Traffic study to scrutinize Lakes Road

During the December 4 Monroe Town Board meeting, Orange County Legislator Peter Tuohy appeared before the board. Tuohy is the representative for District 7, which covers both the town and village of Monroe. Tuohy provided an update on the Lakes Road (aka County Route 5) traffic study. As many long time Monroe residents know, Lakes Road can often feel like an international speedway, with frequent tailgating, illegal passing, and dangerous driving.

Residents of Lakes Road, some of whom have to cross the street to get to their mailbox or access Round Lake and Walton Lake, complained to the town about the dangerous behavior of local drivers and those emerging from New Jersey at the speed of light.

Tuohy did not address any of those issues directly. He did inform the board that the traffic study is progressing and currently sits with the State Department of Transportation. The current challenge facing residents and commuters of Lakes Road, aside from the ones already mentioned, is the inconsistency of the speed limit. The speed on County Route 5 drops from 55 to 40 at Laroe Road, then 40 miles per hour to 30 at the Country Convenience store only to shoot back up to 40 after Osseo Park. It then returns to 30 miles per hour as drivers enter the village of Monroe. It’s not clear what the final speed limit will be upon determination of the New York State Department of Transportation. It was also not clear if new traffic lights would be added to the road, for example, at the intersection of Lakes Road and Laroe. This is where drivers often must sit and wait for their turn to get on Lakes Road. It’s worth noting that this particular intersection is expected to significantly increase its current traffic load upon completion of Henry Farms and the nearby housing development on the Chester border.

Other business

Monroe Conservation Commission Chair Dennis Fordham appeared to provide an update on the revised Tree Code. Fordham is currently working on the new rules and regulations in tandem with the board, the building inspector, and the Conservation Committee. As part of the Tree Code revision, Fordham wants to make the current code more clear in terms of who is responsible for what tree clearing activity in the town.

The example he provided was that, if you want to take one tree down in your yard, you do not need to go to the business inspector. However, with the way the Tree Code is currently worded, that’s not immediately obvious. He also expressed how the current code is worded in such a way to benefit developers as opposed to single landowners. Developers proposing subdivisions currently get a special benefit under the current code that allows them to not have a plan for mitigation concerning the trees they remove if the project is of a certain size. The Photo News is scheduled to have a discussion with Mr. Fordham in an upcoming issue concerning all the details of the new tree code.