Troy study to focus on Hoosick Street neighborhoods
Improving conditions for residents a priority in look at busy corridor
Residents in Hillside North and South neighborhoods will be the top priority in a new study, not the 42,000 vehicles per day on Hoosick Street, the congested four-lane roadway that cuts the neighborhoods off from each other, city officials said.
That’s what Hillside neighbors — who deal with traffic that spills over onto residential streets — want to hear.
“Finally,” said Amy Halloran of 10th Street in Hillside South, who knows the perils of walking along Hoosick Street, not just crossing it.
“We need to make psychological changes (in drivers). We need to respect pedestrians,” Halloran said Monday.
The Hoosick Hillside Neighborhood Study is tasked with finding ways to make life better for residents while addressing the transportation issues between the Hudson River to the west and 17th Street to the east. The northern boundary is Middleburgh Street, while the southern boundary is Jacob Street.
“We’ve done lots of studies there. They’ve all been focused on Hoosick Street, not the neighborhoods,” said Steve Strichman, the city’s commissioner of planning and economic development.
The city intends to tie the study to the rewriting of the city zoning code that is under way, Strichman said. The two neighborhoods are walkable, but handling the traffic remains a challenge, the commissioner said.
“The purpose of this study is
to improve quality of life in the Hillside North and South Neighborhoods through streetscape enhancements and the fostering of safe and convenient pedestrian and bicycle connections to, from, and between the Hillside North and South neighborhoods and surrounding areas,” according to the announcement of the study online at www.hoosick-hillside-study.com.
A major change to controlling traffic at the intersection of Hoosick and 10th streets occurred in 2013 after a mother and daughter were struck while crossing Hoosick Street. A full four-way stop with enhanced pedestrian signage was installed at a $100,000 cost by the state Department of Transportation to make the intersection safer for pedestrians.
Halloran and Strichman agreed that the neighborhoods have become alternate roads for motorists trying to avoid the congestion on Hoosick Street.
A meeting for Hillside North and South neighborhood residents to learn about the study will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Oakwood Community Center, 313 10th St. A second meeting for businesses in the area will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 29 at City Hall, 433 River St.
The study is expected to conclude next year.