That will make things safer for all drivers on all roads, not just the 'dangerous' roads.

[MoFire390 118]

as a former member of Peekskill VAC i can say that RT.9 and jack rd is dangerous..my first car accident with peekskill was on that rd. since then ive always thought that strech of road to 403 was the worse.

[x635 4,066]

To clarify, I am not blaming the roadway for accidents, however it is a contributing factor when accidents do occur. There, in many places, is no room for evasive manuvers. There aren't that many safe places for law enforcement to make traffic stops, or safe places for people to pull over if they get a flat or have an accident. Much of the roadway signage is obscured or obsolete. There are safety improvements you can make to a roadway that WILL help.

And, maybe instead of being local PD jurisdictions in Westchester, it should be one County PD sector and assigned a task force for the roadway...although I doubt that will happen with the current fiscal crisis. And maybe a public safety ad campaign. The only way to really have an effect on drivers is to have a large, PROACTIVE, and consistent police presence dedicated there for a while. Maybe local jurisdictions could put together a task force in the meantime, kinda like what Greenburgh does for underage drinking and drugs.

[ajsbear 11]

It's the drivers in most cases. The majority of the accidents we respond to are not the fault of the road, but the driver(s) involved. For example, we used to get fairly serious to fatal accident on northbound 9 at Croton Point Avenue when cars veered off and went into that gulley. DOT finally put up guardrails, which has helped, yet the majority of those accidents were almost always the fault of the driver for going too fast.

Also, the vast majority of roll overs we respond to are because people are driving too fast and not paying attention as they should. Billy's right, you can be doing the speed limit or even up to 10 MPH over it, and people blow past you like you're parked. The scary thing is what he put in his post - caravans full of kids.

I have yet to go to a fatal MVA on Route 9 that could be blamed on the roadway, it's the drivers. Inexperience + speed = collisions resulting in major injuries and/or death.

Just ask all of the departments, VACs and PDs from Hawthorne up to Dutchess what they think of Routes 9 & 9A.

You're right, it's because people are just in too much of a rush. The people are at fault not the road. All we can get done is to make the road more idiot proof. Put up barriers so you can't wonder onto the wrong side of the road. 3 fatalities all due to one car crossing the double yellow line. That's 3 since the summer.

The problems of Jack Road, when you go north and want to turn into Jack there is a rise just south of you so if your sitting there waiting to make the left, anyone coming over the rise has to drive on the shoulder to get around you because there is not enough room to stop.

[Billy 68]

Unfortunately, with the way money is with the State right now, I wouldn't expect anything to happen on that road anytime soon. Look how long it took just to get the DOT to pave the "bumpy road" section of the Taconic! By the way, Bear Mountain Parkway is another disaster waiting to happen. How there aren't more tragedies on that road is a small miracle.

[ajsbear 11]

Coming him tonight, looks like another MVA in the same area of Route 9, just south of Susan Drive.