M'burgh's RR Avenue Now One-Way-for the Most Part

By David Avitabile

MIDDLEBURGH - Middleburgh's Railroad Avenue became a one-way street on January 2 and drivers have followed the new direction, at least most of them.

Village board members, who switched the narrow street from two-way to one-way during the summer, reviewed the first week of the change at their meeting Monday night.

Mayor Tim Knight said he the change is going very well and he is "very happy" with the response thus far. On the way to the meeting, he noted that all the spots on the street were filled and all the vehicles were pointed in the right direction. The change from two-way to one-way onto Main Street necessitated the change in the direction of the parking spots, though the parking remains on the same side.

Trustee Kevin Young said that, for the most part, drivers are sticking to the new traffic pattern. He saw a few people going in the wrong direction last week, mostly from the alley that leads to the hardware store, despite a sign that says, "Right Turn Only."

DPW members install three direction signs early Thursday morning. Some drivers, out of force of habit, almost made the turn onto the street from Main Street Street but noticed the sign and stopped and continued down Main. Some other failed to see the signs on Thursday and went the wrong way.

Village board members approved the change in August after a public hearing. The one-way, out onto Main Street, starts at Danforth Avenue on one fork of the street and Wells Avenue on the other side.

At a special meeting in August, village officials made the change after listening to a dozen speakers with opinions on both sides of the issue,

Speakers were split during the 50-minute public hearing, some supporting the change to one-way citing safety for drivers, pedestrians and firefighters, while other were against and asking for more study and parking before a change was made.

The change allows fire trucks to come down Railroad Avenue and onto Main Street saving valuable seconds. Chief Darwyn Gregory said Monday that he saw some drivers go down the wrong way. He noted that fire trucks have not yet had to use the Railroad Avenue route to go to a fire or accident.

The change had been discussed for many years.

The Village DPW will be installing new parking meters on the street.