WAITING FOR CHANGE IS NOT A SOLUTION---BOB ANDERSON---LETTER ADDRESSNG BIKE SAFETY ISSUES AND THAT RECENT ACCIDENT

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Letter to the Editor, 9/1/2026

It’s a sad day in Croton. I have researched several towns and villages in NYS and found they are way ahead of Croton in terms of bike safety, especially e-bike regulations, registrations and education, and enforcement and parental engagement.

I’ve been tilting at this bike safety windmill for over five years with no positive results. I’m either a gadfly to be ignored or a community activist for pedestrians and bike safety. I prefer the latter.

Perhaps now that an 81-year-old woman was struck by a bike on Benedict Blvd. last week and flipped into the air, our progressive little village will take action. Fortunately, it was not an e-bike, or the result would have been much worse than eight hours in the Westchester Medical Center trauma unit and head laceration.

Why doesn’t the village enforce the basic NYS bicycle safety laws? Why don’t we enforce the helmet law for children under 16? Why do we allow bikes to be ridden on the sidewalk when they should be walked? Why don’t our police ride their bikes through Elliott Way to protect walkers? Why don’t we register e-bikes?

Bikers seem to think Elliott Way is a raceway built for them, especially a group of four teens on e-bikes and mountain bikes that regularly speed through. Someone is going to be seriously injured.

It’s time for some changes before the situation gets worse. My letter on bike safety last spring said,” Please do something before someone gets hurt.”

Guess what? Someone got hurt!

If you feel as strongly as I do let the village manager and the board know by sending an email, a letter or make or a phone call.

Waiting for change is not a solution.

Thanks for reading,

Bob Anderson