POUGHKEEPSIE – A post with a crosswalk control switch planted in the middle of the Market Street sidewalk last year has been removed. The post had been placed in the middle of the sidewalk with the approval of an engineer and immediately became a hazard for pedestrians walking along the sidewalk. Ironically, the post had been planted as part of the pedestrian safety improvements.
The post has been removed from the sidewalk and the control switch was relocated to the post with the crosswalk warning lights; a feat the engineer said could not happen.
The post planted in the middle of one of the busiest sidewalks in the City of Poughkeepsie was permanent, according to the engineer who planned it. Frank Gates of GPI Engineering drew up the plans to place the pedestrian hazard as part of the pedestrian safety plan said underlying factors resulted in the “less-than-ideal placement of the post.”
The City of Poughkeepsie is working with State DOT to improve pedestrian safety by redesigning crosswalks with signs equipped with amber “Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons”. The signs are to alert motorists of a pedestrian crossing the street. There are two signs with the flashing beacons on Market Street at the crosswalk in the middle of the block between Cannon and Main Streets. Both signs are equipped with solar panels.
The flashing sign and push-button control on the west side of Market Street are on the same post. On the east side, however, the engineer had the contractor place the sign near the crosswalk and place the smaller post with the button to activate the lights in the middle of the sidewalk.
“Generally, they’re installed like the one on the west side of Market, all on one post. But with the existing street light pole, and also having curbside parking, we needed the flashing portion to be in a location to be as visible as possible,” Gates said last year. “This led us to separate the flashing portion from the push button, which…
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