A NOTE FROM BOB ANDERSON---81 YEAR OLD WOMAN STRUCK BY SPEEDING BICYCLE AND TOSSED IN THE AIR AND HAD TO BE TRANSPORTED BY OSSINING EMS TO WESTCHESTER MEDICAL WHERE SHE SPENT APPROXIMATELY 7-8 HOURS RECEIVING AID FOR HER INJURIES

81 YEAR OLD WOMAN STRUCK BY SPEEDING BICYCLE ON BENEDICT BLVD. AND TOSSED IN THE AIR AND HAD TO BE TRANSPORTED BY OSSINING EMS TO WESTCHESTER MEDICAL CENTER WHERE SHE SPENT APPROXIMATELY 7-8 HOURS RECEIVING AID FOR HER INJURIES. Fortunately nothing was broken and she was released and is at home now.

And the response from our officials has been GLACIAL.  Here is a past letter addressing---and predicting---these issues:

Letter to the Editor

Spring is here. Look out for those electric bikes, pedal power bikes, scooters, and skateboards etc.that will be on the sidewalks throughout the village. Pedestrians beware! They are fast and silent, and you will have to jump into the street to save yourself. It is particularly harrowing if they come at you in a pack, especially near Dairy Mart on S. Riverside Ave.

It seems the sidewalks in the village are for bikes and not for pedestrians. It begs the question of why we spend so much time talking about our bike lanes and sharrows and hardly use them. Try a pleasant walk along Elliott Way, and you’ll get the idea pretty fast. Is it just more virtue signaling?

All kidding aside, the bike issue is serious. Why do we still not have a helmet law in Croton? It’s common sense. Why don’t we have bicycle safety training, so when bicyclists ride in the street, they don’t run stop signs, they signal their intentions and they have properly equipped bikes with lights, mirrors and a horn or bell.

We have a police force equipped with very nice electric bikes, why can’t they patrol more and instruct bicyclists on the rules of the road and personal safety equipment? Possibly issue a warning for unsafe operation of a vehicle. Maybe it’s time to register electric bicycles since some can reach 20 MPH or more.

It is a real safety issue for pedestrians and cyclists. I’m sure some folks think our “quaint village” image would suffer from some commonsense safety enforcement and education, but I disagree.

When someone gets seriously injured, there will be the wringing of hands and apologies by the village elders wondering how this could have happened. I suggest that there is a lack of action. I’ve written about this before to no avail. The lack of response was disheartening so I will try again. Please do something before someone gets hurt.

Bob Anderson (the other one)