Rail Trail crossing accident prompts concerns

AMENIA — Following a recent accident in which a cyclist on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail was hit by a motor vehicle traveling on the road, there has been some discussion as to whether the signs and barriers currently in place are enough of a warning to riders before they cross busy roads.

Andy Murphy, also a captain with the Amenia Fire Company, was traveling on Mechanic Street at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 13, on his way to the firehouse.

“Basically [the cyclist] just went right out in front of me,� he remembered. “There was no time to do anything and we met square in the middle of the road and I hit her head on. It was the wrong place at the wrong time.�

The woman did sustain injuries, but Murphy said he had spoken to her husband recently and she is recovering. A police report was written up; Murphy was not found at fault since he had the right of way.

Where it gets tricky is that the cyclist initially believed she had the right of way, Murphy said, and she isn’t the only one.

“Right as I was there with the officer writing up the report, another cyclist just cruised right through the crossing without looking,� he said.

This isn’t the first time that there’s been an accident involving a cyclist crossing a road on the Rail Trail. In 2001, Marilyn Melkun was struck and killed by a motor vehicle while she was crossing Route 343.

Following that accident, the Rail Trail was shifted slightly so that the crossing didn’t meet the road head on but instead at an angle that would slow riders down.

The question that Murphy has been dealing with since the accident is whether something more could be done to prevent an accident from happening again in the future.

Murphy and his mother, Charlotte, who raised the issue at the Aug. 19 Amenia Town Board meeting, said that at one point there had been large metal gates that forced riders to dismount before crossing roads.

“Something has to be done,� Andy Murphy said. “There are four crossings in the town of Amenia and it can be dangerous. There’s trees right up to the end of it and drivers can’t react quick enough. If they put gates back in you wouldn’t have to worry about anything happening.�

Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association Board of Directors Chair Dr. Kent Kay said he had no recollection of any metal gates and if there were any they were probably put up during construction work.

There are currently wooden barriers at road crossings in the northern half of the roughly 11-mile stretch of Harlem Valley Rail Trail that runs between the Wassaic Metro-North train station and the center of the village of Millerton. There are plastic barriers marking the crossings in the southern half. Two signs are posted on each side of a road crossing, one a yellow warning alerting cyclists to the crossing ahead and an actual stop sign right at the crossing.

“To my knowledge, I haven’t been made aware of any public concerns about safety,� Kay said, adding that on the whole he felt there was a “pretty good record of safety on the trail.� He acknowledged the death in 2001, but said he felt that issue was corrected by changing the path of the trail.

“We’re very aware of the liability, but you can only do so much,� he said, adding that it would be very difficult to install a gate or additional barrier that would absolutely force a rider to dismount before crossing. “You can’t guard against every possible thing.�

Dutchess County Legislator Mike Kelsey was contacted by Murphy after the accident and followed up with the county’s engineer.

“It’s obviously tragic that the accident happened,� Kelsey said. “I’ve heard from two other people regarding safety on the trail, and I wanted to let the county know that this is a frequent concern.�

Kelsey said that after looking into the issue, he felt there was adequate signage alerting cyclists of the crossing, and that installing a metal barrier didn’t seem to be a feasible solution.

“I don’t think barriers would prevent it,� he said. “What seems to be the issue to me is that cyclists have the impression that they have the right of way.�

Kelsey said he felt the best plan would be to install signs explicitly stating that motor vehicles have the right of way at those crossings.

“If there’s confusion and there’s the potential for something worse to happen, definitely,� he said. “It shouldn’t have to get to the point of a death or an accident to put in the appropriate safety measures.

“How fast progress moves, I can’t tell you,� Kelsey added. “But it’s on the radar now and hopefully something will get done.�

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