During the June 27 meeting of the Common Council, Police Chief Marc Porter said he had been approached about the intersection of Lincoln and West streets following several accidents in the area.
“We took a look at some activity over there in the last five years related to property damage and motor vehicle accidents. Just based on our data that we were able to run, there were 16 motor vehicle accidents and of those, I think 11 were directly related to the stop signs. Two were cited for failure to stop and one for failure to signal. Two of the [accidents] no particular driver was ticketed.”
That intersection has seen two reported accidents last month, including one that caused a rollover.
Porter said there are three to four accidents a year, with most attributed to the stop signs on West Street. Lincoln Street has the right of way at the intersection.
Porter said that after the study was done, there was another accident at the intersection.
He said he went up to take a look at the intersection since some people told him the stop signs may be too far back, but he said the sign placement doesn’t seem to be the case.
Porter said he is concerned that putting in a four-way stop could lead to issues during drop-off and pickup times at the high school, which is just up the hill.
“A four-way stop could be prudent, but my concern would be having people stuck coming down the hill on Lincoln Street and causing congestion, specifically during slippery road condition and then creating an issue for vehicles that are coming up Orchard Street,” Porter said.
Orchard Street lies just west of the intersection of Lincoln and West streets. He said that having four or five cars stopped on Lincoln for the stop sign could create an obstruction for those driving on Orchard Street.
Porter said there is some shrubbery that could be cut back near the intersection.
“I think it requires some more work to be done,” Porter said.
Porter said that if the city wished to study the issue more, Gloversville High School is hosting summer school so they would be able to look at traffic patterns then.
“If we are going to do anything, I would like to move before September when school is back in session.
Porter said he is considering making Orchard Street from Grand to Lincoln a one-way street during drop off and pickup times, like what the city has on 11th Avenue near the Kingsborough Elementary School. He said he would have it open to residents so they could come and go in the morning and afternoon.
“There is really not a lot of residential. There is an empty mill on one side and maybe a house or two before you get to the school grounds. The intent would be not to preclude people from leaving their driveways in the morning and afternoon. It’s just something to consider that way we don’t have traffic backing up on Orchard,” Porter said.
Mayor Dayton King said the city will continue to look into the issue.
Kerry Minor can be reached at [email protected]com.
