suns along the Mohawk

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– [L] Petition for Curb Guardrails on Western Gateway Bridge (click for Word version: WGBsidewalkPetition ) and [R] Petition Flier; click on images for a larger version –

  This past weekend, we began a WGB Curbside Guardrail Campaign, seeking signatures on a Petition calling for the New York State Department of Transportation to put sidewalk guardrails back along the curbs of the Western Gateway Bridge, for the protection of all sidewalk users, and of vehicles on the roadway.  The photo-flier above gives a concise description of the safety issues, showing that the WGB sidewalks are far more dangerous than before the Rehab Project.

For a detailed discussion of the sidewalk safety issues, with many photos and links to documents, see the Sidewalk Section of our earlier posting about the scenic views and sidewalk safety that have been reduced by the 2013 Rehabilitation Project.  At

http://tinyurl.com/WGBsidewalkdanger

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– above: [L] west sidewalk in Feb. 2014; [R] east sidewalk in March 2014

 Please consider printing out the Petition and Flier above to help in this Petition Campaign.  You can contact me by leaving a Comment, to return a Petition with signatures or for advice on seeking signatures.  If you live in Scotia or Schenectady or otherwise use WGB, please let your local leaders — political and business — know you want DOT to put guardrails back on the curbs of the Western Gateway Bridge.

Share this posting with this shorter URL: http://tinyurl.com/WGBpetition

Above and Below: On each end of the Western Gateway Bridge, there are many attractions for cyclists and pedestrians of all kinds and ages.  Let’s make the bridge safe for all of them, and motorists, too.

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There’s a lot to see from the Bridge, too (click on the collage below for a large version):

– let’s make it safe to pause on the Bridge’s sidewalks to enjoy the view –

  p.s.  Ironic: A couple of friends pointed out to me recently that the block-long sidewalk that leads from Washington Ave. to the Bridge has a sturdy guardrail along the curb (even though traffic on that stretch has not had a chance yet to reach the 50 mph speed that vehicles typically achieve on WGB). There is also a sturdy fence 60″ high on the Binnekill side of the sidewalk, in contrast to the 42″ high railing and parapet on the Bridge over the Mohawk River.  The following collage — entitled Irony on WGB — tells the story (click on it for a larger version):