In a 30-mile stretch of New York State Route 28 that passes through three towns and six hamlets, the three trailheads of the Ashokan Rail Trail, is a designated Scenic Byway and a signed NYS Bicycle Route, there is only one crosswalk between the Kingston Traffic Circle and the Ulster County line in Highmount. 

Route 28 is known for deadly car crashes, speeding traffic, and lack of pedestrian infrastructure (crosswalks, sidewalks, lighting, etc.). In June 2023 alone there were 4 major automobile crashes (one of them fatal) in a 21-mile section between Hurley Mountain Road and Bridge Street, Phoenicia.  

Since it opened in October 2019, the Ashokan Rail Trail has received over 600,000 visits. Tourism is a huge economic force in our area. There is a bike rental shop located directly across from the Shokan Station trailhead at the intersection with Mountain Road, and most people who've rented bikes cross Route 28 there throughout the spring, summer, and fall.

“I wouldn’t cross [Route 28] in… Shokan by the Rail Trail entrances. There isn’t enough of a warning for drivers that people could be crossing there, and there aren’t enough sidewalks to really make it safe to walk or cross anyway.” 

- Jenson, Onteora Graduate 2023, lives proximate to the Shokan Trailhead

Four vacated floodplain lots in the center of Boiceville, that flank Route 28, will be repurposed for future recreational use by the Town of Olive and more residents will be trying to cross the road to reach these places.  

These lands are located directly across Route 28 from the Onteora Central School District which serves over 1100 students from 6 towns in their Route 28 facility, where the speed limit is 35 mph during school hours and 45 mph at all other times. 

In a survey with 192 Onteora High School students in March of 2023, more than half of the students agreed that more crosswalks and sidewalks outside the school were needed. 

"I remember so many times where simply crossing the street to go to a shop or… restaurant would be convenient or enjoyable, but there just was never the infrastructure in place to make that feel safe – vehicles would rarely see pedestrians at a crosswalk with enough notice to slow or stop. With better signage and infrastructure, that crossing would be much safer and it could truly help connect the school to the rest of Boiceville, allowing far more opportunities to students [to use the Ashokan Rail Trail] outside of school hours."

-Caleb, 12th Grade Onteora Student

NYS DEP is rebuilding the bridges and intersections at Route 28 and Route 28-A to DOT standards at a cost of $33 million. Rapid Flashing Beacons, which have been shown to reduce speeding by 20% (according to a 2009 NHTSA Report), cost $10,000 each. 

The Towns of Olive and Shandaken recently passed resolutions requesting reduced speed limits on New York State Roads 42 and 28.   

NYS DOT has stonewalled requests - from Municipal and Town leaders, residents, students, and members of the business community located along the corridor - to consider adding signalized crossings anywhere along Route 28 because it goes against their policy of maintaining the highest level of service for cars, not people.  

We, the undersigned, urge New York State DOT to, at a minimum, install signalized crosswalks with Rapid Flashing Beacons across Route 28 near the West Hurley, Shokan, and Boiceville Ashokan Rail Trailheads, at locations that will best ensure safe public access to this remarkable natural resource.