Shop owner's crosswalk sign aids walkers
By BETHANY CLOUGH
Finger Lakes Times
SENECA FALLS -- Stewart Jensen has watched pedestrians cross the busy street in front of his downtown Seneca Falls store for years.
No pedestrians have been hit yet at the crosswalk on the eastern end of Fall Street near the Ovid Street bridge, but Jensen worries about it.
"Every now and then you see -- it's getting close," said the co-owner of Seneca Office Products at 59 State St. "There's older people that are waiting by the crosswalk forever."
Bethany Clough / Finger Lakes Times
A pedestrian crosses Fall Street, thanks to help from a new pedestrian stop sign purchased by Seneca Office Products co-owner Stewart Jensen. The sign has been in use for about two weeks, and Jensen said he has already noticed a difference.
So Jensen decided the crosswalk needed a sign warning drivers to stop for pedestrians. He had seen pedestrian crosswalk signs used by the village of Clifton Springs, and thought it would be perfect for the bust crosswalk in Seneca Falls.
He contacted five local agencies in late June, including the village, the chamber of commerce and the police department, to see if they would erect signs before traffic got even worse during Celebrate '98.
All the agencies seemed interested, Jensen said. But they said they either didn't have the authority, or told Jensen he would have to wait until the agency's next meeting and seek approval through the proper channels.
"All I wanted to do is make sure everyone can cross," Jensen said.
But Jensen didn't want to wait for the red tape to be sorted out. He filled out an order form for the sign, sent it in and had the sign delivered within ten days. The sign cost $63.71.
Jensen said the sign was especially important because of the high number of tourists visiting Seneca Falls this year to mark the 150th anniversary of the first women's rights convention. Tourists won't want to come if they think they'll get run over, he said.
Seneca County Tourism Director Maureen Koch said traffic can affect tourism in places like Seneca Falls.
"With more traffic coming through, it was a concern of mine," she said.
The white and orange sign now sits between two lanes of traffic on Fall Street. It has a stop sign and reads "Stop for pedestrians in crosswalk."
Watching from his window, Jensen noticed a definite change in traffic. Many cars slow when drivers see the sign, and almost all stop for pedestrians standing by the side of the road.
"I saw two tractor-trailers stop for pedestrians -- imagine that," Jensen said.
Jensen
Jensen said the response from pedestrians has been positive.
"They love it," he said. "The people who eat at Red's (Place) and the people who work here are like, 'holy smokes.' They feel empowered to cross the street."
Since Jensen is responsible for the sign and not the village, he puts it out every morning around 9 a.m., and takes it inside his shop each evening around 5 p.m. The village won't have to worry about it being vandalized or stolen this way, he said.
Now that the sign has been on Fall Street for almost two weeks, Jensen said he has heard that other merchants in the village are considering getting similar signs for high-traffic areas near their stores.
Jensen hopes that the village will place these signs at other busy places in Seneca Falls, just as Clifton Springs has.
Koch agreed.
"Let's throw the challenge out to the village and to the towns to participate in this," she said.
