Serious crash at Saw Mill Parkway pedestrian crossing prompts plea for improved safety

Hundreds of people are expressing their support online for a petition that was posted to make a safer pedestrian crossing near Exit 16 on the Saw Mill River Parkway.

It was created by Amy Lamberti and a colleague "to highlight the lack of any signage or safety measures for pedestrians who cross from this South County Trail and Lawrence Street over to Chauncey Square in Dobbs Ferry."

Lamberti said they are motivated to make the area safer for several reasons.

"My children cross here and, on Monday night, a child from our community was struck by a car," Lamberti said.

The incident that she referred to seriously injured a 16-year-old boy on March 4. He was hit by a car on the northbound side of the parkway at the Lawrence Street intersection.

The incident concerned others who walk across the intersection, too – like Eric Anderson, who crosses nearly every day to get to work.

"Too many cars – and I almost got hit like three times already," Anderson said.

Greenburgh's Town Supervisor Paul Feiner said he has ideas to make the area safer.

"The options are a pedestrian bridge and the other option that I think would make sense would be to ask the state to authorize red-light cameras," he said.

Feiner thinks the threat of a ticket could slow drivers down a bit. In the meantime, Feiner said he is already planning his next course of action.

"I think the next step should be a site visit," Feiner said. "We should have representatives of all the government entities here."

Ultimately, he said he hopes improving the intersection becomes a priority for them.

"I mean there's so many employees who cross this parkway every single day. It's almost a miracle that we haven't had more fatalities and accidents," Feiner said.