CAROGA — Following complaints made at the town board’s regular meeting earlier this month of speeding and reckless driving on East Shore Road, local representatives met to come up with a permanent solution to slow traffic.
Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino, Supervisor James Selmser, Highway Superintendent Steve Putnam and New York State Department of Transportation representatives met on July 18, at East Shore Road, according to the Caroga News Flash provided by Councilman Kent Kirch.
DOT recommended the installation of at least two stop signs on the road to manage traffic speeds. Giardino, Selmser and Putnam agreed the signs would be a reasonable and effective solution.
According to the Caroga News Flash, DOT agreed to provide the signs and the Caroga highway department will permanently install them.
At the town board’s meeting on July 10, several residents made complaints that people speeding and driving recklessly on East Shore Road were causing dangers to residents who live on the road.
The issue has occurred for many years and prior attempts have been made to Putnam using barriers to prevent traffic from entering East Shore Road, but was unsuccessful.
Putnam said at the July 10 meeting that drivers were disrespecting the signs. He said he watched people traveling down the road like “mad people” and that people could get hurt.
Other suggestions made to help make the road safer to travel on were to put up a temporary speed bump, putting a dummy in a patrol car and having a sheriff’s deputy sit there for a few hours during peak hours.
As for the temporary speed bumps, Putnam said the state doesn’t allow highway departments to use speed bumps. He suggested putting rubble strips or cuts in the asphalt.
Giardino said the dummy in the patrol car wouldn’t work because it would have a short-term effect until drivers noticed there wasn’t really anyone in the vehicle.
At the July 10 meeting, Giardino said he wants to get a real patrol on the road issuing tickets to traffic violators.
However, with the sheriff’s department being short-staffed, having a patrol out there is difficult.
Giardino said years ago the sheriff’s department used to have boat patrols on Green Lake and Caroga Lake, but before he was elected as sheriff, the boat patrols were taken away. He said also in the past few years the department has lost a number of deputies, investigators and lieutenants.
He said manpower has been an issue.
