To the Editor:

I am writing this letter because I have to, not because I want to. I have said in a past column, I am the only resident on Voorheesville Avenue that has a full view of the rail trail crossing at Grove Street and Voorheesville Avenue. What I have seen would amaze you: the near misses, the hits, and destruction of rail-trail property. 

Last summer alone, I was home for three rear-end collisions and one incident when I heard a man scream; an older gentleman fell at the start of the crosswalk on the Grove Street side as a car came over the hill.

Luckily the car stopped about 20 feet from the old gentleman, then another car came over the hill, not seeing the man on the ground in front of the car. The car starts blowing the horn, thinking the driver was daydreaming.

As I started up the road to help the man up, the driver blowing the horn screams around the stopped car as the man is getting to his feet! Almost hitting the man, the look on that driver's face was “oops!”

You can’t make this stuff up.

The village and the county have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on public parking, blacktopping, custom weatherproof signage, landscaping, porta johns, a gazebo, benches, poop bags, garbage collecting, snow plowing, free charging stations.

Now, how much has been spent on safety for the rail trail, where on a sunny weekend day, when we have one, hundreds of bikes, pedestrians, and parents with baby strollers will cross at the bottom of the blind hill?

So how much has been spent on safety? About $300 on a plastic crosswalk sign that has been crushed by vehicles three times since spring.

Now let’s talk more about safety. I have enclosed several photos [posted on the Enterprise website with this letter] to prove a point.

In the village of Colonie, on Lincoln Avenue, because of constant speeding, they went to a solar-powered speed monitor. When a vehicle exceeds the speed limit, the sign tells you to “slow down" and guess what, people do.

Sometimes people just don’t realize how fast they are going and distracted driving is at an all time high.

Let's face it, a farmer wouldn't put his cattle crossing at the bottom of a blind hill without safeguards in place.

Now on to photo number two. You will see a bent bicycle sign. This sign was hit Memorial Day weekend. Imagine a pedestrian or a biker was hit instead of the sign.

In the background of this photo you will see a crossing sign in the middle of the road. It’s pretty much the only item for safety, but by that time it’s too late.

In this same photo in the foreground, you will see at Pine Street and Voorheesville Avenue, until you get to the first gravel road, there is no shoulder on the road. It drops right off so every time people walk up Pine Street going to the rail trail they walk in the road with their backs to traffic.

So with that said, I hope the new sidewalk they are putting on Pine Street doesn’t just stop when it gets to Voorheesville Avenue. I hope it goes right a safe distance from the road. and continues to the rail trail. If it doesn't, you are just giving people a safe walk to their death.

Now, a shout-out to our local and state law-enforcement agencies: The safety of people on Maple Avenue and Voorheesville Avenue and throughout the village need your help in the way of speed enforcement.

It is crucial for the safety of people in this village. I understand the ranks in law enforcement are low right now, but we have not had a speed-enforcement campaign within the village for years.

I was also told placement of these speed monitors is crucial. If one is placed too close to the blind hill, people don’t have time to slow down; if it is too far from the hill, then people will speed back up again.

I hope our village leaders and our county leaders get on this as soon as possible. 

Ray Charles could see we have big safety problems within our village.

If any one reading this letter does not agree with something I have said, call me on it by writing a letter to the editor.

I am never wrong, as my ex-wife used to say. Please, time is critical on this, folks!

Steve Silvano

Voorheesville